小林, 聡子

西住, 奏子

KOBAYASHI, Satoko

NISHIZUMI, Kanako

[Abstract] This paper is a report of a joint research project on collaborative learning in a multilingual andmulticultural class environment. The report is composed of four case-studies of liberal arts coursesat undergraduate level. Each course convener uses records of in-class student discussions, commentpapers and follow-up interviews to analyse how the learning locus set up in advance impacted onthe learning experiences and outcomes of the course participants.In this research project, collaborative learning is considered to be a form of learning that 1)emphasizes the process of student interaction, 2) takes an affirming stance towards student diversityin terms of linguistic, experiential and knowledge levels and differences, and 3) pays particularattention to the tensions arising from such diversity in the process of learning. Through specificexamples, the report discusses methods of interaction such as zadan (round-table conversation) orcollaborative argumentation and focuses on the necessity of introducing learning techniques thataim for student participation on even grounds.