Collaboration - in a classroom and in the staff room

How do we help kids really understand what collaboration is?

That was the beginning question that Terra Huber, 7th grade science teacher, asked the Learning Design Coaches.   Terra's 7th students were working on a group project to create a container to keep an egg safe during an egg drop. She had provided video and print materials to teach the concepts and it was time for the groups to begin working together.  So it was time for COLLABORATION!

As a team, we (Terra, Frank and I) created our own list of skills necessary if collaboration is working.

* listening           * taking turns           * inclusion

*accepting new ideas          *sharing ideas freely  

From this list we made a plan - we decided to start with a role play of the good and the bad, then students would create T charts of what they saw and we would create a class list. Finally, the groups would begin working.

Our role play was a hit - Terra was the science brain and Frank and I were the lazy ones depending on her to do all the work in our first skit.  For the second one we included turn taking and building on each other's ideas to a final design concept.

Students then created their T-chart on their own and then shared ideas with elbow partners.  The picture on the left shows the list one of the classes created on the smart board.

Following this discussion the students moved to their Egg Drop groups and we watched to see if they were using the things from the list.

It certainly wasn't perfect, but students were engaged and sharing their ideas. We know that this is step 1.  But, I think it was a good step.  And we realized how important it was to break the concept down into finite skills for the students.

I can't help but reflect on the idea of collaboration for our staff members as well. I think that we forget why we collaborate sometimes. It can feel like just a task the superintendent (our 'teacher') says we have to do.  In reality, collaboration provides a chance to create something together that would never happen if we were working on our own.

I am not a science thinker - the marshmallow challenge and this egg drop activity make me shudder because I have no clue. But, by working in a group I was able to contribute my very limited ideas to the entire project. I cared much more about the outcome and had a hand in the process.  I doubt that I gave any ideas that were unique or pivotal - but I had a voice and it was honored in the process.

That is collaboration.

It's not easy or fast, but my goodness it can help us end up at a much better place.   So - maybe as adults you won't see us huddled around a group of desks - kneeling on the chairs with our heads together totally focused on an activity.  But, the process of focusing on a clearly defined problem and following the rules of collaboration will certainly benefit all of us.
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“No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” - H.E. Luccock