Social Constructionism, Adventure Education, and the Role of Facilitator in Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning has often been held as the silver bullet to all educational ills-by simply forcing students to work together in teams, pupils will become more motivated, self-determinant, and knowledgeable, while teachers will find their jobs simultaneously both easier and more rewarding. Because social constructionism holds that knowledge derives from the dialogic interactions of peers, placing people in dialogue with each other cannot help but lead them to a greater understanding of their world. Never mind the large number of students who would rather die than work together with their peers or the number of apathetic students who relish the chance to coast along at the overachieving heels of “the smart kid” or the frustration often encountered by students who just don’t understand their assignments. Clearly, we are faced with a disconnect between the ideal of collaborative learning and the discouraging reality within which many students and teachers conduct their education. Fortunately, however, another form of group education exists, which participants have found to be an overwhelming success: adventure education. I intend to bring these two fields-social constructionist theory, particularly in its applications to collabora-