Are my students collaborating effectively in my classroom?

Abstract

In the primary school classrooms, students spend almost three terms (20-25 hours) doing project work in groups of 4-5. In order for any learning task to be conducted effectively, the students need to know how to work collaboratively in their groups, and teachers need to find out how their students perceive one another while working in their groups. This will in turn help teachers help their students build the interdependence and team spirit needed to develop the correct attitude toward project work. The objectives of this study are to assist teachers better understand how their students collaborate with one another in their groups, and to suggest strategies to enhance students’ collaboration in the classroom. Using one of the standard learning environment instruments, the My Class Inventory (MCI), students’ perceptions of their actual and preferred learning environments are assessed. This paper will report the results and suggest how it will be used to assist in developing appropriate strategies to enhance collaboration in project work classrooms.