Collaboration is a key term in the professional world. Teachers have collaborated for years. However, the idea of student collaboration is quickly gaining ground. So, what’s ideal when it comes to collaboration in the classroom? Perhaps several children gathered around a table engaged in a high-level task? Or a college lecture hall where students discuss, debate an issue, make shared decisions, and form a solution? Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it?!
This sort of sophisticated collaboration, which involves students actively participating in discussions, debates, and decision-making processes, takes time and scaffolding. It won’t just happen by bringing students together with exciting text or an engaging task. So, how should educators teach and promote this level of collaboration within their individual classrooms?
Promoting Accountability
Accountability is an essential factor in group work. Since a teacher must find creative and effective ways to monitor multiple groups working at once in the classroom, assigning roles can be incredibly helpful; plus, students typically appreciate having some sort of role or responsibility.
The Art of Listening
Good listeners are valued but are becoming rare in our culture. Listening skills include making eye contact, offering empathy, and not interrupting the speaker. Allowing students to practice these listening skills through structured activities is beneficial for them and their collaborative efforts. Additionally, a good negotiator also listens well. Negotiation is critical in collaboration as well.
 The Art of Asking Questions
There’s nothing better than an excellent question. Asking questions in collaboration involves asking well-thought-out, invitational, or stem questions where the respondent doesn’t feel like being interrogated. Part of the collaboration process includes questions. Students must learn this art. Learners also need to know about wait time, understanding that a few seconds of silence is necessary to give everyone time to think.
Setting Expectations
Educators play a pivotal role in fostering collaboration in the classroom. By consistently modeling listening, paraphrasing, artful questioning, and negotiating, you create a highly collaborative environment that nurtures students’ 21st-century skills crucial to success in education and the rest of the work world. In a student-centered classroom, while there’s less direct instruction, a teacher’s facilitation of learning experiences for the whole class and smaller groups is invaluable. Dedication to promoting collaboration is what sets the stage for students’ future success.
The Power of Collaboration
Collaboration in a K-12 or college classroom is a wonderful way to prepare students for future learning and professional experiences. The skills needed to effectively collaborate are also life skills critical for success in any field, and that’s why collaboration should be a cornerstone of the curriculum.
Written By: Meredith Biesinger
Professional Writer/ Education Specialist
Meredith Biesinger is a licensed dyslexia therapist in Mississippi, in addition to being an experienced classroom teacher and K-12 administrator. Meredith also works as a consultant, where she bridges the bridge the gap between K-12 school districts and ed-tech organizations. With a passion for literacy, she is also a professional writer and syndicated author. With a M.Ed in Educational Leadership and a B.S. in English Education and Creative Writing, she has had rich and diverse opportunities to teach students and education professionals in different parts of the country as well as overseas.
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