Many years ago, I became a collaborative-learning convert. Today, I was intrigued by "In Praise of Think-Pair Share," by Jennifer Gonzales, who reminded my of the benefits of this and other collaborative activities.
We probably all recognize the value of including collaborative activities in differentiating our instruction. Our LINCS Resource Center gives us access to "Collaborative Writing," by Sue Grief, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy. This report shares the findings of a small development project that grew from the NRDC Effective Practice Study in Writing (Grief et al. 2007). The focus of the development project was collaborative writing. Conclusion?
The evidence of this project suggests that encouraging learners to write collaboratively can have positive outcomes, not only in terms of learners’ confidence to write, but also in the level of their engagement with the whole process of writing from decisions on topic or style to the checking of grammar and vocabulary. It is an approach that deserves the attention of adult literacy and language teachers and teacher trainers.
This report offers many ideas and tips on how to implement collaborative writing among adult learners. After exploring the report, please return here to share your views or examples of collaborative writing activities. Do you have students collaborate as they improve their writing skills? Do you think that the "think-pair-share" process can provide a good learning tool for writers? Do any of the activities listed in the report above show promise? Leecy
Leecy Wise
Moderator
Moderator
R&W CoP