2/14/2017

COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO HOLISTIC

EMPATHY
LEARNING CASE STUDY

Application of Collaborative Method for Holistic Learning | Sunipa Sen

 Collaborative Approach to Holistic Learning Case study

Arjun, a student of grade six stood staring at the floor of the classroom, while Seema, the class teacher,
continued urging him to read the lesson on the Solar System. It was the Science class just after lunch
time and Seema always used to find it difficult to gain the attention of the students in all her classes post
lunch. Whats the matter Arjun, why dont you read the lesson on Solar System? You have your Science
book in front of you. Why cant you read it?

Miss, Ravi has torn a few pages from Arjuns Science book, because Arjun had refused to lend his video
game to him. piped in Shashank, who used to sit beside Arjun in the classroom.

Arjun, when did this happen? asked Seema.

Miss, during Mathematics class, when we were to do a class work. Arjuns voice trailed off and he
continued look at the floor.

Your first morning classes are Mathematics class isnt it? asked Seema.

Yes miss... Arjun merely murmured his response and stole a quick look at Seema to see her reaction.

Seema remained silent and keenly observed each and every student in the classroom. Just then the
school bell rang marking the end of a day at the school.

The following morning the students were amazed to see Seema enter the classroom instead of the
Mathematics teacher and she asked the students to keep their mathematics book away.

She kept a pile of books on her desk and said, No Mathematics today! We will have fun today. I am
going to tell you a story and you will make a note of the names of all the Gods I mention in the story.
Agreed?

A spirited chorus of Yes Miss! echoed in the class.

Seema picked up a book and began reading a story from Greek Mythology that spoke about all the
Greek Gods. From time to time she would look at her students who were engrossed in the story and
were not distracted by any sound from inside or outside the classroom. Seema completed reading the
story and asked her students, So, how was the story, did you like it?

Oh yes Miss, it was really interesting! replied all the students.

Have you written down the names of the Gods in the story? asked Seema.

Yes Miss, there are good many of them replied the class.

Seema smiled and picked up the books she had kept on her desk and handed a book each to two
students seated together at a desk. It was a picture book on Solar System that Seema had got from the
school library. As soon as they students got the book, they began admiring the colour pictures of the
planets in the book.

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 Collaborative Approach to Holistic Learning Case study

Seema smiled and after having distributed the books to the students, she said, Now, I want you to
identify the Gods, whose names you have written down with the planets in the book. You have only five
minutes to complete it. No sooner had Seema finished giving the instructions, the students got busy
noting down the name of the planet beside the name of the Greek God they had listed while enjoying
the story and they completed the activity much before the allotted five minutes. Seema smiled and in
random asked the students to name the Greek God whose name was given to a planet begin with
Mercury the first planetary member of the Solar System. Seema was happy with the lively response she
got from the students. Entire class seemed happy doing the activity. After they had named all the
Greek/Roman Gods for each planet of the Solar System, Seema smiled and addressed the class, I want
all of you to do a project on Solar System and it is going to be a team project. I want a Research Team, a
Scribe or Report Writing Team, an Art Team, and a Review Team. Listen carefully. Two members from
each of these four teams will be members of each of the four main teams A, B, C and D.

Miss, we always do any project by ourselves. How are we to do this project in teams? asked Anima,
the most inquisitive student of the class.

Good question Anima that is what I am going to explain to you. Listen carefully. You all know each
other very well. Now name your classmates who like to read and like to do reference work for more
information. You have to give me eight names, who will be the member of the Research Team. Then you
will name eight of your friends for the Report Writing Team; then eight members for the Art team and
finally eight members for the Review team, who are good at checking the work as per the review
guidelines I am going to give you. I am going to give all the guidelines to each of the four teams. Seema
picked up a sheaf of paper while addressing the class. Students enthusiastically named their classmates
for each of the four teams. Once the list of members of all the four teams was complete, Seema once
again spoke to the class, Congratulations! You have done a wonderful job! Now, I want you name
Leaders of Group A, B, C and D. There was pin drop silence in the class and as usual Anima once again
stood up with her query, Miss, why do we need these four groups?

Seema smiled and replied, Anima, there are nine planets and including the Sun and the Asteroids, that
makes eleven members of the solar system. I want each group A, B, C and D to work on members each
of the solar system so that the work will be equally distributed among you.

Encouraged by Seemas cool and patient response to the queries raised, Dinesh got up and asked, Miss,
already we are members of the four teams we have just made, then who will be the members of the
teams A, B, C and D?

Amused by Dineshs query Seema replied, Thank you Dinesh for a relevant question, the members of
Research, Report Writing, Art Development and Review team will do their respect work for the team A,
B, C and D they are member of. For instance, Team A has to prepare project report on Sun, Mercury and
Venus. So, the respective members of the team will do the research, report writing, Art and Model
Development and review work. I am going to give the work guidelines to the Research, Report Writing,
Art and Model Development and Review team and I am also going to give the working guidelines to the
teams A,B,C and D. I hope no you have understood the objective of the four teams?

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 Collaborative Approach to Holistic Learning Case study

Yes Miss! the classroom reverberated with the students response.

Once the Leaders and members of teams A, B, C and D were nominated, Seema then handed over the
written work guidelines to the function teams along with teams A, B, C and D. She asked them to
carefully read the guidelines and discuss them with her. They had five school working days to complete
the project work.

While reading the guidelines the students found that they had to prepare reports on the following for
each of the members of the Solar System:

1. History of the Solar System, How it was discovered?

2. Story of the Greek/Roman God and why his or her name was given to the respective planet
3. The chemical composition of the planet
4. Can the planet and its satellites support life form (living organisms found on Earth)? Substantial
reasons were to be furnished to support the response.
5. If they would be on the planets they were preparing their project work on, what would they
need to do to survive there?
6. The teams had to submit a list of materials needed for the Art and Model Design and
Development work. All the four teams A, B, C and D would work together on the first activity of
the project work (History of the Solar System) and then continue working on the respective
members of the Solar System assigned to them.
7. The Guidelines for the Research Team had the links to the websites, CDs and reference materials
available at the school library. The Research team and the three other functional teams were to
collect more guidelines along with constant guidance from their English Language, History,
Geography, Mathematics and Science (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) teachers.
8. The teams A, B, C and D were to submit the list of materials needed for the project work only
after they had completed working together on the first activity. The students were given a days
time to complete the first activity together.
9. At the end of each day, the Team leader of each team A, B, C and D would submit a project
activity progress summary sheet reviewed by all the subject teachers.
10. On the sixth day, all the four teams would present their project to the class.

On the sixth day, Seema along with all the subject teachers attended the project presentation of the
four teams. Each member of every team participated in the presentation and discussion.

After all the four teams had presented their project and extensively discussed among themselves about
each member of the Solar System, Seema, with the help of the subject teachers, shuffled the students
into four new teams and the teams then participated in games: WHO AM I, Riddles and Treasure Hunt.
The students enjoyed the games and were least aware of the fact that these were assessment and
evaluation activities to assess their success in achieving their learning objectives through the project
work.

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 Collaborative Approach to Holistic Learning Case study

NOTE:

Refer to the following posts on Collaborative Learning:

Mosaic: A Collaborative Method of Learning: http://sunipslearning.blogspot.in/2017/02/mosaic-

collaborative-method-of-learning.html

Solar System and Navrasas: Self Awareness Activity: http://sunipslearning.blogspot.in/2017/02/solar-

system-navrasas-self-awareness.html

Multidisciplinary Studies Using Mythology:

https://www.scribd.com/document/27712519/Contemporary-Studies-Through-Mythology

VARIATION:

Team of students can be assigned to make Real Models and Video as part of the project presentation.

Cover Image Source:

https://mb.culturedays.ca/fr/activities/activities-for-kids

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