The following was created for Writing, Research and Technology, which I am taking at Rowan University and is a description of different types of collaboration and the circumstances under which I have used some of them. This information is based off my reading of "Collaborative Writing in Composition Studies" by Sheryl I. Fontaine and Susan M. Hunter.
I identified 3 types of collaboration within the reading.
The first was called "hierarchical", in which a group is asked to collaborate but instead divides the work between members, going off to complete assigned tasks on their own and then putting all parts together in the end to create one project. The author defines this as being more "cooperative" than "collaborative" because it does not require the members of the group to make adjustments in order to accommodate the ideas of others. All members work independently for the most part and only need to "cooperate" to decide who will complete what task and put all finished products together. This is the type of collaboration that I have experienced most often. Both in school and at work, it seems that most people feel that it is easier to work independently. Most often, it is in school that I experience this form of collaboration, since as a group we have to work within the various work schedules and locations of all of the group members, despite having the same class schedule. I prefer to work this way because of the bad experiences I've had with trying to mold ideas together, especially when there are multiple strong personalities involved and I did not get to choose my group.
The second type of collaboration was identified in the text as "dialogic". This involves no clearly defined roles as group members adjust and make themselves available for all tasks they are needed for as collaboration unfolds. This is the type of collaboration I have experienced the least. I have had a couple of groups that meshed very well and were able to truly collaborate from beginning to end. This has happened almost exclusively when I was completing projects for church. I think that whether this type of collaboration is possible has less to do with schedules and planning and more to do with the flexibility of the group members. Fontaine and Hunter agree that this process is easier when writers are more open to the idea of collaborative, group writing and are able to let go of the idea of the "lone writer."
The third and final type of collaboration discussed in the text was identified as "scaffolding". This involves the use of the different strengths of all of the group members to create together what could not be created individually. No single group member's voice can be identified as all members work together to create a new voice. This is the most ideal form of collaboration since it involves using the strengths a group has to offer and making up for individual writer's weaknesses by allowing all gaps to be filled in by the appropriate group members. I have experienced this form of collaboration when completing projects for church, and most often when working on projects for work. It is ideal to have group members who can supplement your weaknesses and vice-versa. This is the form of collaboration that I hope to be able to achieve when completing the collaborative research project.
After seeing the different types of collaboration laid out, I feel better prepared to try and model the appropriate behaviors outlined in order to have the best final product possible. More specifically, I will try not to immediately divide up my group's tasks so that I can work independently. Instead, I will try to make use of the benefits that working collaboratively, instead of just cooperatively, has to offer.
I identified 3 types of collaboration within the reading.
The first was called "hierarchical", in which a group is asked to collaborate but instead divides the work between members, going off to complete assigned tasks on their own and then putting all parts together in the end to create one project. The author defines this as being more "cooperative" than "collaborative" because it does not require the members of the group to make adjustments in order to accommodate the ideas of others. All members work independently for the most part and only need to "cooperate" to decide who will complete what task and put all finished products together. This is the type of collaboration that I have experienced most often. Both in school and at work, it seems that most people feel that it is easier to work independently. Most often, it is in school that I experience this form of collaboration, since as a group we have to work within the various work schedules and locations of all of the group members, despite having the same class schedule. I prefer to work this way because of the bad experiences I've had with trying to mold ideas together, especially when there are multiple strong personalities involved and I did not get to choose my group.
The second type of collaboration was identified in the text as "dialogic". This involves no clearly defined roles as group members adjust and make themselves available for all tasks they are needed for as collaboration unfolds. This is the type of collaboration I have experienced the least. I have had a couple of groups that meshed very well and were able to truly collaborate from beginning to end. This has happened almost exclusively when I was completing projects for church. I think that whether this type of collaboration is possible has less to do with schedules and planning and more to do with the flexibility of the group members. Fontaine and Hunter agree that this process is easier when writers are more open to the idea of collaborative, group writing and are able to let go of the idea of the "lone writer."
The third and final type of collaboration discussed in the text was identified as "scaffolding". This involves the use of the different strengths of all of the group members to create together what could not be created individually. No single group member's voice can be identified as all members work together to create a new voice. This is the most ideal form of collaboration since it involves using the strengths a group has to offer and making up for individual writer's weaknesses by allowing all gaps to be filled in by the appropriate group members. I have experienced this form of collaboration when completing projects for church, and most often when working on projects for work. It is ideal to have group members who can supplement your weaknesses and vice-versa. This is the form of collaboration that I hope to be able to achieve when completing the collaborative research project.
After seeing the different types of collaboration laid out, I feel better prepared to try and model the appropriate behaviors outlined in order to have the best final product possible. More specifically, I will try not to immediately divide up my group's tasks so that I can work independently. Instead, I will try to make use of the benefits that working collaboratively, instead of just cooperatively, has to offer.
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