Collaborative learning in the classroom changes everything. Students interact with the material in a new way, delivering both academic and life-skills results. So what does this look like for the teacher?
One of the most simple and effective tools is small group work. Breaking them up into different groups on charge of working on a project or solving a problem lets teachers create a space in which peer interaction flourishes. This type of collaboration helps develop empathy as they have to listen to and absorb their peers’ ideas.
Role playing is another powerful activity where the role of the teacher is assumed by the learner. Here, the students are encouraged to explain things learned between and with other students as the method itself encourages a deeper understanding as well as greater responsibility for the learning of their peers.
Also, they can utilize technology to facilitate teamwork. For instance, online tools such as Google Classroom or other collaborative digital resources allow students to collaborate on projects over the computer regardless of their geographical locations. Additionally, the students can share and get feedback using these collaborative digital tools.
Another way to facilitate collaboration is through peer assessment. How, as students assess their peers’ work, they are called upon to learn how to give constructive criticism and respond to it, an activity that combines not only empathy but reflection.
Collaborative learning techniques will change the face of the classroom as a place where the students learn and work in teams, learn from one another, and develop much-needed skills about empathy, teamwork, and critical thinking as they try to get answers to solutions. Teachers will have been trained in ways that always enable them to create vibrant, challenging learning environments
