TIP Collaboration/Communication
Introduction
In the 21st century, all learners must be able to communicate and collaborate effectively within a community of learners. This is easier for some than others, but remains a goal for all learners. The distribution of mentoring through peers can greatly increase the opportunities for one-on-one support. When carefully structured, such peer cooperation can significantly increase the available support for sustained engagement. Flexible rather than fixed grouping allows better differentiation and multiple roles, as well as providing opportunities to learn how to work most effectively with others. Options should be provided in how learners build and utilize these important skills.
- Create cooperative learning groups with clear goals, roles, and responsibilities
- Create school-wide programs of positive behavior support with differentiated objectives and supports
- Provide prompts that guide learners in when and how to ask peers and/or teachers for help
- Encourage and support opportunities for peer interactions and supports (e.g., peer-tutors)
- Construct communities of learners engaged in common interests or activities
- Create expectations for group work (e.g., rubrics, norms, etc.)
Check out these Teaching Strategies
- The Power of Collaborative Learning (Edutopia video--9:00 mins)
- Five Tips for Building Strong Collaborative Learning (Edutopia article)
- Your Team is a Gift! (Tech4Learning blog)
- LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS - Collaborative Learning Spaces: Classrooms That Connect to the World (Edutopia article)
- Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learner and students as Leaders (Ted Talk by Kayla Delzer - 13 min)
- Student Collaboration in a Blended Math Class (1:30 video class in action - 8th grade)
- 6th Grade Student Collaboration (2:30 minute video class in action - 6th grade)
Below is the Carteret County Schools TIP Chart that shows teacher and student behaviors for communication and collaboration. Take a look at the chart. What teacher behaviors would someone see most often in your classroom? What student behaviors?
Check out these resources from Google that support collaboration and communication in a digital classroom.
Communication/Collaboration Digital Tools
Coggle.it is the ultimate, collaborative, mind-mapping tool! Students can work together to build an overview of a unit, chapter, topic, etc. You can add pictures, share it, and download it.
Mural.co is an interactive message board tool that lets users add sticky notes to jot down ideas and organize thoughts and arrange ideas spatially. It supports multiple users with a simple invitation functionality, and it is compatible with YouTube, Vimeo, Slideshare, Evernote and Google Drive. Teachers and Students can receive a completely FREE account.
Gives users a virtual blank “wall” to share video, documents, photos and more. Padlets can be edited and organized, and security and access are easily controlled. It has been newly updated with a variety of new tools and boards!
Twiddla is an Online Whiteboard for the Modern Classroom. Mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or start brainstorming on a blank canvas. Voice and Text chat too!
Make managing your digital classroom even easier with Todays Meet Teacher Tools, a toolbox just for teachers. Perfect Backchannel link for classrooms!
Slack is a team messaging platform that is much more efficient and user-friendly than email for team communication. Available in iOS and Android
Learn by giving feedback! Peergrade is a free online platform to facilitate peer feedback sessions with students.
How can you move towards student driven future ready skills in your classroom? Revise a current lesson that you teach in your classroom that is teacher driven or directed to make it student directed or driven. Share the revised lesson and reflection in our shared resource file.