Having students work in groups can be difficult for them and for you. But working collaboratively is an important way to help students develop compassion, learn more deeply, and be ready to work in their future profession. We asked our teacher audience for their best tips for collaborative learning and wanted to share them with you.
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The Spiritual Side of Collaborative Learning
Let's start by talking about the spiritual side of group work.
"Students can learn as much from a textbook as they can from one another. Concepts like unity, not being prideful, learning to encourage one another, and compromise." -Michelle
Taking this further, we see collaborative learning can be a means to practice bearing with one another, giving grace, and practicing patience in hard situations. It provides opportunities for us to be open to others' ideas, and to teach some of those fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those fruits can only really be seen in how we connect with others. They are tested and revealed by relationships with other people.
Tips For Teaching Students to Collaborate
Collaboration doesn't come naturally. Students, even adults, struggle to collaborate in meaningful, fruitful ways. Now let's look at some tips from our teacher audience for helping to intentionally teach students to collaborate.
"I give my students sentence starters so they have the words. My kids can look at the board and find phrases to help them agree or disagree, add to ideas, or ask questions. I love to watch them grow as the year goes on." -Brook
"Start small. Do a think/pair/share. Move to a timed discussion collaboration where you give instructions for how to discuss and share opinions... Then move to larger group work, still timed. Walk around and listen for authentic work being done. When you move to projects, assign jobs at first, then move on to define jobs and let them pick their own and assign them to each other. If you are really brave... give them the end goal, divide them into groups, and watch the collaboration unfold that you've been teaching." -Shannon
Tips for Assigning Roles
Now let's look at some tips for assigning roles. There are many different ways to approach roles in group work.
- Make the roles clearly defined and well-explained to students.
- "Sit with each group at some point and ask them who is doing what. Let them show you what they have contributed." -Bev
- "Have kids divide up by what they are gifted in or want to do before assigning groups. Have some students go to one corner if they want to draw, one corner if they want to lead, etc. Form the groups from what students chose as their second or first choice." -Patty
- Here are some ideas for what roles you can assign: leader, materials manager, cleaner, timer, reporter, recorder, artist, question asker/answerer, and presenter.
Resources Mentioned
- Building Thinking Classrooms + Videos (most by the author Peter Liljedahl)
- Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures
- Thoughts on connectedness in learning
Classroom Management 101
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