Creating a Better Future Through Collaborative Learning | Maddie Edwards | TEDxYouth@Brambleton

Summary

The speaker reflects on their experiences with individualistic versus collaborative learning, emphasizing the benefits of the latter in enhancing productivity and psychological well-being. They recount their time at the Academy of Engineering and Technology, where project-based learning fostered a collaborative environment that leveraged individual strengths. The talk also critiques standardized testing, suggesting it may become obsolete as more institutions adopt test-optional policies and recognize the value of diverse intelligences beyond traditional assessments.

Takeaways

• 📚 Group learning can be unproductive when members lack connection or interest in each other's contributions.
• 🤝 Collaborative learning is more effective when it accounts for individuals' skills, strengths, and weaknesses.
• 🏫 The speaker's experience at the Academy of Engineering and Technology emphasized project-based and collaborative learning.
• 🔍 An incubator program allowed students to apply business knowledge in a tangible way, highlighting the benefits of collaborative learning.
• 📊 A survey used to categorize students into roles based on their strengths contributed to more effective group dynamics.
• 🎓 The preference for days at an alternative school over home school was attributed to the benefits of collaboration and passion.
• 🛠 Innovation challenges at the school helped students become comfortable with group settings and creative problem-solving.
• 🎼 Research by Johnson & Johnson in 1989 identified three key benefits of collaborative learning: higher achievement, supportive relationships, and improved mental health and self-esteem.
• 📉 Standardized testing may become obsolete as more colleges become test-optional, reflecting a shift towards recognizing diverse intelligences.
• 💡 The speaker suggests five key ways to increase a collaborative learning mindset: creating a relaxed environment, identifying strengths, embracing failure, being honest with feedback, and setting achievable goals.
• 🌟 The potential for a collaborative approach to education is seen as a catalyst for change, innovation, and progress in the educational system.

Q & A

What is the common issue with group projects as described in the script?

The script describes a common issue with group projects where one person ends up doing all the work while another does none, leading to unproductive group learning.

What is the potential solution to unproductive group learning mentioned in the script?

The script suggests collaborative learning as a potential solution to unproductive group learning, which takes into account people's specific skill sets, strengths, and weaknesses.

What is the Academy of Engineering and Technology, and how does it relate to the speaker's experience?

The Academy of Engineering and Technology is a new school the speaker applied to, which emphasizes project-based and collaborative learning, shaping the speaker's experience in a different learning environment.

What is the 'incubator edu' program mentioned in the script, and how does it relate to collaborative learning?

The 'incubator edu' program is an entrepreneurship initiative where the speaker learned to apply business concepts in a tangible way, highlighting the effectiveness of collaborative learning in a real-world context.

How did the speaker's school use a survey to improve group dynamics?

The survey helped categorize students into groups based on their passions and strengths in business, leading to more effective collaboration by assigning unique expectations and contributions to each group member.

What are 'innovation challenges' at the speaker's school, and how do they promote collaboration?

Innovation challenges are school-wide events that combine all three pathways (IT, engineering, and entrepreneurship) to create something with rough deadlines and materials, promoting collaboration and comfort in group settings.

What are the three key reasons Johnson & Johnson found collaborative learning to be more effective according to the script?

Johnson & Johnson's research identified higher achievement abilities, more caring and supportive relationships, and increased psychological health and self-esteem as the three key reasons collaborative learning is more effective.

Why does the speaker believe that collaborative learning can make standardized testing obsolete in the future?

The speaker believes that the increase in collaborative learning will make standardized testing obsolete because it promotes different types of intelligences and skills that are not measured by traditional tests, and because many colleges are becoming test-optional.

What personal challenge does the speaker have with standardized testing, and how does it relate to the broader issue?

The speaker has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which makes it difficult to sit for long standardized tests. This personal challenge relates to the broader issue of accommodating diverse needs and recognizing that not everyone can perform equally under the same testing conditions.

What are the five key ways to increase a collaborative learning mindset as suggested by the speaker?

The five key ways are creating a relaxed environment, identifying the strengths of each group member, embracing failure, being honest with the team, and setting both small achievable and larger goals.

How does the speaker envision the future of education with increased collaborative learning?

The speaker envisions a future where education revolutionizes the way people work together, fostering a generation that collaborates towards a common goal, with teachers, school systems, and students having the power to create change.

Outlines

00:00

😅 The Challenges and Potential of Group Learning

The speaker begins by humorously addressing the common issue of unequal workload distribution in group projects, where some individuals contribute significantly while others do not. They delve into the inefficiencies of group learning when there is a lack of connection or interest among group members. The speaker introduces the concept of collaborative learning, which leverages individual strengths and weaknesses to enhance productivity. Drawing from personal experiences at the Academy of Engineering and Technology, they highlight the benefits of project-based and collaborative learning in an entrepreneurship program, emphasizing the importance of utilizing everyone's skills to make group projects more effective. The speaker also discusses the preference for days at school over home, attributing this to the value of collaboration and passion for learning.

05:03

🎓 Research Insights on Collaborative Learning

The speaker cites research conducted by Johnson & Johnson in 1989, which identified three key reasons why collaborative learning is more effective than individualistic learning. These reasons include higher achievement abilities, the formation of caring and supportive relationships, and improved psychological health and self-esteem among participants. The speaker also mentions additional benefits of collaborative learning, such as increased language apprehension, literacy levels, and effectiveness in STEM communities. They argue that despite the proven advantages, collaborative learning is not widely implemented due to laziness or difficulty in execution, and they predict that an increase in collaborative learning will render standardized testing obsolete in the future.

10:04

💡 Strategies for Fostering Collaborative Learning

The speaker concludes by sharing five strategies to enhance a collaborative learning mindset. They emphasize the importance of creating a relaxed environment that encourages brainstorming and the expression of innovative ideas. Identifying the strengths of each group member is crucial to ensure every individual feels valued and contributes to the group's success. Embracing failure as a learning opportunity is also highlighted, as is the necessity for honest feedback within the group. Lastly, setting both small, achievable goals and larger aspirations is presented as a pathway to progress. The speaker expresses optimism for a future of education that is revolutionized by collaborative efforts, sparking change and innovation.

Keywords

💡Group Learning

Group learning refers to the educational approach where students work together on tasks or projects. In the video, it is described as often unproductive because of unequal participation among members. The speaker contrasts this with collaborative learning, which seeks to address these issues.

💡Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning is an approach where students work together, leveraging their individual strengths to enhance the learning experience. The speaker emphasizes how this method, which includes understanding each member’s skills and interests, leads to more effective and productive outcomes compared to traditional group learning.

💡Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning involves students working on a project over an extended period, which allows them to explore real-world problems and challenges. The speaker mentions their entrepreneurship program that stressed project-based learning, which helped them apply theoretical knowledge into practical business projects.

💡Incubator EDU

Incubator EDU is a program that supports entrepreneurship by teaching students the necessary skills to start and run a business. The speaker highlights their experience in this program as a significant example of successful collaborative learning, where they applied business concepts in real projects.

💡Innovation Challenges

Innovation challenges are competitions where students are given a set of materials and a rough deadline to create something innovative. The speaker describes these challenges at their school, which combined students from different pathways to work together, promoting creativity and collaboration.

💡Standardized Testing

Standardized testing refers to tests that are administered and scored in a consistent manner to measure students' performance. The speaker criticizes these tests for not accurately measuring all types of intelligence and argues that collaborative learning environments could make such tests obsolete.

💡Psychological Mental Health

Psychological mental health pertains to the mental well-being of individuals. The speaker notes that collaborative learning can improve psychological mental health and self-esteem among students, as it fosters supportive relationships and a sense of achievement.

💡Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths and weaknesses refer to the individual capabilities and areas for improvement of each group member. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing these in collaborative learning to ensure each member can contribute effectively and feel valued.

💡Relaxed Environment

A relaxed environment is one where individuals feel comfortable to express their ideas without fear of judgment. The speaker lists this as a crucial factor for successful collaborative learning, as it encourages brainstorming and creative thinking.

💡Embrace Failure

Embracing failure means accepting and learning from mistakes. The speaker discusses the importance of this mindset in collaborative learning, where both individual and group failures should be seen as opportunities for growth and improvement.

Highlights

The speaker discusses the unproductive nature of group learning when there is a lack of connection or interest among group members.

The concept of collaborative learning is introduced as a more productive alternative to traditional group learning, taking into account individuals' skills and weaknesses.

The speaker shares personal experiences from the Academy of Engineering and Technology, emphasizing the importance of project-based and collaborative learning.

The Incubator Edu program is highlighted as an example of successful collaborative learning, where students are grouped based on their business passions and strengths.

The preference for school days over home days is attributed to the benefits of collaboration and passion in the learning environment.

Innovation challenges at the school are mentioned as a way to foster comfort and creativity in group settings, similar to common group projects.

Research by Johnson & Johnson in 1989 is cited to support the effectiveness of collaborative learning over individualistic learning.

Three key reasons are given for the superiority of collaborative learning: higher achievement abilities, more caring relationships, and improved psychological health and self-esteem.

The speaker argues that an increase in collaborative learning could render standardized testing obsolete, as it does not account for various types of intelligence.

Over a thousand colleges being test-optional is presented as evidence of a shift away from standardized testing.

A study from the National Association for college counseling is mentioned, showing no impact of SAT or ACT scores on college or post-college success.

The speaker's personal struggle with POTS and its impact on the ability to take standardized tests is shared to illustrate the need for alternative assessment methods.

The importance of accommodating different learning needs beyond just providing test accommodations is emphasized.

Five key ways to increase a collaborative learning mindset are outlined: creating a relaxed environment, identifying strengths, embracing failure, being honest with the team, and setting goals.

The speaker expresses optimism for a future of education that is more collaborative and innovative, driven by teachers, school systems, and students.

The talk concludes with a call to action for change in education, emphasizing the power of collaboration to spark progress and innovation.

Transcripts

any of you here have ever worked in a

group project where one person did all

the work and another person did

absolutely none of it yeah yeah I see

some of you guys not raising your hands

um I don't know what's going on there so

so why is group learning so unproductive

well the group learning we might be

working with people we have no sort of

connection to or no sort of sort of

interest in knowing for example we might

ask one person to do the first two

slides of the slide show and another

person to the next two but the first

person doesn't do their slides and the

second person does absolutely all of

them we all know how it goes

so Brugler ting rarely works which is

why so many people students teachers

even business professionals are scared

of it however it has the potential to

work with something called collaborative

learning so collaborative learning takes

into account people's specific skill

sets strengths and weaknesses in

creating more productive learning so

today I will talk to you about my

experiences in two different learning

environments with an emphasis on

individualistic versus collaborative

learning and how an increase in

collaborative learning will cause things

that high-schooler struggle with right

now to become obsolete in the future so

in the late spring of my eighth-grade

year I applied to a brand new school

called the Academy of Engineering and

Technology and I didn't know anything

about it

applied completely on a whim with no

expectations and if you know anything

about the stem schools here in Loudoun

County you know how rare this is I mean

the students and their parents actually

mostly just their parents trained them

specifically from middle school to get

into these high schools right and so if

you're not from one of the richest

counties in the United in the United

States this might seem a little weird to

you that middle schoolers worked so hard

in middle school just have the

opportunity to learn somewhere different

in high school but that's how it works

here and so I'm not the smartest person

ever but I work really hard so I apply

it to a brand new program called

entrepreneurship where they stress

something called

project-based and collaborative learning

so in my entrepreneurship program I

experienced the highlight of

collaborative learning in a program

called incubator

edu so my freshman year in

entrepreneurship I learned all the ideal

things you need to start a business

things like marketing tactics financial

plans even other business tactics and my

sophomore year we were able to actually

apply this into something tangible like

a business so I remember at the

beginning of the class sophomore year we

had to take a survey and so I've been

with these people since the beginning of

my freshman year and I was so annoyed

that we had to take this survey it just

place this in our groups already we know

we all know who each other are but we

took this survey and this ended up being

one of the best things that ever

happened to be in high school so let me

tell you why in this survey we picked

what we were passionate about in

business what we felt like our strengths

were and what we best felt like we

contribute to the group and this

separated us into four different

categories the first category or my

category was the visionaries then there

was the rainmakers responsible for the

financials the customer service and the

product service people so each each

category one of each of us was placed

into each group and each category came

with unique expectations deadlines and

what they were supposed to contribute to

the group so in a rough poll I've done

at my school I found out that most

people prefer days a eighty more than

they prefer days at their home school

since we go every other day trust on

schools and I wonder why I mean you

obviously come here to challenge

yourself it's harder it's more stressful

the answer is the reason for

collaboration and the reason for passion

so also at my school we have something

called innovation challenges where it

combines the entire school all three

pathways IT engineering and

entrepreneurship and we're all put

together and told to make something so

we get rough deadlines rough material

set very very rough instructions for

example once we felt a coin sorter out

of just cardboard wood and tape so this

helps people who are less comfortable in

the group setting become more

comfortable in the process and so I'd

like to think of the common group

project in the exact same way so in

innovation challenges you're given this

set of materials and same with group

projects you're given a set of skill

sets of the people you work with

so in these innovation challenges that

we use every single material we have our

disposal to our advantage and it would

be a shame not to do the same thing in a

group project and so using everyone's

skills in a collaborative group makes

groups more effective so it turns out

the ATS not only created some of the

best music of the century but also

created some of the best research on

collaborative versus individualistic

learning so in 1989 Johnson & Johnson's

did research on why collaborative

learning is more effective than

individualistic and they found out it

was because of three key reasons the

first reason is that it creates higher

achieve abilities so people can actually

accomplish more under these group

settings collaborative group settings

and they normally would be able to the

second one is that it creates more

caring and supportive relationships with

the people you work with which i think

is the most important in the business

world where people feel like they have

no connection to the people they work

with and the third and final reason

which is the most important for

teenagers our age that it actually

increases our psychological mental

health and self-esteem

well this research has stood the test of

time there's also been some unique

effects only if you were up there it

increases things like language

apprehension literacy levels it's

effective in STEM communities where I

actually thrive

so if collaborative research is so

effective then why isn't it being used

more often well the reason is that maybe

it's laziness or maybe it's the fact

that it's hard to implement but so many

people are used to being

especially teenagers on how they do with

a pencil and paper test and that brings

me to my next point an increase in

collaborative learning will cause things

like standardized testing to become

obsolete in the future now for everyone

goes crazy I know we all have to take

standardized testing let me explain so

over a thousand colleges are currently

test optional meaning that they do not

require you to sent in your SAT or a CT

score in order to be admitted into their

school this includes many of the big

names like Harvard and University of

Chicago and the reason I wanted to make

this talk in the first place is because

I actually read a study from the

National Association for college

counseling were over a hundred and

twenty thousand people were part of the

study to see if submitting higher SAT or

a CT scores has any effect on how you do

in college or even after college and I

think you already know what I'm gonna

say is that there was no impact

it showed that SAT scores cannot be a

specific measure of intellect or success

but there are different types of

intelligences that need to be measured

other than the intelligences that

standardized testing are measuring so my

story

I am diagnosed with postural orthostatic

tachycardia syndrome better known as

pots so basically the blood pools in my

legs I get dizzy and I pass out at the

most inconvenient times in the most

inconvenient places for example and you

can laugh at these because I Huff at

these I passed out at the top of the

Empire State Building in the middle of a

street and most recently during my AP

calculus exam which is just really

unfortunate but I personally cannot sit

and take a standardized test for

three-plus hours but what about people

with problems that are worse than mine

people with problems like ADHD dyslexia

or even autism so the problem with this

people are given accommodations

accommodations exist for some but the

root of the problem is that we are all

placed on this platform expected to do

the exact same thing and get the exact

same score so how

we fix this and move towards a more

collaborative mindset well in my

experience in creating a business in

research science research on the

regional and state level and even

starting clubs a ton passionate about at

my school all which are by the way I

could not have done just by myself I

found that there are five key ways to

increase collaborative learning mindset

their first way is the most important

because without it we can't have

anything else and that's to create a

relaxed environment to create an

environment where it's okay to

brainstorm to have crazy ideas if people

have these crazy ideas they're more

likely to be successful than those who

bring no ideas to the table the second

one is to identify the strengths of each

group member and I know what you're all

thinking I've worked in a group with

someone who has absolutely no strengths

at oh I tell you that might be a little

bit true but the strings might not be as

glaringly there as some others but

everyone has something that they're

passionate about that they're willing to

learn more about and contribute to the

group this makes every group member feel

needed and creates a more productive

process the third one is to embrace

failure I know this entire event today

has been about failure but I tell you

you know innovators who have had

successes in the past they say that they

had failure over and over again before

they get to these successes but this

failure could not just be embraced on

the individual level it Hostin has to be

embraced by the group itself the group

itself has to be on board with the

failure the fourth reason is to be

honest with your team and my groups that

I've worked with we implemented positive

and negative feedback from the start so

if everyone knows what they're doing

right most importantly but also the

little things that they can work on they

are able to express themselves a more

positive way and the fifth and final one

is to set goals we just talked about

this and this is really important but

not just huge big goals that might be

able to lofty like I'm gonna make a

million dollars my business next year

you have to set small achievable goals

that we can work towards every single

day if we achieve these goals smaller

goals would be more likely to be able to

work towards the bigger goals so I feel

super lucky I'm lucky to be a part of a

generation that works together towards

one common goal but I think teachers

school systems and students themselves

have the power to create the change of

Education so I see a future of Education

of revolutionising the way we work

together change sparks progress and

progress sparks innovation thank you

[Applause]