The Teacher’s Role as Facilitator of Collaborative Learning in Information Literacy Assignments

Abstract

Group work assignments are commonly used in information literacy instruction in secondary schools in Finland. In this study, we analyze in detail how the design and implementation of group assignments affect students’ learning experiences. Data were collected in two upper secondary school classes where the students wrote a Wikipedia or wiki article in groups of three to five members. In the literature class, students reported stronger learning experiences, while in the history class, the students reported fewer and weaker learning experiences. The findings suggest that particular activities designed by the literature teacher brought students’ attention to relevant areas of learning. Her more active interventions to support the progress of student groups at different stages of the project also seemed to affect the learning experiences of students.