Chapter 1: Collaborative Learning and Problem Solving. An introduction for teachers
Michael Baker & Jerry Andriessen
This chapter is an introduction for teachers to research on collaborative learning. After defining collaboration and collaborative learning, the ways in which students collaborate and learn from so doing are described, then how collaborative learning can be organised and evaluated in the classroom. Two key points are emphasised throughout. Firstly, collaborate learning is not necessarily or always more efficient than other methods: its use in the classroom corresponds to an educational choice that is adapted to students' everyday communicative and technological practices, as well as to the need to learn to work in geographically and culturally distributed teams in a globalised economy. Secondly, since collaborative learning situations are complex systems, research results give clear guidelines for teachers' pedagogical decisions, rather than failsafe prescriptions.

Chapter 2: Coordinating, collaborating and blending with technology
Charles Crook
This chapter locates “collaborative learning” as a specific form of social interaction within the full range of joint activities that arise during study. However, it is suggested that such learning collaborations can differ in the intensity of their mutual engagement, according to how they are planned and mediated. Technologies play an important role in determining where a particular collaboration sits on this continuum of intimacy. This role for technology is discussed. The case is made for employing a technical innovation that gives students rich choices in relation to managing intensity of engagement. The application CoFFEE is considered in relation to this need.

Chapter 3: Computer support for problem solving discussions in the classroom
Maarten Overdijk & Wouter van Diggelen
This chapter is about computer support for collaborative problem solving discussions in the classroom. This chapter consists of two parts. In the first part offers a general introduction to problem solving discussions and some specific situations of computer support. The second part consists of a set of guidelines that describe how problem solving discussions in the classroom can be supported effectively. These guidelines form the basis of CoFFEE, an electronic environment that supports problem solving discussions in the classroom.

Chapter 4: Pedagogical scenario as a tool to blend face to face and computer learning
Luca Tateo & M. Beatrice Ligorio
This chapter provides a detailed and realistic description of what a pedagogical scenario is, and of how to use it in combination with CoFFEE, in order to carry out effective collaborative learning and problem solving activities in classroom. In the second part of the chapter, the concept of template as a tool supporting the construction of a pedagogical scenario practice is introduced, so teachers and educators can go from theory to everyday teaching practice. Finally, in order to show how computer-supported pedagogical scenarios can work in classroom, the chapter also provides six practical examples of pedagogical scenarios actually implemented in classroom, across different countries and different school grades. Using the template and the scenarios’ examples, teachers will be able to carry out these prearranged activities, or to modify them according to their specific teaching needs.


Special thanks to

This book is based on an European Project called LEAD www.lead2learning.org
LEAD is part of the European Commission’s 6th framework programme. The LEAD consortium is composed of the following partners from the Netherlands, France, Italy and the UK:
• Utrecht University, Research Centre Learning in Interaction / Centre for the development of educational appliances (CLU) (NL)
• Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société (FR)
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines, Association pour la Recherche et le Développement des Méthodes et Processus Industriels (FR)
• University of Salerno, Department of Educational Sciences (IT)
• University of Salerno, Department of Informatics and Application (IT)
• University of Nottingham, Learning Sciences Research Institute (GB)
• ICATT Interactive Media, Amsterdam (NL)
The software CoFFEE was developed by the Department of Informatics and Application in Salerno leaded by Prof. Vittorio Scarano. His team was composed by Furio Belgiorno, Rosario De Chiara, Ugo Erra, Raffaella Grieco, Delfina Malandrino, Ilaria Manno, Giuseppina Palmieri, Riccardo Prinzi

Other people participating to the Lead projest were: Shaaron Ainsworth, Giovanna Ammaturo, François-Xavier Bernard, Marie Buda, Donatella Cesareni, Steven Collins, Annie Corbel, Corrie de With, Gregory Dyke, Isabelle Dumez-Féroc, Giulia Gelmini, Jean-Jacques Girardot, Judith Guevarra Enriquez, Kristine Lund, Claire O’Malley, Antoine Pauze, Antonio Iannaccone, Mariella Lucani, Fabio Marino, Francesca Martino, Barbara Maroni, Arno Reints, Giuseppe Ritella, Grégory Six, Marije van Amelsvoort, Elly van Eijk

The authors of the book like to acknowledge special thanks to Michiel Klønhammer (ICATT)