Thinking Collaboratively

Learning in a Community of Inquiry

D. Randy Garrison

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781317581116
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Didattica generale

Thinking Collaboratively is a theoretical and practical guide to thinking and learning in deep and meaningful ways within purposeful communities of inquiry. Critical thinking has long been recognized as an important educational goal but, until now, has largely been conceived and operationalized as an individual attitude and ability. Increasingly, however, a more relevant and complete cognitive construct has been emerging: thinking collaboratively. Thinking collaboratively is the means to inquire, test, and apply new understandings, and to make sense of the information that bombards us continuously. In short, thinking collaboratively is required to flourish in our highly connected world and, in this book based on more than a decade of research, Garrison provides an essential introduction to this vital concept.

1 INTRODUCTION

DOI: 10.4324/9781315740751-1

It does not seem possible to account for the cognitive accomplishments of our species by reference to what is inside our heads alone.

(Hutchins 2000)

Thinking is not a private experience. This seemingly paradoxical statement suggests that thinking somehow extends beyond individual rationality and creativity. The reality is that much of human evolution is socially situated and dependent upon collaboration (Wilson 2012). So the question is, why should this be any different when it comes to perhaps the most distinctive human characteristic – thinking? The fact is that thinking has always been socially situated and thinking collaboratively is an innately human characteristic. Thinking is deeply embedded in our environment and the shared experiences of those with whom we engage. However, this is becoming more apparent and relevant in the context of a shrinking technological world. The enhanced opportunities for engagement in a technologically connected society raise important questions about the role the environment plays in stimulating and shaping thinking and learning.

The creative and innovative benefits of thinking collaboratively have been known for some time. Historically, the success of thinking collaboratively has been evident in the medical and biological fields distinguished by collaborative approaches to research and development. One of the best historical examples is the integrated group practice of the Mayo Clinic that pioneered team work and collaboration in pooling the disparate expertise of various disciplines. This produced a level of excellence simply not possible in a traditional doctor’s office. Other well-known historical examples are Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory and those of Bell and IBM labs. The groundbreaking story of the discovery of the double helix by Watson, Crick and Wilkins was another well-known example of team-based research.

Perhaps the best known current examples are the collaborative approaches clearly evident in the outstandingly successful information and communication technology companies such as Google and Facebook. The collaborative nature of the digital revolution is described very well by Isaacson (2014). He notes that the computer and Internet inventions were not conjured up by individual geniuses. The lone inventor is largely a myth. Isaacson (2014) has described how inventors and entrepreneurs “collaborated and why their ability to work as teams made them even more creative” (p. 1). This is why deep and meaningful learning is a team endeavor – a process of thinking and learning collaboratively. Shared thinking help us to make sense of experiences while opening our own thoughts and beliefs to examination and testing. The purpose here is to explore more deeply this collaborative process of creative and critical thinking.

Thinking collaboratively is an essential component of innovative thinking and learning. Thinking collaboratively is about developing critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills. It creates an environment for synergistic ideation and innovation. The challenge is how to structure environments for innovative thinking and learning. A core reason for encouraging shared thinking and learning is that humans are inherently selective in seeing and reinforcing existing beliefs. If thinking is to be innovative, there is a need to break out of this cognitive straightjacket and to consider new ideas; to overcome the human bias to confirm and not question currently held perspectives and ideas. Experience and evidence is unwittingly selected and interpreted to fit within the individual’s personal paradigm. This reluctance to explore conflicting arguments or ideas is well known in science (Kuhn 1962). If this is the case with those committed to the rigor of the scientific method, then there is clearly a need to address the predisposition to confirm our personal biases in educational contexts. We all have blind spots that need to be recognized. Constructing personal meaning without critical feedback can be inherently satisfying but it can also be delusional. This is the core argument and rationale for the adoption of collaborative approaches to thinking and learning operationalized during the inquiry process.

The perspective I offer here is that thinking collaboratively is a form of inquiry engaged in by a purposeful and supportive community of learners that can be enhanced and sustained through communication technologies. Thinking collaboratively is dependent upon constructing a culture of inquiry in the context of purposeful, engaged, and trusting communities. The broader justification for thinking collaboratively is revealed in the finding that companies are far more successful when built on a culture of collaboration (Rohman 2014a). It must be realized that: “Nowadays, though we may still idolize the charismatic leader or creative genius, almost every decision of consequence is made by a group” (Woolley et al. 2015, 2^nd paragraph). Innovation in thinking and learning is intimately associated with the practice of thinking collaboratively in a culture of inquiry – where learners can collaboratively explore, construct, test and apply knowledge. In a technologically connected world where so much information is literally at our fingertips, we must understand the conditions for thinking critically and collaboratively if we are to address the complex problems we face in an increasingly connected society and knowledge economy.

Foundational Constructs

The philosophical foundation for exploring thinking collaboratively is provided by John Dewey and his rejection of dualistic approaches (self and other) to thinking and learning. The rejection of dualistic thinking raises a dilemma for the thesis explored here. On the surface, one might consider the phrase “thinking collaboratively” an oxymoron. How can a latent, intellectual process extend beyond the mind of the individual and be a collaborative process? If it is so, what is the nature of this relationship between the internal private and external shared world?

Exploring the concept that thinking is both a personal reflective and shared process is the journey we take in this book. It is a rejection of the separation between personal and shared worlds in the process of thinking and learning. Individuals are social beings and thinking and learning is a social endeavor. One simply does not exist without the other. Only in the abstract can we imagine the individual thinking in isolation. Few would argue that we are not nourished intellectually and emotionally through the interactions with others and their ideas. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the individual cannot succeed in the increasingly interconnected and interdependent world without think collaboratively.

Thinking collaboratively is personal reflection fused with critical discourse where ideas can be challenged. The basic challenge and goal in a connected society is being able to make sense of the information that continuously bombards us. Access or proximity to information and knowledge is intimately associated with innovative thinking. Thinking collaboratively is the transactional means to inquire, test new information, and apply new ideas. Thinking collaboratively is a deep and meaningful approach to learning that relies on critical and creative thinking through sustained engagement with content and other learners. This collaborative approach to thinking extends beyond acquiring information or developing basic competencies. It necessitates that learners assume responsibility and understand intellectual inquiry as constructing personal meaning and confirming understanding through purposeful engagement.

Essential to this process is the validation of personal meaning. At the heart of thinking collaboratively is the reality that we are not very good at diagnosing our individual misconceptions, perceptual biases and faulty logic. We need open and purposeful discourse where ideas can be shared and critically analyzed such that they are subjected to needed checks and balances to correct misconceptions and achieve shared understanding. This knowledge-building way of thinking has become a practical necessity because of recent advancements in ubiquitous information and communication technologies, and in the explosion of information sources. Collaborative thinking is a search for what could and should be the experience of thinking and learning in a connected and knowledge society. In short, thinking collaboratively is a requirement to flourish in an unpredictable connected world that demands innovative thinking and learning and a process that encourages the critical analysis of personal beliefs and meaning.

When we talk about thinking collaboratively we are not talking about a form of collective intelligence or thinking. There is no such entity as collective intelligence. The process of thinking collaboratively can result in collective or public knowledge, but the intelligence behind this dynamic is individuals engaged in reflective discourse with the goal to construct personal meaning but collaboratively confirm understanding. Moreover, collective thinking is a form of non-thinking; of mindlessly following the group and unwilling to reshape one’s own thoughts or to challenge the thinking of others. Thinking collaboratively is the opposite of collective thinking (or group-think) in that the goal is the individual exploring and making sense of conflicting ideas or complex situations through discourse and debate. Thinking collaboratively is suited to challenging basic assumptions and solving complex problems. Thinking collaboratively is for the individual to be challenged and to challenge others’ perspectives and ideas through collaborative inquiry. The premise here is that thinking collaboratively greatly enhances the construction of personal meaning and shared understanding through disciplined inquiry and continuous critical assessment. Thinking collaboratively demands the individual justify his or her thinking to gain a deep and shared understanding that can contribute to societal knowledge. Thinking collaboratively is a process of situated cognition and not some alien form of collective intelligence.

Technology

Thinking collaboratively is essential in a knowledge-based society that is increasingly supported by a range of information and communication technologies. Creating and sustaining an environment for thinking collaboratively is complex and challenging and is often dependent upon technology. At its core, deep and meaningful approaches to thinking and learning are best assured in connected and collaborative learning environments that exhibit shared interests and purposeful leadership. In this regard, thinking collaboratively is supported and extended through communication technologies. As a result, we need to understand how the connected world is impacting thinking and learning.

It is safe to say that educators have not fully come to grips with understanding the impact of an unpredictable and connected world on thinking and learning. While social media is commonplace, we are still in the early exploratory stage of understanding how this impacts thinking and how we can design worthwhile learning experiences in our technologically connected world. The Internet can help us access information and communicate with others but this must be complemented by the corrective transaction of questioning the validity of the information and collaboratively focusing on worthwhile learning goals. Thinking collaboratively must be centered on purposeful and corrective discourse. Our thoughts are shaped through the connections with others – increasingly through communication technologies. This fusion of people and technology will increasingly provide the means for thinking collaboratively. What is not in question is the need to think collaboratively to construct shared understanding in an increasingly connected society.

To reiterate, we live and learn in socially situated environments that are influenced and shaped by interactions with others. However, communication technologies have expanded and enhanced the collaborative thinking and learning environment through virtual synchronous and asynchronous interactions. Communication technologies create new and sustained opportunities for learners to share their thinking. At the same time, the focus must be on using technology as a tool to inspire and engage learners in a climate of critical inquiry. To paraphrase Henry David Thoreau, technology must be the means to an improved end, not the end itself. Technology must be appropriately applied to create worthwhile learning transactions. Increasingly a community of learners is being perceived as the best means to share our thinking for the purposes of collaboratively constructing meaning and understanding. Technology is introduced to bring learners together to engage in thinking collaboratively in and beyond the classroom.

Communication technologies are not only helping us connect, but they also add to the complexity in our lives and the increased need to think collaboratively. That is, the emergence of communication technologies across society is both a catalyst for the need as well as the means to think collaboratively. The self-reinforcing nature of communication technologies presents a relentless and inescapable reality that is transforming, for better or worse, how we think and learn. Access to and transmission of information is no longer the primary responsibility of educators. Information and communications technology have flattened the educational hierarchy and shifted the emphasis and expertise to issues of participant leadership in thinking and learning collaboratively.

While thinking collaboratively is becoming an imperative with the advancements of communication technologies, it is clear that it is the design, facilitation and direction of reflection and discourse that will have a lasting qualitative impact. It is the leadership and not the technology that makes the qualitative difference in thinking and learning collaboratively. When learners learn with and through technology, it opens enormous possibilities for thinking and learning; however, its true advantage is in supporting communities of learners and the conditions for thinking collaboratively across time and space.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking was the watchword in educational circles in previous decades. Critical thinking was associated with encouraging a skeptical attitude along with developing individual reflective skills such as logical reasoning and personal judgment. At the same time arose the debate on whether critical thinking was a general ability that could be taught as a distinct subject or whether critical thinking needed to be developed during the process of understanding a specific discipline or body of knowledge. The position that critical thinking must be developed within the context of learning subject matter was put forward by John McPeck (1990). He advanced a pedagogic position that thinking must be honest argument about a particular idea or topic within a specific discipline. It could not be developed in a vacuum. This is clearly our position here. Critical thinking is best learned through the process of learning the nuances of a specific discipline, but thinking is also best developed collaboratively in the environment of the particular discipline.

If the educational experience is not to be confined to assimilating course content, it is important to recognize that a worthwhile learning experience is a transaction that deepens and extends our understanding of the initially inert content. The greatest influence on the direction and quality of thinking is the recognition of these social and collaborative realities associated with intellectual inquiry. We now more fully recognize and appreciate that critical thinking extends beyond the individual and the subject matter – it also includes those to whom we communicate as we construct personal meaning and shared understanding. That is, thinking collaboratively is more than simply sharing information. Thinking collaboratively is about open communication, questioning and problem-solving through inquiry and, ultimately, continuous learning.

The skills of communication and problem-solving have become increasingly important in higher education. It has been stated that:

Education today is much more about ways of thinking that involve creative and critical approaches to problem-solving and decision-making. It is also about ways of working, including communication and collaboration, as well as the tools they require, such as the capacity to recognise and exploit the potential of new technologies ….

(Schleicher 2010, p. 2.)

Consistent with this, a recent survey of employers found that “job candidates are lacking most in written and oral communication skills, adaptability and managing multiple priorities, and making decisions and problem solving” (The Chronicle of Higher Education2012, p.12). These abilities can only be developed in a learning environment that values and supports collaborative inquiry, requiring critical thinking and discourse in resolving dilemmas and solving practical problems. Thinking and learning collaboratively is an imperative in the classroom and workplace.

Innovative and creative thinking is greatly enhanced with the collaboration of others (Hemlin et al. 2004; Paulus et al. 2003). Thinking collaboratively is a complex dynamic that does not occur in a disciplinary vacuum or in social isolation. The core dynamic in think...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Thinking and Learning
• 3 Technology and Thinking
• 4 A New Era
• 5 The Community of Inquiry
• 6 Community of Inquiry Research
• 7 Principles of Practice
• 8 Leading Collaboratively
• 9 Conclusion
• Appendix A: Community of Inquiry Survey Instrument
• Appendix B: Shared Metacognition Survey Instrument
• References
• Index