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contributed by Miriam Clifford

There is an age-old adage that says, "two heads are better than one."

Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?

Yes, those two were, of course, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the founders of Microsoft.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher-level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Why?

Groups tend to learn through "discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of other's ideas." Perhaps information that is discussed is retained in long-term memory. Research by Webb suggests that students who worked collaboratively on math computational problems earned significantly higher scores than those who worked alone. Plus, students who demonstrated lower levels of achievement improved when working in diverse groups.

Collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually.

Many consider Vygotsky the father of 'social learning.' Vygotsky was an education rebel in many ways. He controversially argued for educators to assess students' ability to solve problems rather than merely acquire knowledge. The idea of collaborative learning has a lot to do with Vygotsky's idea of the "zone of proximal development." It considers what a student can do if aided by peers and adults. By considering this model for learning, we might consider collaboration to increase students' awareness of other concepts.

What are some ways to include best practices for collaborative learning in our classroom?
20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers 1. Establish clear group goals
Effective collaborative learning involves the establishment of group goals, as well as individual accountability. This keeps the group on task and establishes an unambiguous purpose. Before beginning an assignment, it is best to define goals and objectives to save time.
2. Keep groups midsized
Small groups of three or fewer usually lack enough diversity and may not allow divergent thinking to occur. Groups that are too large create 'freeloading' where not all members participate. A moderate size group of four or five is ideal.
3. Establish flexible group norms
Research suggests that collaborative learning is influenced by the quality of interactions. Interactivity and negotiation are important in group learning. In the 1960's studies by Jacobs and Campbell suggested that norms are pervasive, even deviant norms were handed down and not questioned.

If you notice a deviant norm, you can do two things: rotate group members or assist in using outside information to develop a new norm. You may want to establish rules for group interactions for younger students. Older students might create their own norms. But remember, given their durable nature, it is best to have flexible norms. Norms should change with situations so that groups do not become rigid and intolerant or develop sub-groups.
4. Build trust and promote open communication
Successful interpersonal communication must exist in teams. Building trust is essential. Deal with emotional issues that arise immediately and any interpersonal problems before moving on. Assignments should encourage team members to explain concepts thoroughly to each other.Studies found that students who provide and receive intricate explanations gain most from collaborative learning. Open communication is key.
5. For larger tasks, create group roles
Decomposing a difficult task into parts to saves time. You can then assign different roles. A great example in my own classroom was in the science lab, fifth grade students assumed different roles of group leader, recorder, reporter, and fact-checker. The students might have turns to choose their own role and alternate roles by sections of the assignment or classes.
6. Create a pre-test and post-test
A good way to ensure the group learns together would be to engage in a pre and post-test. In fact, many researchers use this method to see if groups are learning. An assessment gives the team a goal to work towards and ensures learning is a priority. It also allows instructors to gauge the effectiveness of the group. Changes can be made if differences are seen in the assessments over time. Plus, you can use Bloom's taxonomy to further hone in on specific skills.

Individuals should also complete surveys evaluating how well the group functioned. 'Debriefing' is an important component of the learning process and allows individuals to reflect on the process of group learning.
7. Consider the learning process itself as part of assessment
Many studies such as those by Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins have considered how cooperative learning helps children develop social and interpersonal skills. Experts have argued that the social and psychological effects on self-esteem and personal development are just as important as the learning itself.

In terms of assessment, it may be beneficial to grade students on the quality of discussion, student engagement, and adherence to group norms. Praise younger groups for the following (for digital collaborative learning, for example) standards. This type of learning is a process and needs explicit instruction in beginning stages. Assessing the process itself provides motivation for students to learn how to behave in groups. It shows students that you value meaningful group interactions and adhering to norms.
8. Consider using different strategies, like the Jigsaw technique.
The jigsaw strategy is said to improve social interactions in learning and support diversity. The workplace is often like a jigsaw. It involves separating an assignment into subtasks, where individuals research their assigned area. Students with the same topic from different groups might meet together to discuss ideas between groups.

This type of collaboration allows students to become 'experts' in their assigned topic. Students then return to their primary group to educate others. Strategies here include using clusters, buzz groups, round-robin, leaning cells, or fishbowl discussions.
9. Allow groups to reduce anxiety
When tackling difficult concepts, group learning may provide a source of support. Groups often use humor and create a more relaxed learning atmosphere that allows for positive learning experiences. Allow groups to use some stress-reducing strategies as long as they stay on task.
10. Establish group interactions
The quality of discussions is a predictor of the achievement of the group. Instructors should provide a model of how a successful group functions. Shared leadership is often useful here. Students should work together on the task and maintenance functions of a group. Roles are important in group development. Task functions include:

Initiating Discussions

Clarifying points

Summarizing

Challenging assumptions/devil's advocate

Providing or researching information

Reaching a consensus

Maintenance involves the harmony and emotional well-being of a group. Maintenance includes roles such as sensing group feelings, harmonizing, compromising and encouraging, time-keeping, relieving tension, bringing people into the discussion, and more.
11. Use real-world problems
Experts suggest that project-based learning using open-ended questions can be very engaging. Rather than spending a lot of time designing an artificial scenario, use inspiration from everyday problems. Real world problems can be used to facilitate project-based learning and often have the right scope for collaborative learning.
12. Focus on enhancing problem-solving and critical thinking skills
Design assignments that allow room for varied interpretations. Different types of problems might focus on categorizing, planning, taking multiple perspectives, or forming solutions. Try to use a step-by step procedure for problem-solving. Mark Alexander explains one generally accepted problem-solving procedure:

1. Identify the objective

2. Set criteria or goals

3. Gather data

4. Generate options or courses of action

5. Evaluate the options using data and objectives

6. Reach a decision

7. Implement the decision

13. Keep in mind the diversity of groups
Mixed groups that include a range of talents, backgrounds, learning styles, ideas, and experiences are best. Studies have found that mixed aptitude groups tend to learn more from each other and increase achievement of low performers. Rotate groups so students have a chance to learn from others.
14. Consider demographics
Equally, balanced gender groups were found to be most effective.

Some research suggests that boys were more likely to receive and give elaborate explanations and their stances were more easily accepted by the group. In majority male groups girls were ignored. In majority girl groups, girls tended to direct questions to the boy who often ignored them. You may also want to specifically discuss or establish gender equality as a norm. This may seem obvious, but it is often missed. It may be an issue you may want to discuss with older students.

15. Use scaffolding or diminished responsibility as students begin to understand concepts.

At the beginning of a project, you may want to give more direction than the end. Serve as a facilitator, such as by gauging group interactions or at first, providing a list of questions to consider. Allow groups to grow in responsibility as times goes on. In your classroom, this may mean allowing teams to develop their own topics or products as time goes on.

After all, increased responsibility over learning is a goal in collaborative learning.
16. Include different types of learning scenarios
Studies suggests that collaborative learning that focuses on rich contexts and challenging questions produces higher-order reasoning. Assignments can include laboratory work, study teams, debates, writing projects, problem-solving, and collaborative writing.
17. Technology makes collaborative learning easier
Collaboration had the same results via technology as in person, increased learning opportunities. Try incorporating free savvy tools for online collaboration such as Stixy, an online shared whiteboard space, Google groups, or Mikogo for online meetings. Be aware that some research suggests that more exchanges related to planning rather than challenging viewpoints occurred more frequently through online interactions.

This may be because the research used students that did not know one another. If this is your scenario, you may want to start by having students get to know each other's backgrounds and ideas beforehand on a blog or chat-board.
18. Avoid 'bad group work'
As with any learning strategy, it's important to have a balanced approach. Cynics usually have a valid point. A New York Times article, cites some criticism of collaboration for not allowing enough time for individual, creative thinking. You may allow some individual time to write notes before the groups begin. This may be a great way to assess an individual grade.

19. Be wary of 'group think '

While collaborative learning is a great tool, it is always important to consider a balanced approach. At times, group harmony can override the necessity for more critical perspectives. Some research suggests that groups favored the more confident members. Changing up groups can help counter this problem.
20. Value diversity
Collaborative learning relies on some buy-in. Students need to respect and appreciate each other's viewpoints for it to work. For instance, class discussions can emphasize the need for different perspectives. Create a classroom environment that encourages independent thinking. Teach students the value of multiplicity in thought. You may want to give historical or social examples where people working together were able to reach complex solutions.

By definition, learning is social in nature. Using different mediums, whether it be books, discussions, technology or projects we study and develop new ideas. We impart ideas and share perspectives with others. Collaboration is a learned process. If managed correctly, it is a powerful tool that can allow educators to tap into new ideas and information.
This is a cross-post from opencolleges.edu.au; image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad

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20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

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contributed by Miriam Clifford There is an age-old adage that says, "two heads are better than one." Consider collaboration in recent history: Watson and Crick or Page and Brin (Founders of Google). But did you know it was a collaborative Computer Club about basic programming at a middle school that brought together two minds that would change the future of computing?

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collaboration - opportunities for creativity - fewer guidelines / strictures from teachers, e.g. two creation stories in Genesis. AND teachers collaborating with each other to share lesson ideas.

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The students have an ability to curate material in a way that makes sense to them

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Are You a Curator or a Dumper? | Cult of Pedagogy

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You have so much good stuff to share, but to get anyone to actually look at it, you need to give it some polish.

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learning different ways to lead - and how to follow others' leadership

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They need to be creative, confident, and comfortable (having practiced) and be creating, which they practice in a group.

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How to Build an Ethical Community

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Reestablishing the Commons for the Common Good - American Academy of Arts & Sciences

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Students need to think through ideas together and develop integrity as independent thinkers.

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Among the many powerful benefits that can accrue when students work together lies one potential danger: the possibility of cheating, which can arise from complex group dynamics and a school's cultural norms, and which can be masked by the very collaboration that educators want to encourage.

As learning grows more collaborative, mirroring many contemporary work settings, teachers can't ignore the pressures that tempt young people to cheat, say three researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) in a recent essay for the National Association of Independent Schools. When they teach collaborative skills, they also have to teach students how to work together ethically.

Why do students cheat today?

Researchers Alexis Brooke Redding, Carrie James, and Howard Gardner identify three conditions that can increase the possibility of cheating.

1. The pressure to achieve and to hit certain metrics in the college admissions race can prompt students to sidestep rules and ethical norms, the researchers say. Students often feel this pressure - subtle and not so subtle, as Gardner describes it - from parents and extended families, who may uncritically reinforce the notion that academic success is paramount, according to work by HGSE's Richard Weissbourd, at the expense of a more balanced view of what achievement means. Data reported by students suggest that high-achievers seem to cheat at the highest rates, often justifying their actions through rationalizations that seek to explain away their ethical lapses.

2. In certain schools, including high-achieving ones, a community-wide ethos of cheating can develop. In this ethos, unethical collaboration - students sharing test answers, for example - can flourish, and it can be hard for individual students to resist going along, especially when the cheating is framed by the community as altruistic, to help others.

3. In a changing world, unreflective digital collaboration is a significant factor in cheating. Some students use today's abundant digital tools thoughtlessly or unethically - using cell-phone cameras or text messaging to share test questions, cutting and pasting from other digital sources into their own work. In research conducted by Donald McCabe, Kenneth Butterfield, and Linda Treviño, nearly 40 percent of college students said they considered digital plagiarism "either not cheating at all or just trivial cheating."

How to build an ethical community

Gardner's past work on how to address threats to ethical behavior in a community identified three ingredients that are crucial to developing an ethical sense. Students need:

1. Vertical support. School leaders must articulate strong, clear, and consistent standards about ethical behavior and must respond to violation of the rules with consistent disciplinary enforcement. But more than that, educators must serve as mentors in ethical living, infusing classes and curricula with opportunities to discuss, reflect on, and take ethical actions.

2. Horizontal support. Educators need to give students the tools they need to build and reinforce an ethical community for themselves. Consistent guidelines and enforcement are one way to do that - helping to create a school environment where students know, and can persuade their peers, that no one benefits from cheating. Students should have a role in creating these guidelines and in revising honor codes or conduct rules when necessary.

3. Periodic wake-up calls. Educators should convene a "commons" - a conversation space where ethical issues that don't have an obvious right answer can be debated and assumptions can be challenged. These conversations should include all members of a school community - parents, teachers, students, and administrators. The goal is to confront the issues that live in the gray area, allowing every member of the community to develop ethical capacities and make ethical collaboration the norm.

Questions to Consider

What is "altruistic cheating" - cheating to help others - and what makes students susceptible to it?

Does your school community have strong guidelines about how to use digital tools in a deliberate, responsible way?

How can schools empower students to be partners in a campaign to stop cheating?

Does your school help students manage the pressures they feel? Is there a "success at all costs" ethos in your school?

Additional Resources

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Among the many powerful benefits that can accrue when students work together lies one potential danger: the possibility of cheating, which can arise from complex group dynamics and a school's cultural norms, and which can be masked by the very collaboration that educators want to encourage.

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Students (and people in general) need to learn to work together with others-- whether they have similar or very different ideas and personalities. When working together in any field, people need to find a common ground and a common need.

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It looks like these pictures connect to having a purpose and defining ones identity

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collaboration to support ND's broader goal of being justice seekers -- change happens in working together, sharing strengths, building empathy

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Together we are smarter than we are individually. Also, I like dogs.

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Dog owners have lower mortality, study finds

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Clickety-click And there're some very cute piccies... [IMG]

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I agree with the other posts. Also, interpersonal skills are important in order to successfully function in college, careers, and personal relationships (roommates, significant others, friends, etc.).

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The you can write something, add photos, or link to a resource.