In a typical classroom of 28 students, I'm standing at the front of the room, buzzing with excitement. I can't wait to share this prodigious opportunity for hands-on learning that I have carefully constructed for students. With an assignment sheet in hand, I commandeer the front of the room--my stage--and read through the requirements for the project. I start to bore myself with all the details (implications for reflection? yeah, I think so!), so I speed up the pace of reading a little bit and swiftly get to the part where I explain that students will work on the project as part of a group. Two things immediately happen: eyes start fluttering around the room as partnerships are formed between BFFs while at the same time I am met with groans and eyes that roll into last year.I'd like to say that the eye rolls stop with teenagers, but the truth is that even classroom teachers often meet mandates of collaboration from administration with proverbial eye rolls. I get caught up in trying to get so many things done in the classroom for my students, that I forget that the best resources to managing my classroom are the people I can freely share ideas with. Reflecting and collaborating with my colleagues easily enriches the experience of the students in my classroom ten fold. With so many varying perspectives and so many experiences, being able to speak to and work with others makes me a better person and a better teacher.
Whilst attending our first set of meetings for Composing Our World at the end of the summer, many of us were able to experience the magic of collaboration done right. With so many brilliant educators in one room, it was truly extraordinary to see the group's collective wheels turning as ideas flowed between us. As I reflect on this experience, I see the importance of culture and climate in the classroom as a cornerstone to approaching learning opportunities embedded with collaboration.
Returning to the classroom example that is all too common in schools, simply put, eye rolls occur as a result of someone feeling uncomfortable or unhappy with a situation:
Teenager asks to go to movie theater. Mom says not before her bedroom is cleaned. Teenager rolls her eyes with a huff as she heads out of the room. The teenager in this anecdote is 1) obviously angry that she didn't get her way and 2) ultimately uncomfortable and unhappy with mom's response.The same can be applied to the classroom. When introduced to an activity that requires students to work together, I am met with eye rolls because my students don't feel completely comfortable with the idea of collaboration. They worry about doing all the work if one person doesn't do their part, they remember a time they received a lower grade in a project that could have been higher if they were on their own, or they fear having to meet outside of class to work on assignments.
If project-based learning is to be successful, one must remember that collaboration hinges on culture and climate. My students have to feel like they belong to my classroom and that they trust those in the room before they can be comfortable enough to collaborate effectively. Simply standing up and reading an assignment sheet that requires them to work in groups is not enough. The classroom must be a place where differences are respected, failures are recognized, and celebrations are required. Building a culture and climate that does these things is paramount to the collaborative environment.
Following the construction of positive culture and climate, teachers must instruct students on how to appropriately collaborate with their peers. The short video below from Edutopia is a great introduction to how teachers can explicitly teach students how to work together.
What are some ways that you encourage true collaboration with students? How do you build positive culture and climate in your room?
