In many clinical
programs, collaboration – through team pairings and group work – is the norm.
It fits within a broader emphasis on a collaborative model of working/learning:
Walls are coming down in offices so employees can have access to one another to
brainstorm ideas; children’s desks are formed into pods rather than rows to
encourage team work; and collaboration is viewed as critical to the success of
ideas/products in both settings. The themes of learning being “inherently
social” and “an active process” are commonly-asserted when describing increased
collaborative work.
When not engaged in
with intention, process, and thought, research indicates that collaboration may
actually harm learning, productivity, and creativity. This session explores
whether clinicians are giving enough thought to the “how” of collaboration. The
increasing trend towards collaboration may value a process that isolates
individuals with introverted personality styles, or others who do not fit
within the “Extrovert Ideal,” which assumes that how an extrovert approaches
group work, learning, and decision-making is the standard towards which all
should strive. This notion may be particularly problematic for law students
who, as a group, tend towards introversion. Are clinicians losing an
opportunity to teach students the value of space and solitary thought when
demanding collaboration?
As a result of this
session, attendees will more effectively: 1) define collaboration; 2) identify
the costs/benefits of collaboration based on empirical research; 3) articulate
pedagogical goals underlying collaboration; and 4) increase collaborative
options more deliberately.
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