Collective intelligence is “a phenomenon in sociology where a shared or group intelligence emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals” (dictionary.com). Collaborative learning in the classroom is when a group of students work together to solve a problem, create an artifact or complete a task. According to J.M. Gerlach (1994), "Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk among themselves. It is through the talk that learning occurs.”

Listed below are just a few of the many benefits of collaborative learning (https://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/44.html):

Develops higher level thinking skills.
Enhances student satisfaction.
Develops social interaction skills.
Stimulates critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion.
Students are taught how to criticize ideas, not people.
Greater ability of students to develop empathy as they view ideas from other perspectives.

An example of collaborative learning in the classroom is the “jigsaw activity”. To support students as they process heavy content, smaller groups are made from the larger classroom. In these small groups, a reading assignment or a task is divided into segments. Each group member becomes an “expert” of sorts on their assigned segment. After this the group reconvenes and shares with each other what she or he has learning. This then becomes a collective intelligence and understanding of the topic as a whole. Many times a jigsaw activity will culminate with an opportunity to share their collaborative learning with the larger class.

The video below from Cult of Pedagogy is a very thorough explanation of the jigsaw strategy and it's use in the classroom.