Through Collaboration, teachers intentionally design learning experiences in which students work with one another toward the completion of a task or goal. Collaborative learning should be developed so that it requires the perspective, knowledge, skills, and research of every student.

When using Collaboration, the teacher will design and facilitate partnerships and small groups within the classroom that allow each student to contribute in a purposeful manner toward a designated goal.

Students will assume various roles within a group to accomplish a task, contribute significantly to the completion of the goal, and assess their own and others’ contributions to the task.

Collaboration is not simply grouping for conversation, nor is it the division of a task into parts for each group member. It is best used when a common product or goal requires multiple perspectives and various types of submission or components, and when, through discussion and engagement, students contribute varied components of knowledge, different perspectives, or different skills to deepen understanding and improve the final product.