ABSTRACT
This chapter is ultimately about the characteristics of cognitive structure and function that are entailed in the successful learning of complex subject matter. One impetus for the ideas presented in the chapter has been the observation of widespread deficiencies in the learning of difficult subject matter by individual students. We argue that one of the benefits of collaborative learning is that characteristics necessary for more successful learning of complex material are potentially present in the interaction of individuals within working groups (whether groups of students or more mature collaborators). However, we go on to contend that, to the extent these properties of group learning are desirable, it would be useful if they could be nurtured in individuals as well, so that a person could call on them in learning situations when there is no group present. Finally, a circle of argument is completed with the claim that the nurturing of these properties in individuals not only prepares them to have the benefits of group collaboration when no group is present (that is, to have the benefits of a kind of internal collaboration), but also prepares them to be more effective participants in the collaborative learning process itself (see also Salomon, 1993). When individuals can engage effective properties of complex learning, two things happen with regard to their participation in groups: They are more likely to find points of intersection with diverse others in their collaborations, and the groups they are a part of are more likely to maintain a healthy diversity, avoiding an undesirable group assimilation of different individuals’ contributions toward some oversimplified and ineffectual common denominator. This multifaceted relationship between desirable individual and group cognition is addressed as a general theme throughout the chapter.
