Teamwork and Collaboration

 

When I think of a vibrant learning space, I see the classroom as a place for teamwork and collaboration.  It is so important for students to leave high school with the skills necessary to succeed in today’s world and being able to work well with others is one of the key skills.  I know from my conversations with friends that many of their workplaces rely heavily on collaboration and those without the skills to be able to work in groups fall behind in their advancement in the workplace. 

Recently, I was a judge in my school’s business competition.  Students, in groups of 5, had to come up with a product to sell, manufacture the product, and come up with a marketing plan, and execute it to try to make a profit.  The teacher of this class did such an amazing job in scaffolding the students so they were able to execute this project.  The ideas they came up with together were so creative and even though they had many challenges in working together, the end product was well done.  From this project, they expressed that they learned a lot about having to work together even when it was difficult and they felt proud of what they accomplished together. 

Research shows us that “collaboration helps student learn materials more deeply and develop personal skills that last a lifetime” (Paterson, 2021, para. 5).  It is important for the teacher to establish how to collaborate and be mindful of who is in each group so they can try to provide the structure of a positive working group. 

 

Reference

Paterson, J. (2021). Building a Culture of Classroom Collaboration | NEA. National Education Association. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/building-culture-classroom-collaboration

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