K15 Starter

ST LEARNING & SKILLS TEACHER L5

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS

ST L&S TEACHER L5

WHAT IS A COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP?

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS

• A collaborative relationship refers to a dynamic in which students actively engage with one another to achieve a common goal.
• This approach in learning may involve students of mixed achievement working together on activities, or learning tasks in a group that's small enough to ensure that everyone participates. Students can work on separate tasks that contribute to a common overall outcome, or work together on a shared task, but leaving them to form their own groups is not always effective.
• It is a relationship built on cooperation, where students share ideas, divide responsibilities, and support one another to enhance learning outcomes. Effective collaboration can help build research, explanation, demonstration, problem-solving and metacognitive skills. Pupils may also benefit from sharing the load of challenging tasks.

K15 TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

ST L&S TEACHER L5

STARTER ACTIVITY

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS

1 - Discuss each group task on your table:

• How could you implement this in your classroom?
• What benefits would it bring to your students?
• What challenges might arise?
• How can it be adapted?
• What resources will you need?

2 - Decide on one group task that you'd implement.

• Why have you picked this task?
• How do you plan to implement it into the classroom?

Turn to the person next to you and discuss your idea!

Jigsaw ActivityThink-Pair-ShareGroup InvestigationDebate TeamsCollaborative BrainstormingGallery WalkSnowballingListening Triangle

K15 TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

ST L&S TEACHER L5

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS

K15 TECHNIQUES TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

KEY POINTS

• Collaborative learning approaches have a positive impact, on average, and can be a cost-effective approach for raising achievement.

• Students need support and practice to work together; it does not happen automatically.

• Tasks and activities need to be designed carefully so that working together is effective and efficient, otherwise some pupils may struggle to participate or try to work on their own. It is important to ensure that all pupils talk and articulate their thinking in collaborative tasks to ensure they benefit fully. Help them set roles if needed.

• Competition between groups can be used to support pupils in working together more effectively. However, overemphasis on competition can cause learners to focus on winning rather than succeeding in their learning. Consider giving each group a different task.

• Research suggests that the most promising collaborative learning approaches tend to have group sizes between 3 and 5 pupils and have a shared outcome or goal.

• Make sure to evaluate each group on its own merit, success should be in their hands!

Mosxd