Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about the 7 Cs of education. Each ‘C’ covers a concept or method intended to engage students and encourage new ways of learning, thinking, and problem solving. So far, we’ve covered critical thinking and creativity. Both of these methods are great ways to get students thinking on their own. They can also both be great tools for partner or group learning, especially when combined with today’s ‘C’: Collaboration.
Collaboration, by definition, is the process of sharing knowledge, skills, ideas, and resources to achieve a shared goal or outcome. As each member of the team contributes, problems are solved and knowledge is gained. Teachers are familiar with the concept of collaboration; most schools today have implemented some form of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where teachers can work together to share ideas, ask for help, offer advice, encourage one another, and find ways to work toward a common goal. So while this concept may come easily to us as teachers, it may not come as easily to some of our students. Not everyone loves to work with other people. Sometimes, we get students who don’t keep an open mind and come with a “my way or the highway” kind of attitude, which can make accepting others’ ideas tricky. However, helping students learn to work together to come up with solutions is worth the time it takes– collaboration is a great skill to have as an adult, and is one that is used often in the workplace as well as in other settings.
Inviting students to collaborate with one another gives them an opportunity to express their opinions, share their knowledge, contribute, be part of a team, and learn from each other. Collaborating can encourage critical thinking and creativity in really neat ways. One idea thought up by one student can spark an idea in another, which can then inspire another student to come up with a solution, and so on. It’s like a ripple in water– one small thing can continue on and get bigger as it goes. Since each person has their own individual way of addressing problems and thinking through things, each perspective is useful. Oftentimes, one student in a group will present an idea that no one else had thought of previously. This can sometimes also help struggling or confused students understand the problem better– sometimes all it takes for someone to understand is to have another person explain it in a new way.
It is inevitable that we will have students who refuse to collaborate because, as mentioned previously, they don’t want to see any other opinions besides their own. On the other hand, we will have students that are hesitant to participate in group collaboration because they are shy, or perhaps they don’t feel like their ideas are valuable or worth sharing. It could also be that they are afraid of sounding silly or stupid to their peers. And, boy, do I get that! I was that quiet, shy student who didn’t like to voice her opinion. But as teachers, we must encourage our students to share their ideas and learn from each other. If a student is not comfortable verbalizing their thoughts, you might consider having everyone in the group write their ideas down (without attaching their name to it), then the group has the chance to hear from everyone.
One of the most powerful tools we can use in the classroom is collaboration. Students can learn so much from each other. We just need to remind them to do it!
