Benefits of Collaborative Learning Essay Example

Working in groups could be trouble-free to some, it can also be challenging to others. However, there are many benefits of collaborative learning/work. One benefit of collaborative learning is the improvement of your learning because each student will learn from each other. Let's say there is a group of 5 students collaborating for a project, they're from different backgrounds, culture, race, age and economic class. Surely, there will be some obstacles either discrimination, or them not getting alone well. Another issue they might face is “pace” ; some students are familiar with working in groups, some don't. The ones that already have the group learning skills must be patient with the others. He/She must know that working as a team is not a race but a marathon, therefore, they are not going to only work on a project but also work on themselves by opening up to learn more about each and every team member. Collaborative learning/work can help you develop the skill of being a leader. Not everyone in the group will be as motivated as you, therefore, you have to be that team captain to get everyone to stay focused and complete the assignment. Working together and discussing different topics show the differences between us, which we can always use to our advantage to boost our creativity, knowledge, thinking skills, leadership, communication and be more tolerant.

One of my most beneficial experiences I had in collaborative learning was in middle school. English is my second language, I got the task of working in a group project 5 months after moving to the US. It was the most difficult time back then for me, everyone in the group spoke English, I didn't know how to communicate in English, I was so nervous. I had to find someone from the same country in a different class to explain to me what the project was about. From there I knew what I wanted to say and write but I couldn't, I didn't get to participate much on the project, my classmates understood my situation and took it easy on me. They helped me the most by handing me a Creole and English dictionary. It was the most beneficial experience because they didn't discriminate against me, they helped me be a better student and motivated me to learn the language as fast as I could. 

Discussion forums and peer assignments are two ways that University of the People integrates community-oriented learning. Each week students have to write a discussion paper and review three of other students' discussion work. That helps us students learn more from our classmates, and also improves our work itself. University of the People creates a way to connect the students with each other from its Discussion Forums which improves students reading and grading.