Colloboration

*How will you facilitate an authentic collaborative learning experience to promote deeper student engagement with content skills and concepts? *

When it comes to collaborative work, I have found it to be effective when I assign responsibilities and duties to each member of the group. When this takes place, each member has their own tasks in which they have t o make sure is done. This promotes engagement from all parties involved. In addition, each student holds a very important piece of a big puzzle. It is when each of these pieces come together effectively that the puzzle will be solved or the solution will be given. This is how I facilitate an authentic collaborative learning experience

*As members of collaborative groups, how will you support students’ efforts to identify solutions to the problem you are using as the framework for your PBL instructional unit? *

I love for students to think on their own, independently. Therefore, I do not offer students concrete answers. For instance, if a student asks me if C is the correct answer. I then reply, why didn’t you say A? Why didn’t you say B? How come D is not the correct answer? What this does is require students to reason, critically think, as well as guide themselves to the correct answer. Therefore, students lead themselves to their correct solutions, while I merely guide them there.

*What criteria will you use to assign learners to collaborative groups, including a rationale?*

There are many ways in which I assign learners to a group. I have done so by gender. In addition, I have allowed my students to choose who they would like to work with. However, my most effective method of assigning learners to a group is by placing them by their abilities. I will place a higher level student in a group with an average level student and 2 lower level students. This allows my lower level students to learn from and feel motivated by the higher and middle level students.

*What will be the size of the collaborative groups you will include in your unit?*

I love collaborative assignments. In addition, I love control of my classroom. With this being said, I have to find the median in these situations. When I assign collaborative assignments, I normally place no more than four people in a collaborative group. This is big enough to assign roles and responsibilities as well as to effectively obtain quality work. However, it is small enough for me to maintain order in the classroom.

*Which digital tools and websites are you considering for collaboration in your unit?*

For this unit of study, I plan to uses PowerPoint’s, web searches, a virtual tour, as well as blogs and wikis. Theses digital tools and websites will come together to produce my students a quality lesson, full of information and excitement. Through the uses of these tools and websites, my students should remain engaged, focused, and entertained while critically thinking and learning.

*How will you assess participation of the students in their collaborative groups? *

Assigning each member of the group a role and duty, it will be easier to monitor participation from each member. In addition, rubrics will be used for the effective monitoring of group participation. I will have a policy with each group for reporting members who are not pulling their weight in the groups.