Reflection 26: Ideal Student Collaboration

Student collaboration, ideally, should be an organic occurrence that comes from a learning environment that encourages active thinking and application. However, some time (perhaps even considerable time) may need to be spent creating the culture in the classroom for collaboration. This can be done by encouraging partner sharing as formative assessments, creating opportunities for group work where the process is recognized instead of the product and providing feedback that identifies the positive aspects of collaboration you are witnessing more than what students need to do differently. In the best scenario, student collaboration would be:

• More student driven than teacher assigned
• Represent thinking and creating
• Allow students to share their expertise
• Stretch students to assume new roles