7. Collaborative learning debate

The first part of this session has surprised me a lot. Miguel has asked us what attention to diversity means now for us and how the concept has changed. He also asked us if we feel now that attention to diversity is important and why and to give feedback about the last activity (The collaborative activities we designed).

For the second part of the class we were divided in two groups in order to play a debate. The topic were advantages and disadvantages of collaborative learning. We were given some information.

Advantages of collaborative learning
Disadvantages of collaborative learning

We had some minutes to prepare the debate and then we started it.
At the end, Miguel gave us 44 benefits of collaborative learning


Self-reflection

I've really enjoyed the class today... And I think it is the time to reflect about this. Most of the time at the end of this subject sessions I have the feeling of having enjoyed and learned what really is a prize for my intrinsic motivation. I have the feeling of not wanting to miss any session not because I wouldn't get the concepts worked but because it is a very easy way to learn.

Once said that, I really liked the first part of the class. Miguel, through questions that made us compare waht we knew at the beginning of the subject and what we know now, made us aware of how we have been building knowledge and how a concept that we defined at the beginning of the course in 2 or 3 lines now has been filled with nuances and new branches we never would thought about. How we got involved with the idea of attention to diversity and how this idea changed our way to conceive education in a regular class. I think we would incorporate this to our methodological backpack, because if our students are old enough (2nd or 3rd cycle) it is a real prize for intrinsic motivation to be aware of what you've learnt and how you've changed your mind and emotions without any formal assessment required.

I have confronted feelings about the debate. I think debates are a methodological tool really worthwhile because you have to built up reasons to defend what you've been told and by building these reasons in your group I learn a lot, both by having to express what it is in my mind and by listening the others who often doesn't think as I do, questioning what they say and listening their answers. But in order to enjoy a debate everyone needs to know how to debate:




Mass media tells us at every minute that a debate is a mess of insults and personal arguments instead of showing that it is a matter of logic and reasoning... Of course there are many feeling around a debate because we confound attacking an idea with attacking the person who holds it.
Even when I don't think I'm good at debating, I'm really passionate about it because I enjoy it a lot, moreover when the topic to defend is the one in which I believe. As I've been the whole year carrying out a volunteer practicum at a school whose methodology is grounded on collaborative and cooperative learning, I had plenty of examples of why this works and even cases to refut the statements of the people who had to defend the other side. Of course, they are particular cases and can't be generalized... but what has been experienced is learned in a deeper way... I suppose this is my case.
I think at some points of the debate it lacked a moderator (even when Miguel moderated it sometimes) and also it would have been very useful some tips about what is a debate and what is not, about what arguments are valid and which aren't and also some feedback at the end of the activity about the strengths and the weaknesses of the debate he observed.