Thinking Collaboratively: Learning in a Community of Inquiry

Thinking Collaboratively is a theoretical and practical guide to thinking and learning in deep and meaningful ways within purposeful communities of inquiry. Critical thinking has long been recognized as an important educational goal but, until now, has largely been conceived and operationalized as an individual attitude and ability. Increasingly, however, a more relevant and complete cognitive construct has been emerging: thinking collaboratively. Thinking collaboratively is the means to inquire, test, and apply new understandings, and to make sense of the information that bombards us continuously. In short, thinking collaboratively is required to flourish in our highly connected world and, in this book based on more than a decade of research, Garrison provides an essential introduction to this vital concept.

D. Randy Garrison is a retired professor of the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, Canada. Dr. Garrison has published extensively on teaching and learning in adult, higher, and distance education contexts. He has authored, co-authored, or edited eleven books and well over 100 refereed articles and chapters. He has also won several awards including the 2009 Sloan-C Award for Most Outstanding Achievement in Online Learning by an Individual.