COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

OVERVIEW

Throughout the year, we will engage in collaborative learning activities and instruction. Simply stated, collaborative learning is:

Also called "cooperative learning"⁴
Small groups of students working together to achieve a common learning goal
Highly effective in “[promoting] the language acquisition of ELs”⁴ and “greater academic achievement”¹

Desk Arrangement

Ms. Shaffield’s Classroom (Adapted from “Figure 3.3: Desks in clusters" ³)

In the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom, “desks [are arranged] in clusters” are ideal for the following reasons:³

Students can support peers throughout the learning process through "frequent cooperative learning tasks"³
Supports the instructor's “easy circulation and access to all students at any time”⁴

Note: Due to social distancing, the arrangement of desks will be in rows and files

Grouping

Students may be asked to work independently or in “groups of two to four students” within their desk groupings"¹

Independent Work: Students work alone and may only ask the teacher for assistance or clarification
Pair Work: Students work with a desk partner during "informal" in-class discussions and learning tasks¹
Small Group Work: Students carry out their roles within their desk formation during "formal" learning tasks¹
Whole Group Work: Students participate in whole-class discussions by reporting individual or group findings
Team Project Work: Students work in their small group to create and later present a thematic in-class project

Roles

For structured group work, each student within a desk grouping will be assigned and periodically "rotate" one or more roles⁴

Leader: Liaison between the teacher and the group and expert on the lesson’s “[instructional] strategies”²
Clunk Expert: Helps others go through “the steps… to figure out the meaning of a difficult word or concept”²
Gist Expert: Guides “group members [through] the steps… to figure out the main idea for each section” of a text²
Announcer: Mediates turn-taking in group tasks; ensures participation “and that only one person talks at a time”²

Students may also be assigned secondary roles that will build time and resource management skills:

Timekeeper: Monitors time remaining “to complete the… assignment” and reminds others if time is running short²
Encourager: Maintains positive student relationships “and explains how they can work better together next time”²

Monitoring

The instructor will routinely monitor and record each group’s participation in their assigned tasks as well as each
group member’s fulfillment of their personal role’s responsibilities. This will be primarily accomplished through:

Direct observation by the instructor
The gathering of “in-progress documents”¹
Written student reflections on their individual and group efforts at the conclusion of group assignments

Grading

A portion of each student’s quarterly report card is determined by a weekly grade “for behavior and effort” as explained below:³

Extent to which students are carrying out their group or project roles during collaborative learning activities
“Formal cooperative learning” tasks will have both holistic and individual grading components based on “group
and individual performance” to hold students accountable for their mutual success¹

Note: Grades in the English as a Second Language classroom are not official an do not appear on student report cards at school

For more information on the classwork participation aspect of the grading system, visit the Guidelines for Success

References

¹ Brame, C.J. and Biel, R. (2015). Setting up and facilitating group work: Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Retrieved July 9, 2017, from

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-learning-groups-effectively/

² Csr_10_LINK_rolecards [PDF]. (2008). Nashville: The IRIS Center.

³ Sprick, R. S. (2013). Discipline in the secondary classroom: A positive approach to behavior management (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.

⁴ The IRIS Center. (2008). CSR: A reading comprehension strategy. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/csr/