Collaborative Learning Research
12 Principles of Collaboration in Learning
This resource has a graphic that shows the 12 principles of collaboration in learning. The resource was created by the staff of TeachThought. The original purpose of the graphic is geared towards business, but it can be adapted for education. The first principle is that the individual benefit of collaboration is just as important, if not more, than the overall group benefit. Each student will add his or her knowledge to a group project and that is what makes the project much better than if a single student did it.
Principle two states that a student must do the strategy before implementing technology. A student must know the concept before typing information about the concept. Technology is a tool that can help students enhance the strategy.
The third principle says that students must listen to the voice of the student. Each student must listen to each other when collaborating. One idea is not necessarily better than another. If a student puts both ideas together, the project will be that much better.
In the fourth principle, students must learn to get out of the way. Each student must do their part in a collaboration. The students must allow the other students in the group to do their part. When this happens, one or more students will have to back off to allow full collaboration.
Principle five states that students must lead by example. A teacher can demonstrate to the students what to do, but the students need to take the project into their own hands. If one student steps up and shows the other students how to collaborate successfully, the rest of the students will follow in that student's footsteps.
Principle six states that collaboration should be integrated into the flow of work. Students can start a project by themselves, but collaborate on a later part of the project. Collaboration can be an integral part of classroom learning.
Principles seven and eight state that the teacher should create a supportive environment and measure what matters. Teachers must let the students know that collaboration can happen in a classroom. Students need to know that they can work together successfully through modeling appropriate collaboration skills. During and after the collaboration, the teacher must grade what truly matters. If the teacher wants to focus on how the students collaborated in the group, that is what should be graded.
In the ninth principle, the students need to learn persistence. Not everything will go correctly when students collaborate. However, they must learn to not give up. The longer they work together, the better the collaboration will work. Students must learn to continue to work through the problems they may face while using collaboration.
Principle ten states that students must adapt and evolve. If one student works better visually and another works better kinestically, the students must adapt and find a way to work with each other. The more students work with one another, the more the students will be able to adapt to working with each other.
The last two principles, eleven and twelve, state that collaboration will benefit the students and make the world a better place. Students who learn how to work together will continue to enhance peer relationships. Students will collaborate with others for the rest of their lives. Each day that a student works with another student, they are collaborating. Almost every job that a student could have someday has some type of collaboration. If students are able to learn how to collaborate successfully at a young age, the student will excel as an adult in the area of collaboration.
12 Principles Of Collaboration In Learning. (2013, June 10). Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.teachthought.com/learning/12-principles-of-collaboration-in-learning/
How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success
Matt Davis writes about a school where students collaborate on a daily basis. The school is a private school located in California where students pay tuition to attend the school. Every student is admitted to college after high school. The biggest difference at the school is the way that students learn.
The teachers at this school allow the students to lead the discussions and collaborate on their assignments. In English class, the students lead the discussion about a book they are reading. The teacher may stand in the corner and facilitate the discussions, but the students are doing the leading.
In Math class, the students work together to work out their math problems. The example the article states is students recreating triangles with rope and chalk. The students are working together and the teacher observes to make sure the students are preforming the task successfully. When the students take tests, they take them in groups. The questions on the tests are harder because the students get to work in groups. The same goes for the students assignments. The teacher challenges the students because the students collaborate on their homework. The students are able to answer questions that they may not be able to answer on their own.
The teachers admit it was hard to turn over the control of discussions to the students, but the school is seeing the benefit of the students collaborating. It doesn't take long, however, for the teachers to set up student collaboration. The teachers need to just be willing to let the students be in control of their learning and trust them to successfully collaborate with their peers.
Davis, M. (2012, December 5). How Collaborative Learning Leads to Student Success. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-college-prep
Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom is Key
In order for collaboration to work effectively in a classroom, the teacher must model the correct way to work in a group. The first step would be to tell the students their task or assessment that they need to complete in a group. Once the groups have been set, the teacher and student can decide on rolls for each member of the group. This gives the members of the group a purpose or individual tasks to complete. Another helpful step is go over group rules. Rules such as one person talks at a time and be respectful of your group mates can help the group run smoothly. A poster of the group rules can be posted in the classroom for students to look back on during collaboration.
Students must learn how to be good listeners in order to work cooperatively with other students. Students also need to learn good conversation techniques such as eye contact, offering empathy, and not cutting a person off who is talking.
A great activity a teacher can do with the students is save the last word. This activity is where each student shares information one at a time. The other students must repeat what the previous student said. Another thing students can do is the three than me rule. Before the student can speak, that student must listen to three others before sharing again.
In order for students to have deep and critical group discussions, the students must learn how to ask good questions. The teacher can ask the class to generate a discussion topic and model open-ended questions on the board. Question stems such as "when you think about ___, what comes to mind?" helps students start discussions during groups. The teacher can provide a sheet that contains question starters for students to utilize during group discussions.
Students need to learn how to wait for answers; usually a few seconds which allows everyone time to think of a response to the question.
Not everyone in the group is always going to agree on an answer. Students must learn how to negotiate. The teacher can assign a student to be the negotiator. The negotiator would listen to all the students points of views and point out the ideas that everyone has in common.
If the teacher wants to have a successful collaboration of the groups, the teacher must model what he or she expects of the students. Students who understand the expectations of groups will then perform their roles successfully.
In order for collaboration to work effectively in a classroom, the teacher must model the correct way to work in a group. The first step would be to tell the students their task or assessment that they need to complete in a group. Once the groups have been set, the teacher and student can decide on rolls for each member of the group. This gives the members of the group a purpose or individual tasks to complete. Another helpful step is go over group rules. Rules such as one person talks at a time and be respectful of your group mates can help the group run smoothly. A poster of the group rules can be posted in the classroom for students to look back on during collaboration.
Students must learn how to be good listeners in order to work cooperatively with other students. Students also need to learn good conversation techniques such as eye contact, offering empathy, and not cutting a person off who is talking.
A great activity a teacher can do with the students is save the last word. This activity is where each student shares information one at a time. The other students must repeat what the previous student said. Another thing students can do is the three than me rule. Before the student can speak, that student must listen to three others before sharing again.
In order for students to have deep and critical group discussions, the students must learn how to ask good questions. The teacher can ask the class to generate a discussion topic and model open-ended questions on the board. Question stems such as "when you think about ___, what comes to mind?" helps students start discussions during groups. The teacher can provide a sheet that contains question starters for students to utilize during group discussions.
Students need to learn how to wait for answers; usually a few seconds which allows everyone time to think of a response to the question.
Not everyone in the group is always going to agree on an answer. Students must learn how to negotiate. The teacher can assign a student to be the negotiator. The negotiator would listen to all the students points of views and point out the ideas that everyone has in common.
If the teacher wants to have a successful collaboration of the groups, the teacher must model what he or she expects of the students. Students who understand the expectations of groups will then perform their roles successfully.
Alber, R. (2012, December 31). Deeper Learning: A Collaborative Classroom Is Key. Retrieved July 8, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/deeper-learning-collaboration-key-rebecca-alber
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