Authentic Student Collaboration

Newman, King, and Carmichael believe that “authentic intellectual work involves original application of knowledge and skills, rather than just routine use of facts and procedures. It also entails careful study of the details of a particular problem and results in a product or that has meaning beyond success in school.” This type of learning is done by allowing the learner to learn skills through real world research, inquiry, practice, and by allowing them to have a choice in what they are learning. This differs through traditional approaches of instruction and assessment because the student is in charge of the learning process. When students are learning through authentic intellectual work, they are creating their own questions and finding their answers. The instructor is there to facilitate the learning process, not spoon feed students answers that they are just supposed to memorize and regurgitate back on a test. Once the students have completed their research, they create an authentic way to show what they have learned on their own and are assessed by the instructor on that final project.

The three main components of intellectual work are the construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school (Newman, King, & Carmichael, 2007). They go one to discuss an example where a student has written an argumentative essay using historical evidence to prove their stance on the issue at hand. The student in this example was able to connect their learning to real world situations, and therefore show that the value of what they learned goes far beyond what they may normally learn in a school setting. Through our podcast assignment this week, Jeremy Avery and I were able to discuss a way in which we could help students participate in an authentic learning approach by engaging in a collaborative writing workshop. Students in Jeremy’s History course could pair up with students in my English class and peer edit their argumentative/persuasive essays. Since both classes were working on the same type of writing assignment, they would be able to understand how to actively peer edit with students from the other class. They would engage with each other through the use of constructive feedback. The students would be in charge of the learning process, and in the end, will have learned new collaboration skills that benefit them both inside and outside of the classroom. They would learn how to give and receive feedback. This is a skill that they can use in any facet of their present or future endeavors.

The 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update discusses how technology can be used to help learning move beyond the classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Jeremy and I would have to use technology in order to connect our students during their learning process because they live across the country from each other. They would be able to meet with their peers through video meetings and they could peer edit by sharing their documents. They could even collaborate together to discuss what they learned through this learning experience by creating a reflective learning video or podcast. In our case, our students' learning would be supported by Kolb’s Triple E Framework (Kolb, 2020). Students would be engaged by using technology to conduct their research for their essay as well as the writing of their essay. Student learning would be extended because they would then connect to other students to receive feedback on their work by using technology. Students would then be able to extend their learning by reflecting on their learning process and share what they learned with others through a project that they create using the technology of their choice.

Kolb, L. (2020). Learning first, technology second in practice new strategies, research and tools for student success. International Society for Technology in Education.

Newman, F. M., King, B. M., Carmichael, D.L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching. Iowa Department of Education.

Office of Educational Technology. (2017). Reimagining the role of technology in education: 2017 national educational technology plan update. U.S. Department of Education.