Designing a PBLJii Script in a CSCL Environment for Bolstering Collaboration and Communication Skills

Teachers’ training programs should focus on practical experiences and reflective practices through technology enhanced learning environments in order to foster their collaboration and communication skills. The aim of this research is the design and implementation of a collaboration PBLJii script (Problem-based learning & Jigsaw II Script), which is orchestrated along the principles of a Problem-based Learning model and the Jigsaw II collaborative strategy in a CSCL environment so as to bolster collaboration and communication skills among teachers. An experimental design research (one group only research) was conducted in a number of primary schools in Greece. The participants (in-service teachers) engaged in the training process through the PBLJii Script in History. There was both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of the chat and forum messages exchanged by the in-service teachers in the CSCL environment and the results showed that they developed collaborative and communication skills to a great degree as a result of their participation in collaborative tasks.