In the 90 minute block I teach, I’d be bored to tears if my students did independent work the whole time. As the student sitting there for 90 minutes not moving, not collaborating? Forget it!
Maybe it’s the part of me that can’t sit still, but I need the kids to be talking, moving, working together for me to feel the class period was not only engaging, but effective. And it’s true!
Research shows group discussions, even just for 10 minutes, can have a “substantial impact on student performance” (Fall, Web, & Chudowsky, 1997). So if I can get Middle Schoolers talking for ten minutes… and let’s get real – that is totally manageable – I can significantly improve their understanding of the concepts in class? Count me in!
Every day my students work in groups, and each day I try to vary the way they work together. Using the Group Work Expectations set from the beginning of the year (see the blog post here!), I scaffold the skills and techniques each Marking Period to teach the students the Eight Strategies below. In the following section, I’ll introduce you to each of the collaborative strategies and explain how they’re used in my classroom!
1.Echo Response
What Is It? One student in a partner or group shares their response and the other students in the group say their answer following. It should sound like an Echo with answers being the same; however, if an Echo is different, students stop and discuss the answers provided.
How It’s Used: I use this for anything that has a simple one word/number or one letter response. For instance, multiple choice questions,vocabulary homework, or math problems!
2.Choral Response
What Is It? All students in the group or both partners say the answer at the same time. It should sound like a Chorus of answers! If there’s a discrepancy, we stop and discuss!
How It’s Used: Again, this is used this for anything that has a simple response – fill in the blank, multiple choice, true/false, etc.
3.The Master
What Is It? In groups, one student from each group (teacher selected to vary!) is chosen as The Master! Depending on your class, the teacher can check those students’ responses only or students can assess themselves. The Master in each group shares their answers with the group. Everyone at the pod checks their answers off of The Master. Again, different answers should be stopped and discussed.
How It’s Used: This is typically used to check vocabulary homework or quick comprehension quizzes for short stories or chapters. This is more for formative and informal tasks.
4.Round Robin
What Is It? Starting with one person in the partner set, triad, or group, students rotate sharing responses. Any questions are asked immediately and discussed together.
How It’s Used: Round Robin is another technique used for smaller tasks, such as vocabulary or quick homework.
5.Turn and Talk
What Is It? Students sit in pairs and “Turn and Talk” to the person seated closest to them. I call them their “Shoulder Partner”.
How It’s Used: This is used every day. As I’m teaching, if I pose a question, I ask them to Turn and Talk with their Shoulder Partner. These questions will be easier to answer. Review of the previous day’s material. Definition of a word. The format of a body paragraph. Quick things students are comfortable with! Instead of calling on one student and only assessing their understanding, a Turn and Talk allows the teacher to observe the whole class and see who understood/understands the material!
6.Think Pair Share
What Is It? After posing a deep thinking question, give students time to “Think” individually, “Pair” with their partner to discuss their thoughts, then “Share” with the class
How It’s Used: I use this for class discussion, reflections, anything that really requires in depth thought! Something I found that helps is having students jot notes to themselves during the “think” section. Though it takes a bit longer, I’ve found that the responses overall are stronger!
7.Jigsaw
What Is It? Students in groups are given an assignment with multiple parts. Each group member is assigned a different part. As a class, students meet with the others assigned to the same part as them and complete the task. Then, the students “Jigsaw” and return to their home group to share the answers with everyone. This ensures one student from each group is an “expert” in one section of the task.
How It’s Used: I use this frequently for building background knowledge. For example, when learning aboutThe Pearl, all groups are responsible for covering all of the topics; however, we Jigsaw to expedite the process! One group researches pearl diving, another the history of Mexico, a different group researches John Steinbeck, etc. After becoming an expert in a given area, they return to their home group and share the knowledge!
8.Speed Dating
What Is It? Students are seated in pairs facing each other. Teacher sets the timer (between 2-7 minutes depending on the task), students complete the task with the person they’re facing. When the timer is up, one student rotates to the next group and the process repeats!
How It’s Used: I’ve used this in a few ways. First, I’ve used it for practicing speeches. Students can get very nervous when giving presentations, but if they can practice one on one like this they get more comfortable! I’ve also used this for students to complete certain questions together on a given assignment or share answers/writing pieces with each other.
Though there are other collaborative strategies that are effective, these are some of those most commonly used in my classroom! I have posters that I display at the front of the room to signal to the students which cooperative learning technique we’ll be using for the period. Get the product here!
I hope the descriptions and examples help you encourage collaboration in your classroom! Feel free to share other ideas, comments, or questions below!
Happy Teaching!
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