Design a Flexible Learning Space
Design a Flexible Learning Space Flexible learning environments are spaces that honor the fact that learning happens both in and outside of the traditional classroom. They also enable opportunities for collaboration and student agency when deciding where and how to learn. A flexible learning environment may be a classroom space set up with desks…
Cooperative Learning Strategies
Leveraging Cooperative Learning Strategies Cooperative learning strategies, often called Kagan strategies, are low-lift and low-risk ways for students to engage with each other while learning. They are structured ways to break up a direct instruction lesson and ask students to collaboratively process information. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared…
Lead Guided Discussions
Lead Guided Discussions Guided discussions are group conversations that use a structured protocol and usually a variety of sentence stems to support learners with the conversation. These build collaboration skills that can be used in larger group projects. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used…
Strategically Group Learners
Strategically Group Learners for Collaborative Learning Experiences NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Spark Collaboration Course When assigning group work you can assign groups to learners or allow them to choose their own groups. Research has shown motivation is higher when students select their own groups, and many students prefer this method.…
Create Group Roles
Create Group Roles When learners are working in groups, they need to have clear roles and expectations that support the group’s success. In smaller collaborative learning experiences such as a group discussion, those roles may include timekeeper, scribe, reporter, facilitator, etc. In more complex group projects, student roles should be more meaningful, which may…
Group working norms with learners
Create group working norms with learners Creating group norms as the outset of any collaborative learning experience supports learners to work well together and provides the teacher with an anchor for providing feedback to learners on their collaboration. These norms should be co-created with learners. After practicing with learners to create group norms as…
Make Group Progress Visible
Make Group Progress Visible Create a way to display group progress during collaborative work blocks to keep track of progress as a class. A few ways that you might do this include: Create a physical or digital timeline and plot student groups using post-its or magnets to show where they are in the project…