HIGH IMPACT TEACHING STRATEGIES
Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Overview
Collaborative learning occurs when students work in small groups and everyone participates in a learning task.
There are many collaborative learning approaches. Each uses varying forms of organisation and tasks.
Collaborative learning is supported by designing meaningful tasks. It involves students actively participating in negotiating roles, responsibilities and outcomes.
Key Elements
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Students work together to apply previously acquired knowledge
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Students cooperatively solve problems using previously acquired knowledge and skills
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Students work in groups that foster peer learning
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Groups of students compete against each other
Related Effect Sizes
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Peer tutoring – 0.55
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Reciprocal teaching – 0.74
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Small group learning – 0.49
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Cooperative learning vs whole class instruction – 0.41
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Cooperative learning vs individual work – 0.59
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Cooperative learning vs
competitive learning – 0.54
This strategy is demonstrated when the teacher:
Regularly sets group tasks and establishes ground rules about how groups operate
Explicitly teaches students to work as a team by assigning different roles within groups so that students take responsibility for particular aspects of tasks
Differentiates learning by assigning group content based on student readiness
Designs tasks that require sharing expertise and ensuring each student’s contribution is valued by other students
Promotes interactions by organising students in flexible groupings in which group membership varies and may be based, for example, on friendship, mixed academic ability or common interests.
This strategy is NOT demonstrated when the teacher:
Dominates class discussion
Allows a few students to dominate discussion
Gives students few opportunities to interact with, and support, each other.
This strategy is demonstrated when students:
Understand the protocols for working collaboratively
Accept individual responsibility for participating and contributing to group tasks
Are skilled at providing feedback to each other.
Typical problems of practice in this area:
Lack of shared understanding of what it means to collaborate
Social dynamics might hinder effective collaboration
Students may be unwilling to take risks in front of peers (fear of being judged, criticized, etc.)
Poor communication between group members
Lack of trust among group members
Unclear instructions
Time
Possible LfL questions to ask students
When you work in groups, who decides on the grouping?
When YOU work in a group, how would you rate your involvement? Prompt: are you actively involved/rely on others to lead/take a lead/go along with the group/make your point of view clear/wiat to be asked/ initiatie conversations...
What collaborative skills have you been TAUGHT or reminde of by this teacher (Roles, conflict resolution, empathy, active listening, Yes... and...)
JS: What do you need to remember to show/do when you work with a group of people?
JS: Think of a time when you worked really well with others? What made it go well?
JS: How do you make sure that everyone is included during group work?
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Learners experience supportive, respectful, and authentic relationships
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Learners thrive in an environment that is both safe and challenging
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Learners understand the purpose of their learning
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Learners readily connect new learning with previous knowledge, concepts and skills
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Learners feel individually challenged at an appropriate level
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Learners have increasing agency in their learning
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Learners receive ongoing feedback
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Learners experience a range of learning and teaching methodologies
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Learners have ample opportunities to practise
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Learners have regular opportunities to collaborate with and learn from others
Reminder of the TLPP
Training Materials from GTT (Great Teaching Toolkit)
How the Great Teaching Toolkit supports this HIT
Element 2.2 Student-student relationships (This element has a focus on effective grouping)
