Published Article

This work was done to assess the effect of collaborative learning on skills acquisition in bricklaying and concrete works by students in Technical Colleges in Akwa Ibom State. Collaborative learning is based on the model that knowledge can be created within a population where members actively interact by sharing experiences and take on asymmetric roles. Bricklaying and Concreting is a practical and skilled-based task which requires the cooperation, understanding, shared experiences and ideas to accomplish: hence, the need for collaborative learning. Among educational institutions, Technical Colleges are institutions that impart necessary skills that lead to the production of craftsmen, technicians, brick layers and concrete workers who are highly enterprising and self-reliant. Brick laying and concreting as a Course in the Technical Colleges curriculum involve the skills required in accomplishing the tasks of mixing mortar, molding blocks, laying of blocks, concreting, etc. Skill is basic to life. However, bricklaying and concreting is one of the trade courses offered in technical colleges for the purpose of acquiring theoretical knowledge and practical skills in building construction. The development of an appropriate instrument for assessing the performance of student in bricklaying and concreting can improve the quality of production and skills of the students. This paper recommends among others, that bricklaying and concreting teachers in technical colleges should implement and enforce collaborative learning among their students, and that brick laying and concreting teachers should be acquainted with developed instruments to enhance uniform standard in assessing students’ practical work.