Encouraging collaboration?

[Jared OLeary]

What suggestion do you have for developing a collaborative classroom? How might your current classroom unintentionally inhibit collaboration and what changes might you make to foster collaboration?

[Jared OLeary]

Previous responses:

• Making sure coding is a partnered activity and having kids share their projects. Many coding activities could share or respond about personal things so you get to know each other better. For example each kid could create a biography about themselves.
• If students have questions, they can ask 2 students before asking the teacher. You can collaborate with fellow teachers by planning the lesson and reflecting about how the lesson went.
• There is such a push for 1:1 technology in the classroom, but I feel that our class collaboration can work really well when our kids share a screen. That way, they can problem solve together!
• Response to above – That can be a great strategy for not only collaborating, but for providing extra assistance for kids who might initially struggle on their own.
• Create task cards with different directions for coding with a partner.

[Ashlee Allred]

After a class period I ask my students to share with a friend something new that they learned that day in coding. If a student asks me a question I will refer it back to the class and see if a student can answer it, rather than me. Allowing the students to voice their thought process and how to do something concretes it in their brain.

[Jared OLeary]

I like that suggestion, Ashlee! In the classes I’ve facilitated, kids followed this generic pattern:

1. Check the built-in help or resources
2. Ask a friend for help
3. Ask another friend for help
4. If I’m not working with someone, ask me
   • If I’m working with someone, repeat steps 1-3

[Author]

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