Collaboration Learning in Action is a series of videos showcasing many of the collaborative learning concepts from the primers in real classroom settings. These videos provide authentic examples of collaboration in action across different grade levels and subject areas.
Our video collection highlights two dynamic learning environments:
These videos serve as powerful companions to our collaborative learning frameworks. Each recording demonstrates key characteristics of effective collaboration:
We are especially grateful to the two schools for opening their classroom to allow us to come in with a video crew and work to capture what collaboration is like in a classroom. The students have been gaining collaborative learning skills in these classrooms for 3-4 months. What you don’t see when you watch the videos is all of the preparation work that has happened to prepare the students to work in this way. The educators involved say it is work but it is so worth it.
During this segment, as the teacher discusses group roles in class, she is also modeling how the the student in each role should communicate with members of the group using sentence starters as examples to facilitate the discussion.
Beverly, an instructional coach, discusses the importance of buy-in when bringing new strategies, such as collaborative learning, for teachers to try in their classroom.
Sarah DiMaria discusses one key perspective on collaboration: how everyone deserves to be in the classroom and how all students each have something to learn from one another.
Sarah DiMaria discusses routines and structures that she uses in her classroom.
Students attempt to summarize the thoughts/perspectives of multiple members of the group into one theme. A third student jumps into the conversation and makes some clarifying statements.
One student makes a comment and another respectfully challenges the perspective of the first.
Student wrap up their discussion and come to a final agreement.
This clip discusses what students need for collaboration, why collaboration is important, and how students can grow from working together with others.
Sarah DiMaria discuses productive chaos, how it relates to learning, and tips for assessment.
When students are stuck or need help, the teacher asks them to explain their work first before allowing them to ask a specific question—not just if the answer is right or wrong.
Sarah DiMaria is observing the students and stamping their page for effective use of materials.
Related to facilitation, Beverly talks about "living in the moment" — not interrupting students when something good is happening and allowing them to work together through the process.
Students discuss when they like collaborating, why it's important, what helps, and challenges.
Four students share their experiences with collaborative learning in their calculus class. They have been working in the class together for about three months. They share what collaboration brings to their learning, their lives, and also about challenges they have experienced.
Student discuss working together to address things they do not understand.
Watch 20 minutes of Sarah DiMaria’s class working together during a collaborative assessment to see a warm up, students connecting, how DiMaria sets up the task and the group roles. See also the associated worksheet.
Mapping, Clarifying, and Communicating Key Ideas about Collaborative Learning (MC²)