Collaboration is Hardwork

Submitted by Paige Shields (not verified) on January 7, 2009 - 09:55.

A very inspiring talk. I plan to have the editors of our new student newspaper watch it as guidance for how our staff should strive to work together. I think kids are hungry for collaborative projects and lessons, but traditional schooling rarely incorporates this except for some GATE classes...and these keep getting cut. The student newspaper (grades 1st-8th) is being conducted as an afterschool enrichment project that requires separate fees.

Unfortunately, No Child Left Behind has also reduced teacher incentive for collaborative learning. In our elementary school kids spend at least half the day seperated by their skill levels and only seem to come together during PE and Music. They almost never mix the classes of a certain grade level to work together, and I know most kids would like the chance to work/learn with their friends from other classes, but it never happens. They have also cut the school sports programs at the elementary level which is always a great lesson in collaboration.

In the current economic situation I hope parents will take up the slack and sponsor these types of special projects and volunteer time to pull them off.

However, if there are grants for school projects or teacher incentives for these types projects please post the information so I can pass it on to our local schools.

• reply

He says that "Collaboration

Submitted by Graham Jeffery (not verified) on November 21, 2008 - 04:36.

He says that "Collaboration means amplification - brings depth and breadth to a problem".

This is absolutely spot-on.

I just wonder if hierarchically organised, subject-organised rather than problem-oriented, test-driven schooling can ever really deliver this kind of thing? And there are so many vested interests which argue for a standards-based curriculum. I think a problem-based and project-based curriculum is far more powerful.

My book 'The Creative College' explores some of these issues in a practical way for arts educators.

• reply

Unable to embed video

Submitted by Rob (not verified) on November 20, 2008 - 21:14.

Great video but I am unable to embed it as the Copy and paste this code to your Web page section closes before I have a chance to click copy.

• reply

Art teacher at elementary level, grades 3, 4, and 5.

Submitted by Leonard Gabriel (not verified) on November 13, 2008 - 20:29.

"Collaboration means amplification,.. by connecting human beings... who when connected" create results that are greater than the sum of their parts.

This quote and the section I added was the subject of a conversation I was having today with a group of teachers. In addition to teaching art I teach a gifted & talented art program to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students and also am on my school districts Gifted & Talented committee.

Today we just completed our mission statement and were working on belief statements. I stated that it was my goal, in G&T art to help students become self-directed. When I work with students, today I was working with 4th grade students in wire sculpture, I act as a consultant, I try to problem solve with them and ask them what direction we should go and how they would solve the problem. I try to create a dialogue with students, where we exchange ideas, and I probe with questioning.

I noticed two students, that I was working with on an individual basis were developing similar solutions, even though their sculptures were quite different. I put them together, and told them work together, to share ideas and that even though their work was different, they should find commonalities in which they could develop their own artwork. At the end of class they had developed their work to a level beyond what I had done with them and their interaction affected the whole group, I have seven students in this group.

These students have started to become self-directed, they are moving away from seeking my direction, to discussing with me their ideas for the development of their work, they are working with each other, collaborating, exchanging ideas and they are building confidence in their ability to learn and problem solve their work.

These students, the whole group actually, are producing work that is far beyond their capabilities, they just don't know it and I think one of the reasons is that they are too engaged, they are too involved in the work to actually realize what they are producing.

These are the type of experiences we need to create for kids....and to have as teachers. It is a mutually benefitting experience, kids grow, learn, and respond, teachers begin to understand a little bit more how to create learning, realize what students are experiencing, become aware of the meaning of these experiences, and take this knowledge and build on it in the classroom.

• reply

Teacher Center - Director

Submitted by Martha Kennelly (not verified) on November 12, 2008 - 09:52.

Great clip! Love the quote "...the core skill of an innovator is error recovery not failure avoidance."

• reply