Collaborative learning

ideas you can start

using tomorrow
How to let your students take the lead
 The case for student-led collaboration

An 8% higher graduation rate is found

at schools that focus on deeper learning
(including student collaboration) as compared
Collaborative project-based Soft skills (like collaboration) are
to traditional schools, according to the
work led to better unit test the biggest gap in workforce skills,
American Institutes for Research.
results than the control group, according to 44% of the American
in a SSRI study of 42 classrooms. senior executives that the Adecco
Group surveyed.

Team work and leadership

are the 2 most important
skills employers look for
in employees beginning
their careers, according to
a NACE survey.
Contents

A powerful force 04

A collaboration framework 06

Stage 1 – Generating ideas 08

Stage 2 – Working better together 14

Stage 3 – Going from talk to action 20

Conclusion 26
 A powerful force
Where do ideas come from?

When thinking about this question, did the image of the

solitary genius (scientist, inventor, entrepreneur) spring
to mind? This is such a persistent myth that it’s hard
to resist. But few innovations are the work of a single
individual. Rather, they come about because people
join together to create something no one person could
have.

Collaboration – it’s a powerful force. New research

even indicates that the ability to work together toward
a common goal just may be one of the defining
features of humanity. In the digital age, we’ve never
had more ways to work together to address our shared
challenges and opportunities.

As a teacher, you work every day to equip students

to take on this responsibility. The 4Cs of learning
– creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and
communication – have become essential ingredients
in school and beyond. By enabling students to come
together in learning, to solve problems, to consider
other perspectives and reflect on their own, you
are laying the foundation for the next generation of
problem solvers.

The ability to collaborate – something that’s always

been part of our DNA – is only becoming more
essential, and more possible.

04
But helping students develop collaboration skills can
be challenging. We’ve all been there when group
work turns dysfunctional or students do not engage in
class discussions. If all we’re doing is maintaining the
status quo – trading papers for tablets without making
deeper changes – the promise of collaboration won’t
be realized. How can we ensure that it doesn’t become
just another passing education trend?

One answer? Get better at sharing ideas. That’s why

we created this eBook, inspired by our conversations
with educators who are committed to student-led
collaboration. You’ll find
• A framework for engaging all students in
collaborative learning
• Quick alternatives to traditional group work you can
try in your classroom tomorrow
• A three-stage lesson plan that takes students from
idea generation to problem solving – working
together the whole way

So read, learn and enjoy. We hope you find inspiration.

And once you’ve tried one of these ideas (or come up
with some new ones), tell us about it – on Facebook,
Twitter or our edWeb community. We’d love to hear
your stories.

05
 A collaboration
framework
There’s a new way to collaborate – and it doesn’t start
when discussion begins or end when the bell rings.
Instead, there are three stages to this student-led
collaboration framework:

Stage 1: Before students come together in

conversation, they first consider ideas and generate
individual responses. This reflective process fosters
creativity and ensures no one sits by passively.

Stage 2: Once ideas have been shared, students

consider each other’s contributions, challenge
assumptions and organize information. Together, they
refine their understanding.

Stage 3: When discussion ends, students help figure

out the next steps – perhaps taking a deeper dive into
a topic or formulating a plan for action. There are many
ways for students to make an impact.

By focusing on getting more out of each stage,

collaboration can move from buzzword to difference
maker. But that’s just the theory. To see how this can
work in real classrooms, read on.

06
 “Everyone you will ever meet knows
something you don’t.”
– BILL NYE
The Science Guy

07
 Stage 1 –
Generating ideas
If we want all students to develop collaboration skills,
we need new ways to involve them. We’ve all known
learners who find classroom discussion intimidating or
struggle to quickly put their ideas into words – and yet
give them a sketchbook or talk to them one-on-one and
they explode with enthusiasm.

Building in time for students to document ideas in their

own way, before coming together as a class or group,
encourages every student to participate. Even those
who are the first to raise their hands benefit from the
time to think critically and reflect before sharing.

Check out these ways teachers are laying a strong

foundation for collaboration.

08
Build time to think
If you want to build think time into your collaborative work, try freeform writing.
Introduce a topic, set a timer and tell students to start writing. The only rule?
The pencil can never stop moving. Students might be surprised at the gems in
their scribbles, which can then spark group discussion.
Think-pair-share is popular for good reason, but if it’s already part of your
toolkit, try a new twist:
09
1. Pose an open-ended question to your class and ask students to come up
with their best answer
2. Pair learners up and get them to agree on their response
3. Get two pairs together, and the foursome has to make the same decision
This can continue until half the class goes head-to-head with the other half –
the debate will be lively!
Involve
everyone
Q&A sessions with a guest speaker can be hard to
manage – often the same students ask the same
questions while the majority listen passively (or not at
all). Involve everyone by getting students to generate
questions ahead of time and then work in small groups
to prioritize what gets asked.

Some students just need more chances to get involved.

Next time you ask a driving question, try extending the
idea generation over the span of a week. Students can
add their contributions to a shared space – perhaps
a bulletin board or a cloud-based virtual canvas. You
might be surprised at who you hear from – sometimes
the quietest students are the ones with the most to say.

• In 85% of 1,500 classrooms visited by

Dr. Michael Schmoker, less than 50%
of students were engaged.

10
Go beyond
words
When asking your students to solve problems that
affect them directly, images can be a powerful way to
share ideas. If students want to solve the issue of waste
in the cafeteria, for example, charge them with taking
photos to document the worst offenses and then show
them to the class.

Sketches can also open up a whole new way of

expressing thoughts – as you’ll know if you’ve ever
seen one of your students get absorbed in drawing.
Here’s how this could work in your makerspace:
1. Students sketch prototype designs
2. Students share designs with a partner or small
group, asking for suggestions and possible
modifications
3. Students rejig their designs and the building
begins!

Sketchnoting, often an individual activity, can also be

the basis for collaboration. While watching a video,
students can document their understanding and
then share their sketchnotes, looking for points that
resonated with all and those where perspectives
diverged.

11
Try this

Objective Link to standards

Determine the full range of threats to wetland ecosystems. Have all students MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that
generate ideas in a variety of ways, and then share these ideas with their changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect
classmates. populations. – Next Generation Science Standards

Setting the stage

Before this lesson, students will have studied a local wetland. Through field study, research and teacher-guided discussions, they will have developed an
understanding of what makes up a wetland ecosystem (both living and nonliving elements) and how everything is interconnected.

Steps
1. Spark students’ interest in the state of their local wetland – show a news
broadcast, share an opinion piece or get them to analyze some compelling
data
2. Ask every student to reflect on what could be causing the wetland’s
ecosystem to be out of balance. Encourage them to document ideas in a
variety of ways – make a list, sketch a diagram or collect photos.
3. Give students a day or two to document their ideas in ways that will
be easy to share. Use journals, sticky notes, shared documents or a
digital canvas like the Span™ classroom collaboration system to keep
ideas growing.
4. Get students back together and look at all the ideas in a shared space.
See the breadth and depth of just how much your class knows.

Results
Students all engage in the activity – no one sits back and waits for others to do the hard work. Seeing every idea at a glance is exciting and helps build energy.
Students notice that their peers express their ideas in a variety of ways and begin to value those differences. Everyone is excited to take the next step.

12
 “If I am an effective leader, then I have set
up a system that is not dependent on me.”
– GEORGE COUROS
Division Principal

13
 Stage 2 –
Working better
together
So many of the best learning moments happen when
the teacher is not front and center – when students are
working directly with each other and the teacher can
guide from the side. But it can be challenging to enable
all students to collaborate without chaos descending.

If students can start by seeing a range of ideas, all

produced by their peers, productive discussion kicks off
by simply asking questions. As they seek to understand
each other’s contributions, recognizing both similarities
and differences, deeper discussion naturally emerges.

Learn some new ideas for enabling students to take the

lead as they consider, debate and organize ideas.

14
Make thinking visible
One of the biggest misconceptions about math is that there’s only one way
to solve a problem. To combat this idea, have students individually tackle a
math problem that could be solved in many different ways. Then prompt them
to examine other solutions, group similar responses and discuss the merits of
each approach. They’ll get insight into how everyone else is thinking about
math – and so will you.
15
For another way to share thinking, seat students in a circle with pencil and paper
and have them respond individually to a piece of art or music for a few minutes
(set a timer). Once time is up, have them pass papers to the left, read what’s on
the page and add a comment. Do this a few more times until they understand the
wide variety of interpretations the art could spark (or until you run out of space on
the paper). Or save a few trees and take this digital with cloud-based tools.
Remove barriers
In our connected world, there are few barriers to getting students together.
Remove a few more with Mystery Skype, which lets you set up a Skype®
session with another class somewhere around the world. The hook? Students
don’t know who’s on the other end. Have students work in pairs, small
groups or even as a whole class to keep track of clues from the mystery
school. Students can collaborate to put all the pieces together and draw their
conclusions.
Writer’s workshop is a classic for a reason. To take it deeper, have students
16
post excerpts of their writing in a shared digital space and then solicit feedback.
Seeing everyone’s individual styles at a glance can spark new ideas and also
enable students to reflect more deeply on what writing approaches really work.
In writer’s workshop and beyond, take the time to give students the words
they need to communicate effectively or give constructive feedback while
collaborating. Sentence starters like “I feel differently because…” or “In other
words, you’re saying…” can help students understand individual perspectives
and reach a shared understanding.
Create a sense
of order
Learning how to take information and organize it is a
key skill. Maybe that’s why creating historical timelines
is so popular. As students research, have them post
key dates on large pieces of paper or, to minimize
commotion, use a large digital shared space. Students
can then work together to ensure all the information is
in a logical order. The same approach also makes for a
novel approach to novel studies.

Giving students the opportunity to reimagine their

classroom space can spark an astonishing level of
enthusiasm. If you’re in a dedicated classroom, task
your students with rearranging the desks, bookshelves
and other learning nooks in your room – but first
require them to generate ideas, evaluate options and
make a plan. If they need inspiration, here’s the story of
one school’s library transformation.

• Edutopia recently named collaboration

with 1:1 devices one of the top ed tech
trends of 2015.

17
Try this
Objective Link to standards
Understand more deeply and prioritize the most significant threats your MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that
wetland faces. Develop students’ ability to take the lead as they explain changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect
ideas, ask probing questions of each other and make decisions – while you populations. – Next Generation Science Standards
act as a guide. MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity
and ecosystem services. – Next Generation Science Standards

Setting the stage

In the first stage of collaboration, every student had the opportunity to reflect on the biggest threats to wetlands, document ideas on their own and then share
with others. They can now see all their classmates’ contributions at a glance.

Steps
1. Give every student the chance to take a good look at the wide variety
of contributions that their peers have made
2. Prompt students to ask each other clarifying questions to ensure that
everyone is clear on what the notes, photos and sketches mean
3. Ask students to consider the items based on similarities and
differences – let them take the lead to create groups (on flip charts
or the Span system) and rearrange items into categories
4. Introduce the idea of prioritization. What is the most worrisome
problem? What is the most solvable problem? What action could
they take that would make the biggest impact? Identify those most
crucial elements.

Results
Because everyone has contributed, fewer students take a backseat during the discussion. Seeing a wide range of ideas gives students many opportunities to
collaborate directly with each other – asking questions, explaining what they added, even arguing a point (productively). Teachers guide the process but don’t
lead. And students become eager to start working on practical solutions.

18
 “Individually, we are one drop. Together,
we are an ocean.”
– RYŪNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA
Writer

19
 Stage 3 –
Going from talk
to action
How can you tell when a collaboration session has
ended? When the discussion has reached a natural
conclusion? When there’s a plan for the next action?
When the bell rings? At its most effective, student-led
collaboration just keeps going, picking up steam as
students take ideas further.

One collaborative activity can spark new individual,

small-group or whole-class initiatives. With cloud-based
technology, students can hop back online and add
more notes and ideas wherever they are. And perhaps
at its most powerful, students can turn their discussion
into clear action to solve real problems, supporting
project-based learning or design thinking approaches.

Here are some ways teachers are helping their students

extend their learning and make their impact felt.

20
Kick-start something new
Next time you need to introduce a student-led research project, start with a
collaboration session that lets students share what they know and organize
what they want to learn into categories. Then take it deeper:
1. Divide students into groups, based on which area they want to explore
further
2. Task them with learning more about their area of interest (using some of
these same collaboration strategies that got them this far)
21
3. Have each group report their learning back to the larger group
Collaboration can also help students focus their makerspace work. After
collaborating on the best design for a bridge or robotic arm, have them draw
on the wisdom of their peers to refine their approach, making modifications or
additions. Then after the bridge or robotic arm is built, they can again involve
their peers in debriefing what worked and what didn’t.
Reach beyond
school walls
Teaching has never been confined to those who work
in schools – so why not broaden students’ horizons
by reaching out to their community? If students see
a problem that they need help to resolve, make the
connection and invite politicians, scientists and others
to help reach a solution. Not only is it helpful for
students to work with adults who aren’t parents and
teachers, it can also bring real-world relevance to
their learning.

If your students are involved in design thinking

projects, bringing in outside experts can also be
incredibly valuable. Have students present their plans
to these people, either in person or online, and then
get their input as they make concrete plans to achieve
them. Once the projects are done, the analysis and
feedback of these people can be invaluable, proving
that it takes a village to not just raise a child but also a
team player.

• 77% of Americans feel that teamwork is

the most important skill for children to
get ahead in the world today, according
to the PEW Research Center.

22
Make a difference
Everyone wants to make an impact, but to students it can sometimes feel like
their sphere of influence is small. With technology, this is changing. Student
groups can determine a clear goal – planning a charity event or taking part in a
citizen science project – and then work together to achieve it.
If your students are working on large, student-led projects like genius hour
work, it’s easy for their reach to exceed their grasp. Here’s an approach to try:
1. Students explain their goal to small workshopping groups
2. Peers generate ideas for how their project can be broken down into
smaller pieces
23
3. Students begin work but have periodic check-ins with their group to stay
on track
4. Students take pride in achieving their goal with a little help from their
friends
Work is more meaningful when there’s a tangible result – and a way to
celebrate it. Once projects are complete, have students present them to others
(peers, teachers, parents and beyond). Whether the presentation is in person
at a school-wide celebration of learning or online through a blog or other
platform, getting it out there in the world helps them feel like what they do
matters.
Try this

Objective Link to standards

Create a plan to help a wetland, enact the plan and then analyze the results. MS-LS2-5. Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining
Help students take their understanding deeper by building on classroom biodiversity and ecosystem services. – Next Generation Science
knowledge with real-world experience. Standards

Setting the stage

After the first and second stages of collaboration, students have a broad, carefully considered list of options for helping their local wetlands. Everyone has
participated, contributed and is on board for the next step.

Steps
1. Prioritize the handful of problems that students are most interested in
solving – perhaps they resonate the most, they seem most achievable or
they seem most pressing
2. Divide students into small groups and ask them to collaborate to come up
with plans for solving their problem
3. Bring the class back together and have each group present their
plan, as their peers offer ideas and suggestions based on everything
they’ve learned
4. If ideas are feasible and achievable, set them to work actually
carrying out their plans and making a difference

Results
By taking action to solve problems beyond school walls that are real and important, students shift their focus from “what have I been told to do” to “what action
will I take to impact my world.” A deep understanding of the issues makes for better plans that are more likely to succeed. Extending the collaboration process
over a number of stages and activities helps students develop the skills they most need – now and in the future.

24
 Reflecting on student-led collaboration
Ask yourself…

What was the most What voices are the What idea in this book will
collaborative experience in hardest to amplify during you tell your teacher friends
your classroom this year? collaboration activities? and colleagues?

What collaboration approach What activity are you going to

scares you the most – and test out tomorrow?
should you try it?

25
 Conclusion
The possibilities for getting students to collaborate are endless – far
beyond what could be included in one book. And no wonder. In our
global age, becoming a good student, employer and citizen increasingly
depends on the ability to work with and learn from others. It’s one of the
4Cs for a reason.

By giving students chances to develop collaboration skills by actually

collaborating – in every grade and subject area – their abilities will just
strengthen and grow.

And what’s the best way to get new ideas for collaborative learning? Do
some collaborating yourself, by connecting with the many teachers who
are walking the same path as you. Reach out to your PLN, or check out
a Twitter chat to find a whole new group of teachers who want to share
ideas. Join the edWeb collaboration community, sponsored by Nureva,
for free collaboration webinars, resources, discussion boards and
more. Share this eBook with anyone looking for some new ways to get
students working together.

Whatever your path, we’d like to help. Reach out to us on Twitter

and Facebook. Subscribe to our blog. Share your stories, pose your
problems and celebrate your successes. We fully believe that student-
led collaboration could change the world. And we intend to help you
make it happen.

About Tricia Whenham began her career teaching fifth- and sixth-grade students
before becoming a writer and editor in the education technology sector.
Still very much an educator at heart, she’s committed to spreading the

the author word about how ed tech products enrich learning.

Find her on Twitter.

26
THE FUTURE OF STUDENT
COLLABORATION IS HERE
Discover how students can create,
collaborate and take the lead.

See the Span classroom collaboration system

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