In university education, to foster student proactivity, it's crucial to provide opportunities for students to become aware of "how they engage with learning," beyond just acquiring knowledge. One method gaining attention is "team learning" (collaborative learning). Team learning is a style of learning where students work together on tasks. As multiple perspectives intersect and knowledge and opinions are exchanged, students become aware of their own thinking habits, behavioral tendencies, and differences from others. Such insights serve as extremely important clues for understanding their "positioning"—that is, their role and value within a group, and their unique self in relation to others.
Why is Team Learning Necessary?
In universities, much learning tends to be completed individually. The series of learning processes—attending lectures, writing reports, and taking exams—is fundamentally done alone. However, in real society, the ability to solve problems collaboratively with multiple people is required. The ability to engage with others and contribute is as important as knowledge and skills.
Team learning is extremely effective as a place to cultivate such abilities. However, what's important here is not merely "collaborating to complete tasks." Rather, the essence of learning lies in introspecting and becoming aware of how one behaves within a team and how one interacts with others.
Learning How to Handle Your "Voice"
In team learning, some students actively voice their opinions, while others may intentionally refrain from speaking, reading the room. Neither is inherently better. What's important is to become aware of one's own tendencies, such as "Why did I speak (or not speak) in this situation?" or "When do words come easily to me?"
For example, a student might realize during group work that "I naturally often take on the role of summarizing opinions." Through this realization, they may verbalize their own characteristic as "I might have a bird's-eye view of the whole," and reconstruct how they engage with learning.
This process also leads to enhancing metacognitive skills. The ability to view one's own thinking and actions from an external perspective, and to reconsider "how to engage better" or "how to deepen learning," is extremely important for proactive learning.
Proactivity Fostered Through Relationships
Proactivity is not merely "having one's own thoughts." One's thoughts and actions gain meaning precisely within relationships with others. In team learning situations, it's common for one's thinking to deepen, or for one to naturally step in to help someone in need, triggered by another's remarks.
Through such interactions, students gain a sense that "I am helping someone" or "my opinion is influencing the situation." This feeling plays an extremely significant role in fostering self-awareness as a proactive learner.
Also, there may be times when one's opinion is not accepted, or one feels confused by differences in opinions with others. Such experiences are by no means negative; rather, they are excellent opportunities to develop dialogical skills such as "how to convey my message effectively" or "how to accept differences."
Reflection is Time to Create "Future Engagement"
To maximize the value of team learning, reflection time after activities is indispensable. Instead of just finishing a task and ending with "succeeded or failed," verbalizing and giving meaning to the process allows the learning experience to take root within oneself.
The essence of reflection is not "evaluating the past." Rather, it is time to newly re-weave one's engagement and learning approach for the future. How did I engage? Why did I think that way? At what moment did I hesitate? How did I react to my peers' words and attitudes?—By carefully reflecting on such detailed experiences, students become aware of their own patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.
This process is precisely a metacognitive endeavor. By gaining an external perspective on oneself, a proactive stance emerges, such as "Next time, I'll try to engage more in this way" or "I'll try to verbalize that hesitation I felt then."
Furthermore, by providing opportunities to share such reflections not only individually but also within the entire group, learning deepens even more. By encountering others' insights and perspectives, one may become aware of team dynamics that were previously unseen, or realize that one's words and actions had a greater impact on others than expected.
The role of the faculty is not to let such reflection time end as mere "sharing of impressions," but to facilitate the process by posing questions that deepen thinking and create a pathway to the next stage of learning. For example, the following questions are effective in prompting student thinking:
- "What role did you feel you played?"
- "Did you learn anything from others' actions?"
- "If you were to tackle the same task next time, how would you change your approach?"
Thus, reflection is a future-oriented learning activity that enables both "knowing oneself now" and "creating oneself for the future."
The Role of Faculty is to Create a "Safe Space for Trial and Error"
For team learning to function effectively, it is essential to design an environment where students can safely exchange opinions. For this, faculty involvement is crucial.
First, faculty themselves must clearly articulate the value that "various ways of engagement are acceptable" and convey this to students. By recognizing that both actively stating opinions and quietly supporting others are meaningful ways to participate, students gain confidence in their own engagement.
Furthermore, by designing post-activity reflection and providing opportunities for students to metacognitively reflect on themselves, learning experiences are deeply internalized. Faculty are required to demonstrate their ability as facilitators who not only teach knowledge but also support the relationships within the learning environment and the deepening of introspection.
Knowing Your "Positioning" Becomes the Starting Point of Learning
Ultimately, the greatest outcome fostered by team learning is "knowing your own positioning." When can I exert my strength? What role naturally fits me? What kind of engagement feels comfortable? Through such questions, students rediscover their own learning styles.
And these insights connect to future career choices, professional values, and ways of collaborating with others. Knowing oneself is nothing less than fostering the ability to live with others.
Published: July 28, 2024
Author: Prof. Masato Otsuka