Enhancing Communication & Collaboration
Domain Introduction
Welcome to the Enhancing Communication & Collaboration Domain
In this domain, you will:
select and use instructional strategies to facilitate communication and collaboration between students.
select and use digital tools to facilitate synchronous and asynchronous communication and collaboration between students.
communicate and collaborate with colleagues to support continuous learning.
provide regular opportunities for students and parents to provide feedback about the continuous learning experience.
Vocabulary Highlighted in this Domain
Learn It!
Select and Use Instructional Strategies
Communication and collaboration requires both purposeful planning and facilitation. We encourage you to start by considering the following instructional strategies as the foundation for successful communication and collaboration between students.
Establish norms for communication and collaboration, especially if students are in remote learning environments.
Structure discussion prompts in an engaging way and provide response stems for students.
Clearly define and assign roles for collaboration and teamwork. This is essential for online learners.
Consider using a learning contract with your students that outlines expectations for communication/collaboration behavior online and face-to-face.
Use the resources below to support your learning around understanding and utilizing instructional strategies to support communication and collaboration.
Establish Norms - Read the article below by Paul Emerich France if you need help getting started with co-creating online learning norms with your students while being respectful of each child's home learning environment.
Provide response stems - Watch this video demonstrating the use of Talk Moves to help facilitate student communication and collaboration. How might you adapt this strategy for use in online learning?
You can read more about using Talk Moves in the elementary grades in the Edutopia article here.
Define and assign roles - Watch this video for an example of how cooperative learning roles help support collaborative learning. What are some ways you might adapts the learning roles shared to use for online learning?
Structure discussion prompts - Read this blog post for some tips and tricks for writing and managing productive online or face-tfo-face discussion prompts.
Hybrid Instructional Strategy Resources
Fostering student to student connections with those face to face, remote and in hybrid models with purpose and a priority on social emotional learning is imperative for classroom culture. Learn more about how to build COVID Cohorts by watching this video.
Additional resources can be found here.
Reflection Question
What are some opportunities you will provide for students to communicate and collaborate around academic work?
Why do I have students not talking in breakout rooms? The learner may not feel comfortable.
The Problem-Solving for Learner Success module can provide a process to consider additional ways to support learners in discussion group. Head there now by clicking the green learner icon or later by using the left navigation bar.
Select & Use Digital Tools
After you've selected an instructional strategy for communication/collaboration, you'll select a digital tool to help facilitate the learning. We think it's important you think about the following prompts below as you select and use digital tools.
Consider the delivery mode (synchronous, asynchronous, hybrid) prior to selecting digital tools.
Identify the type of communication and/or collaboration prior to selecting a digital tool (individual, small group, large group)
Select digital tools that you and the students have experience using, when possible.
Model tool use for students and provide appropriate support materials for students and parents to reference (for example login directions, tool features, accessibility features, help links, common troubleshooting questions, etc.)
Synchronous Tools
Asynchronous Tools
A Tip From Grant Wood:
Consider cognitive load when you introduce a new digital tool. Introducing both new content and a new digital tool can be too much for learners. Think about introducing a new digital tool with content students are familiar with so they aren't overwhelmed.
Reflection Question
What are some familiar digital tools you'll continue to use to facilitate online communication/collaboration? Explain what supports students might need to use this in an online environment.
Communicate & Collaborate with Colleagues
Teamwork makes the dream work! It's important to think about how you'll collaborate with your colleagues and building staff to support students and their families with online, hybrid, or face-to-face learning. Be sure to consider the suggestions below.
Work together with appropriate teacher teams to select and use consistent digital tools to better support students and families.
Practice using digital tools as a team before using with students.
Reflect and share how you’re using communication and collaboration tools with your students. Work together to facilitate individual, small group and large group learning.
Plan for offline activities as well. Encourage students to take a break from the screen.
A Tip From Grant Wood:
Invite your colleagues to join you for synchronous meetings with students. This allows you to each facilitate a small group (breakout room) and collaboratively reflect on the strengths and opportunities for growth after meetings.
Reflection Question
Which colleagues and/or teams might you need to connect with to best meet the needs of students?
Provide Students & Families/Guardians Opportunities for Feedback
It's important to continually ask both students and parents/guardians for feedback about how learning is going in their home or classroom environment. This includes checking in on internet access, device availability, and the overall learning experience & social emotional well-being.
Collect feedback to understand students' connectivity strengths and limitations in their home environment.
Provide opportunities for parents/guardians to give feedback about what is going well and what could be adjusted in regards to instruction in their learning environment.
Provide opportunities for students to share feedback about their learning experience & their social emotional well-being.
Reflection Question
What are some ways you will continue communication with students and families and collect feedback about how online learning can be adjusted and improved?
Do you have a family that just won't connect? Perhaps there are additional considerations.
The Problem-Solving for Learner Success module can provide a process to consider additional ways to support learners and families in a continuous learning environment. Head there now by clicking the green learner icon or later by using the left navigation bar.
Apply It: Design a Learning Opportunity
Please select at least one task below to help you provide online communication and collaboration experiences with your students.
Create a plan to develop a classroom contract for communication and collaboration behavior specific to your instructional model. Create a sample contract.
Select a digital tool based on an instructional goal. Determine a plan for how the tool might be leveraged in your learning environment.
Identify colleagues and teams you will connect with to support online or hybrid learning. Proactively schedule when you plan to collaborate on student learning experiences.
Compose a survey and email to get feedback from families.
"Look Fors" in this Domain
Use this checklist to assure you are utilizing the key components and look fors when you are creating learning opportunities with students and collaborating with colleagues.
Wrapping Up Enhancing Communication & Collaboration
Locate your copy of the Continuous Learning Field Guide Log (a view only link is above) and record your thinking on your document. When you are done reflecting, click the button below to begin the next module.