Colaborativeness

A highly effective team means that each individual within the group must have the same goal. It’s important to have the same goal in order to have cohesive interest in the group and their activities. For example, in a high school setting, if 3 out 4 people in a string quartet participated because they really wanted to make beautiful music and 1 person was involved in the group because he/she was told to do so by their parents, the group goal is not the same. The goal of the 3 would be to enjoy and make beautiful music, meaning they are more likely to care and practice the music. However the 1 out of the 4 might have a goal to do whatever their parents say to satisfy them. This one person is less likely to practice their music and care about the ensemble as a whole. This one person can throw off the effectiveness of the entire ensemble. Also a highly effective team needs to be well organized. Meaning, that work among the group, work is equally divided. Every person should have his or her specific role within the group in order to achieve the big picture. Colaborativeness is not exactly like cooperative learning. In cooperative learning the students learn more effectively when they teach and help each other. Yet collaboration is different because students need to pull their own weight. With cooperative learning there is a different sense of responsibility. For example if a student taught another student how to correctly speak a rhythm. The learning on behalf of the student’s “student” can be affected by the student’s content knowledge, attitude or teaching style. Therefore if the “student” learns something wrong, it is not the responsibility of the “student.”