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“Collaboration involves engaging with others and others’ ideas; it is a process of give and take, and, as one collective mind, taking ideas and innovations to the next level.”
“Collaboration involves engaging with others and others’ ideas; it is a process of give and take, and, as one collective mind, taking ideas and innovations to the next level.”
-Dr. Nancy Sulla
Collaboration consists of
Seeing multiple sides to a situation
Being open to others’ points of view
Maintaining social appropriateness
Overcoming temptation
Norms and Protocols
Norms and Protocols
Norms- Classroom norms are the behavioral expectations or rules of the classroom. Norms inform us how we are expected to behave toward one another and with the classroom materials. They can include items such as actively listening, not interrupting others, asking others for their thoughts and opinions, sharing classroom materials, etc.
Protocols: Discussion protocols are a powerful classroom tool. Teachers can create protocols to ensure students are engaged in purposeful discussion around a specific topic.
Create a Discussion Protocol -This How-To Sheet will guide you through the steps to create a discussion protocol for students. As you design, consider your students and add resources they may need to the directions (e.g., picture clues).
Create a Discussion Protocol -This How-To Sheet will guide you through the steps to create a discussion protocol for students. As you design, consider your students and add resources they may need to the directions (e.g., picture clues).
Guidelines for Engaging in Group Discussion Protocols -In a discussion protocol, small groups of students pose or are given questions to discuss based on texts, research, and activities related to the learning/content or PBL unit. They then follow given guidelines to collaborate and engage in the discussion.
Guidelines for Engaging in Group Discussion Protocols -In a discussion protocol, small groups of students pose or are given questions to discuss based on texts, research, and activities related to the learning/content or PBL unit. They then follow given guidelines to collaborate and engage in the discussion.
Helping Students Put Down Their Phones and Connect with One Another - This Edutopia article offers an idea to get students talking to each other. Read it and let us know what you think! 🙂
Small-Group Discussions
Small-Group Discussions
Small Group Discussions - Discussions in small groups provide structured opportunities for students to share, thereby increasing their executive function and strengthening social and emotional learning competencies.
Check out the samples below:
EF Collaboration: Multiple Perspectives
EF Collaboration: Multiple Perspectives
Being able to see multiple sides of complex ideas is a critical skill for successful collaboration and, therefore, for achieving success with rigor. This ability to see multiple sides builds on the cognitive flexibility skill of changing perspectives and moves the student toward a capacity for empathy. Looking at an event or a situation from different viewpoints builds an awareness in students that all situations can be seen in multiple ways.
Seeing multiple sides of a situation
Being open to others’ perspectives
Navigating conversations with social appropriateness
Considering how audience affects communication
Seeing Multiple Sides of a Situation and Being Open to Others’ Perspectives
Seeing Multiple Sides of a Situation and Being Open to Others’ Perspectives
View any of the resources for multiple perspectives:
Seeing Multiple Sides Direction Sheet Sample
Health example: Students are presented with a community health issue (e.g., closing a local park to build a clinic) and must take on a different perspective of a stakeholder such as a doctor, a teenager, a city planner, or other to find potential solutions and compromises.
PE example: Teams are given a traditional game (like soccer) but are told one team has a "secret handicap" (e.g., they can’t use their left foot). The other team must identify the challenge and adjust their strategy to remain competitive yet fair.
Music example: An ensemble takes a classical piece and is tasked with reimagining it as a jazz or pop song, requiring them to analyze how the "feel" changes from the perspective of different listeners.
Health and Art: Students can work in pairs (or fours), tasked with representing a single object or health-related scene from two-four opposing viewpoints. They can give a "worm’s eye view" and a "bird’s eye view." The partners must negotiate how to blend these two distinct "realities" where they meet in the center of a shared canvas to create one cohesive image.
Another tool could be the PMI Discussion Protocol
Building Consensus - Read this blog post to learn about structures that help students collaborate with each to reach consensus.
Health: Coping Speed Networking Activity: Students share their personal stress-management techniques in pairs. Each student must then try to explain why their partner's method might work better than their own in a specific scenario.
Here is a speed networking template discussion protocol
Music: Collaborative Composition. Two students write a 4-bar melody collaborative composition. Student A writes two bars, and Student B must finish the phrase in a way that honors Student A’s original musical idea, while adding their own style and tone.
PE: Student-Led Skill Coaching: Divide students into small groups where one individual is designated as the "coach" to teach a specific technique (ex: soccer pass, basketball layup, or a yoga pose). The "players" in the group must follow the coach’s specific instructions and cues, even if it differs from their personal habit or preferred style of movement. This requires the "players" to be open to a peer's point of view and inhibit the urge to "do it their own way" for the duration of the drill. Afterward, the group collaborates on a reflection of how the different coaching styles impacted their collective success.
Sample Discussion Protocol Examples
Sample Discussion Protocol Examples
Which builds and reinforces navigating conversations with social appropriateness and considering how audience affects communication
Which builds and reinforces navigating conversations with social appropriateness and considering how audience affects communication
Content Sample for Secondary Social Studies:
Collaborative Reading Circle Discussion Protocol (w/Accountable Talk Stems)
Directions:
To prepare for this activity, independently read the text, Hammurabi’s Code of Laws and complete the leveled questions on the Cornell Notes. (Note: This activity would be done prior to the discussion. This could be the day before or the class prior, but not the same time)
In groups of 3, participate in the collaborative reading circles discussion protocol (Note: Keep discussion groups to no more than 5 students)
Content Sample for Secondary Science:
Collaborative Reading Circle Discussion Protocol (w/Accountable Talk Stems)
Directions:
To prepare for this activity, independently read pgs 2-4 of the text, Electric Forces and complete as many of the questions on the Cornell Notes as you can (Note: This activity would be done prior to the discussion. This could be the day before or the class prior, but not the same time)
In groups of 3, participate in the collaborative reading circles discussion protocol (Note: Keep discussion groups to no more than 5 students)
Content Sample for Social Studies:
Affinity Mapping
Working in groups of 3-4, read through the directions and then begin the independent video after.
Independently, listen to the video, Ancient Mesopotamia. Reflect and jot down your thoughts and takeaways on each sticky note.
In groups, continue on using the Affinity Mapping protocol.
Collaboration Activity Ideas:
Collaboration Activity Ideas:
Which builds and reinforces navigating conversations with social appropriateness and considering how audience affects communication
Which builds and reinforces navigating conversations with social appropriateness and considering how audience affects communication
Elementary ELA Example: Debate story-time: Have students read a story with multiple characters and perspectives. Afterward, engage them in a group discussion where they take on the roles of different characters, explaining their viewpoints and feelings. This promotes understanding different perspectives and maintaining social appropriateness in discussions.
Elementary ELA Example: Cause and Effect Storytelling Circle: Begin with a simple cause, such as "It started raining," and then have each student add an effect to the story. For example, the next student might say, "The children ran inside," and the next, "They found a cozy spot to read books," and so on. This activity encourages critical thinking, cooperative storytelling, and engagement while exploring cause-and-effect relationships.
Secondary ELA Example: Have students use content vocabulary terms within the story. Create expectations that it has to be used correctly and within context.
Health: Fishbowl Discussion: Students work on the power of active listening. Two students discuss a controversial health topic in their fishbowl while the rest of the class observes and notes down specific details or actions (ex: non-verbal cues).
PE: During a "silent play challenge" team game, students are not allowed to speak. They must maintain social appropriateness through gestures, encouraging facial expressions, and "reading" their teammates' body language.
Music: Ensemble Etiquette Rehearsal. Students practice a "performance rehearsal" where they deliberately take turns being the "leader or facilitator" and the "supporter," focusing on how to give constructive criticism about a wrong note or melody played, without being discouraging.
Art: Peer Critique Circles. Using a "Compliment Sandwich" model (positive, constructive, positive), students review each other's portfolios, focusing on using professional art vocabulary rather than personal opinions.
6 Hats Discussion Protocol for feedback and discussions
Health and Art: In this activity, pairs are tasked with representing a single object or health-related scene from two opposing physical viewpoints, such as a "worm’s eye view" and a "bird’s eye view." The partners must negotiate how to blend these two distinct "realities" where they meet in the center of a shared canvas to create one cohesive image. This requires students to communicate their unique visual logic and find a middle ground where both perspectives can exist simultaneously. It serves as a literal exercise in seeing multiple sides of a situation to solve a complex, collaborative problem.
Art: Students work in groups of three to build a single, whimsical character or structure by folding a piece of paper into hidden thirds. The first student draws the top section and leaves tiny "connection marks" at the fold line for the next person to follow, who then draws the middle without seeing the top. To succeed, each student must trust the marks left by their peer and remain open to the surprise of how the pieces will eventually align. This builds the skill of letting go of total control and valuing the unexpected contributions of others to a shared goal.
Sentence Starters 🗣️
Sentence Starters 🗣️
Sometimes, the barrier that prevents students from conversing and discussing with others is that they don't know what to say or how to say it.
Oftentimes, students struggle with HOW to express their thoughts accurately, and with evidence when needed. You can use the resource to the right to give students examples of what they can say to keep themselves and their peers accountable to accurate knowledge. You might also use the resource below:
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