Collaborative Work: Foundations and Best Practices

Why Collaborative Work?

• I don't know that I have to sell this too hard - we all know collaboration is good and effective (when done well)

• Constructivist theory tells us that giving kids an opportunity to be "DOING" more (as opposed to sitting and listening) is always better for sustained learning. Collaboration is a great way to get kids talking and DOING.

• Does this mean that we abandon traditional sage-on-the-stage lecture-style classes? No - but we should be mindful of using this method of delivery sparingly. 

• Having the tools is one thing, knowing when to use them to achieve the best outcome is another level. Furthermore, knowing when you are OVERUSING something is yet another level.

Acknowledgment: Giving up control is difficult!

• • This is not easy!

  • We are used to a model of "quiet + compliant kids = learning"

  • Collaboration can be chaotic and MESSY which makes us uncomfortable at times

  • Meaningful learning CAN take place in the messiness

  • Just like anything else, collaborative strategies take practice. It probably won't go well the first time (and that's OK)

Acknowledgment: This may not always be time-efficient!

• • "I can just tell them _____ and it will be faster, then I can move on to cover more stuff"

    • OK - but are they really LEARNING it when you tell them?

    • How can you LEAD them to the knowledge so that they problem-solve and figure it out on their own? 

    • The PROCESS of problem-solving (and problem-finding) will make learning "stick" more

  • These lessons take SOOOOOOO much time to plan, it's easier just to lecture

    • Yep! 100% correct.

    • It is easier to lecture, but a well-designed collaborative lesson will have a more lasting payoff when it comes to student learning outcomes.

Best Practices - Forming Groups

How many per group?

• In my experience, pairs work well for quick things like "talk to your partner for 20 seconds about _____" then share out.

• For group work, I like 4 - 5 per group. I find that to be a good balance. 

• Why I prefer not to do 2's or 3's in larger projects:

  • There may be 1-2 students who are shy and aren't comfortable in group work. If you have a group of three, that potentially leaves one student doing all the work and the other two watching.

• 6 or more may be too many. I have found that in groups of 6 or more, a couple of students end up being the "alphas" and that encourages other students to sit back and watch. Those "watchers" could have been potentially more productive in a smaller group.

• Take these suggestions with a grain of salt. "You do You." I also realize that some classes are so large, and you may have larger groups out of necessity due to available space.

Check out the "Kagan Groups in Practice" material at the bottom of the page for how to use groups of 4 effectively

How do I choose groups?

There is a lot of conflicting research out there about what is "best." You have to decide which works best for your class and your students. Here are some ideas:

Should students choose their own groups?

• • Pros: Students are with their friends and can be more productive with an already established rapport.

  • Cons: Students are with their friends and may just socialize. Also - not everyone has friends in a class, so some may feel left out. Additionally, you will likely end up with "supergroups" and "loafer groups" [not ideal].

Should you choose groups based on ability level?

• • Pros: You know your students and who may work best together (and conversely who will not work well together)

  • Cons: This can be dangerous as you are making assumptions about students' abilities and behavior. For better or worse, students pick up on this. "Low" students may surprise you if they happen to be REALLY good at the new concept.  Then this assumption may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Should groups be randomly chosen? [I like this one best]

• • Pros: Assumptions are bypassed and talent/knowledge/behavior is likely to be more evenly dispersed. 

  • Cons: You may end up with groups "stacked" with something undesirable. In which case, you may consider just making quick trades if you know that Person A and Person B cannot work together and they end up in the same group randomly.

Check out the Kagan material at the bottom of the page as an extension on choosing groups.

Best Practices - Accountability

"How long do we have?"

This is so important! 

• Before your turn your students loose, they need to know how long they have to work before they have to "come back in"

• Timers are great to use (check out my page on timers here)

• Beware Parkinson's Law:  Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

  • In other words - if you give them 30 seconds, they will use all 30 seconds, if you give them 5 minutes for the SAME task, they will use all 5 minutes

• It's OK to lie (stay with me here...)

  • Tell them they have 30 seconds, but keep a timer for one minute that only you can see

  • They aren't keeping track, and less time may create more urgency and less loafing

"Who goes first?"

• Just as you would be clear with the parameters of time, be clear with procedures such as Who goes first, second, third, etc." (or else, they may spend most of the time staring at each other)

• Establish a clear system

"Wait, what are we doing!?"

• Stop me if this sounds familiar: 

  • TEACHER: "Any questions? No? Good. You have 5 minutes"

  • [5 minutes later - no one in groups X Y or Z have done any work]

  • TEACHER: "Why haven't you done anything!?"

  • STUDENTS: "Um, we didn't know what to do"

• It's probably a good idea to have STUDENTS summarize what they are about to do. 

  • Before you move into group work as students to tell YOU (and the class) step-by-step what they are about to do in groups: how long they have to do it, who goes first, and what they should have FINISHED by the end of the allotted time [a product/evidence of some sort].

"Are we being graded on this?"

• If you are doing a  quick pair share/2-3 minute review - I would say "No". 

• For larger PROJECTS - I would say "YES!"

• I developed a Peer Accountability Survey for larger projects that took a day or more. 

  • I might consider factoring this into the final grade (maybe 20% - 30%)

  • Here is a link to an example. I can make you a copy if you would like to modify your own version

  • Here is a link to a high school example. I can make you a copy if you would like to modify your own version

The Basics of Kagan

I attended a 2-day workshop on Kagan strategies. This is the very, very tip of the iceberg. I highly recommend this training if you have an opportunity to do so!

Creating Kagan Groups

The class roster is divided into quartiles based on perceived ability. Which could be grade in the class, quality of work, etc. 

• 1 = High (Top 25% of your roster)

• 2 = Medium High 

• 3 = Medium Low

• 4 = Low (Lowest 25% of your roster)

Honestly, I find this "High/Low" business is potentially problematic based on assumptions and self-fulfilling prophecies, but that's another debate for another time. But - I get it, it makes sense in theory. You want groups somewhat evenly distributed in ability/quality of work to encourage peer assistance/leadership.

Students are seated in groups of 4 with a Shoulder Partner and a Face Partner

• • Each group has a 1, 2, 3, and 4 to represent all four quartiles of ability equally per group.

  • The 1's and 4's are face partners (so the "High" is helping the "Low")

  • 2's and 3's are face partners

  • 1's and 2's are shoulder partners, 3's and 4's are shoulder partners

Kagan Groups in Practice

The setup is great for accountability with short group discussions/tasks. 

EXAMPLES:

• [High/High pairs &  Low/Low pairs] Shoulder Partners - 30 seconds to review ______, odds go first

• [High/Low Pairs] Face Partners - 1 minute to discuss _______, evens go first

• [Round-robin - all four team members work together] Everyone contribute one idea about ______, each person has 30 seconds to describe. 3's go first, clockwise.

You can randomize with a die/picker to decide who goes first (1, 2, 3, or 4)

I have also seen this done with stickers and characters instead of numbers:

• 4 Disney Characters, 4 famous scientists, 4 types of fruit, 4 types of cars, etc.

Extensions/Resources

• Kagan Workshops

• Peer Accountability Form [I can make you a copy if you'd like to use this as a template]

• Peer Accountability Form (High School) [I can make you a copy if you'd like to use this as a template]

• Timers (a link to my page on this site)

• Padlet as a collaborative tool  (from my youtube channel)

• More to come... suggestions?

Collaborative Project Examples

Teachers - you are doing great work out there, email me something if you would like me to add your example! I can include them below