Kenneth Bruffee’s “The Art of Collaborative Learning: Making the Most of Knowledgeable Peers” discusses the importance of autonomous collaborative learning in classrooms, that is, when multiple individuals work together, and constructively criticize and exchange ideas in order to produce a fruitful product. With autonomy, the instructor fades into the background to allow the students to govern their learning, which circumvents the traditional view of the instructor’s authority in the classroom. Collaborative learning is being integrated into numerous fields of study, as teaching institutions are realizing that students learn best socially. A key idea discussed in the reading is that learning occurs when knowledge is passed between individuals, by which learning and acquisition of knowledge are both social processes. The author …show more content…
The instructor would “hover” or “sit in” on our work, and offer guidance when we asked towards a predetermined goal. Knowing this, I have to be careful as a peer mentor not to intrude on the autonomy of students in my host class. In the future, I will try to integrate the “ingredients” of successful collaborative into mentoring. That is, I will only exercise my authority if my student has granted me the right, that I understand the right that has been given to me, that I am helping the student out of good will, and that there is a form of trust between myself and the student. Furthermore, following both Bruffee’s and Dewey’s beliefs, I have gained further appreciation for the group work I had done in the past. Group learning was imperative for my growth as an individual in a society where working with others is inevitable, and an essential ability. Knowing this, I am going to communicate this as much as I can to any students I encounter who are anti-group