Instructors ensure that participants treat each other respectfully, focusing on communication skills and levels of understanding. They help students listen to and express opinions; support opinions with evidence; and use both creative and critical thinking.

Collaborative learning demands a lot from every participant. It requires and develops social skills. It is necessary to take some time to help the participants, as a whole group and as individuals, to acquire the team, communication, and conflict resolution skills necessary for group activities. Some participants will take longer than others to pick up and master these skills, but they are skills that they may carry with them into their social and working lives, so it is well worth the time. (See suggested learning activities in appendices)

AUTHENTIC LEARNING

Authentic learning involves ‘learning by doing’ activities that solve real life problems or create products that have real life purposes. Because authentic learning activities deal with real life situations and questions they have more meaning than more traditional ways of learning.

Skill to do comes of doing.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In authentic learning, the student does an activity not for the sole purpose of learning about something, but rather, for the sake of achieving a real goal. Thus, the products of authentic learning, as well as the process, can be shared with others outside the classroom.
Kendra Gollihar (http://www.gollihar.com/reals)

The rationale for stressing authentic learning activities is threefold: It encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning and increases the relevance of that learning; it develops deeper and richer knowledge structures, facilitating knowledge transfer; and it encourages collaboration and negotiation (Grabinger, 1996).