Collaboration, to participate or not...

Collaboration can either hinder or encourage learning. It takes a very skilled teacher to create learning environments that foster collaboration. Student grouping based on interest, chemistry or ability is controlled by the teacher, but the outcome of student engagement and actual collaboration is controlled by the students. Therefore, teachers must teach students how to collaborate. Even in the ideal setting, collaboration is something that has to be practiced. It is crucial to set up expectations for collaboration. For example, during a seminar class at the University of San Diego. A graduate masters class was asked to write up a report on an issue in their current classroom. Before any presentation the entire class was asked to practice a collaboration protocol. Each week a student from each group would present their case study or issue to their group. The group would have five silent minutes to read and annotate the typed case study. Then the group would have a discussion about possible predictions and solutions about the case study. The presenter was not allowed to speak during the discussion. After the discussion the presenter was allowed to clear any doubts or questions that came up during the discussion. Finally, the group would give possible solutions for the issue. During the protocol, group members were assigned roles. At the end, this protocol help students learn to listen and participate relevant information. The time structure of the protocol reduced the amount of off task behavior and focused the group on completing the task. There are many other protocols of collaboration that do not work and create the opposite of learning. Unstructured or undefined expectations of collaboration can lead students to lose engagement, argue and dislike school. That is why teachers must seek out strategies that work for their teaching style and practice. ​

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