Virtual Learning Activities to Promote Student Collaboration 

Amongst many questions facing teachers and school leaders right now, one that I seem to keep coming back to is ‘what will COVID collaboration look like?’ Whether it be in a virtual setting or a brick and mortar classroom with plexiglass, distanced tables and face masks; every educator is wondering how to pull off critical skills that we know students need now more than ever: the ability to work together to problem-solve, engage in discussion and connect with others in a learning community. I had the privilege of  talking with Sarah Leiker, School Development Coach for New Tech Network, on this topic and her current thinking as we approach a Back to School season like no other: 

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Jenny: So we all know there is so much on every teachers’ plate right now- why would you advocate for teachers to wrap their mind around student collaboration ?

Sarah: Collaboration is an important skill, but mostly, it helps build relationships, and therefore learning communities-and that feels especially important right now.

Jenny: Do you think successful student collaboration is possible while wearing masks?

Sarah: Yes, I actually believe that socially distanced collaboration…especially while wearing masks…will likely look/sound/feel/have impact like good, intentional, virtual collaboration.

Jenny: What are some best practices, and/or virtual learning activities for student collaboration that you saw this past Spring that got you excited?

Sarah: I was really appreciative of the “easy lift” asynchronous collaborative practices that supported the development of student ideas, such as: 

  • Using the comments feature in Google apps to offer feedback on peer work…such as providing “celebrations” and “questions” 
  • Assigning a font color for each team member in a Google Doc to provide thoughts on a teacher given prompt and encouraging statements such as “yes, and…” as they replied to previous team member statements

I also loved watching synchronous collaborative learning take place, especially when it supported all student voices being heard to engage in complex thinking, for example:

  • Using Jamboard for practices like Chalk Talk and Card Sorts
  • Engaging in Concept Attainment practices through the use of either chat features in Zoom Rooms/Google Meets or shared Google Docs for teams of students to document their thinking as they work to create and refine their definitions for the concepts they’re discovering 

Jenny: What do you think is the biggest shift that teachers will need to make to facilitate successful student collaboration this fall? 

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Sarah: It will be difficult and maybe even unlikely that students will be able to physically sit around a table and lean in to problem solve,  create and share research together. Perhaps the shift this year , or at least to start this year,  is on building the “Individual collaboration” skills of each student, defined as the descriptors from page 1 of the New Tech Network collaboration rubric.

Jenny: That sounds like there would also be an intersection of assessing student agency, as well-is that right?

Sarah: Yes! As you continue to support students in developing their agency, specifically their ability to take ownership over their learning (see pg. 2 of this agency rubric) we put less emphasis, perhaps, on “building things/products” together, and more emphasis on collaborating with others for the sake of giving input, thoughts, and feedback to enhance learning and product development of their peers. 

Jenny: You have referenced the New Tech Network rubrics a few times, can you share a bit more about how you would see them being used as a resource in this new context? *

Sarah: Sure. I would focus on specific domains/rows/skills of the NTN Individual Collaboration Rubric  while everyone finds “a groove” the first semester. Those rows would be:            

  • Row 1– Contribution and development of ideas – this can be taught and assessed through practices such as: chalk talk activities (in person or with apps virtually like Jamboard or even Google Drawings & Google Slides), Socratic seminars (the students would just need to be spread further apart), virtual discussion boards, etc. The teacher would specifically look for how a student is contributing with their peers. 
  • Row 2- Equal participation – this is about acknowledging the thoughts/ideas/opinions of others and how it shapes a students’ learning. This can be taught and assessed through practices such as: virtual discussion boards, using the comment feature in Google Docs when giving feedback, and specifically looking for who/how they tagged (using the @____ feature) to reference a larger perspective. You could also teach students (ie., scaffold) how to collaborate using a Fishbowl protocol to model prompts like, “to build on what ____ said…” or “I agree with what ___ said, but it makes me wonder/think about___”, etc.
  • Row 4– Respectful Tone and style – this can be taught and assessed through any student-centered learning practice that requires students to engage in collective thinking, brainstorming, or problem solving with one another. If you are in a classroom together this can easily be observed, if you are virtual the teacher can create a collaboration calendar and jump into Zoom or Google Meet break out rooms when students are working together to observe and assess this in action. 
  • Row 7- Work Ethic – This one might not be the first row you assess this fall, but it feels important particularly when engaging in learner-centered practices that require discussions/design with others and/or completing tasks that advance other’s application of learning/ product development. 
  • Row 8– Team Support – Personally, I wouldn’t focus on this one right at the start of school when the others seem more accessible given the shenanigans of the pandemic uncertainty. BUT, if in person with masks at 6ft apart, perhaps using a workshop wall and adding an element of students not just requesting workshops, but a place for students to indicate if they’d be willing to showcase their work/have their work up for discussion at the workshop/ offer to be a critical friend to their peers/etc. could serve this well and build a ritual and routine of shared learning.

Jenny: Many schools are using a hybrid model this fall-will it be possible for students to collaborate with other students who aren’t in their stable group of 12?

Sarah: Basically, this is one of the few ways that I see student collaboration being similar to pre-COVID times. It is common in NTN schools for teachers to ask, say, period 1 class students to collaborate with period 3 class students on project tasks. With tools like Google Docs, Newsela and well-organized Learner Management Systems,  students have historically been able to dive into the same content by exploring similar Need To Knows for a common group goal; even when they aren’t in the same space or within ear-shot to work on actual products together. A teacher can organize groups based on similar lines of inquiry or final products, and that doesn’t have to be confined to a “class” or stable group. 

Jenny: This is super helpful to see how these tools can be used to help teachers scaffold and assess collaboration- in any setting. What is one piece of advice related to collaboration that you would give teachers as they prepare for Back to School? 

Sarah: I really appreciate your new PBL-lite framework**, because it encourages teachers to think NOT about a “watered down version of PBL” (gross), but a version of PBL that still maintains fidelity to the core principles and practices of PBL. I think if teachers can hold on to what matters most in PBL, collaboration being one of those things, they will have a better shot at creating meaningful and rigorous learning experiences this fall. 

 

*To learn more about assessment in PBL check out my NEW! “Planning assessment in PBL” On Your Feet Guide! 

**To learn more about student collaboration within a PBL-lite framework watch this Video from a presentation at Indiana Connected Educators Conference and check out this blog.

To keep learning from Sarah you can follow her on Twitter at @SarahLeiker.

Additional Virtual Learning Resources: