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Collaboration in Virtual Learning

October 14 PD

Rochester School District

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Team + Materials

Cristina Strunk

cristina@edelements.com

@cristina_strunk

Before we get started,

Decide who you are collaborating with to explore this session.
Open this note-catcher.
Watch this overview.

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Agenda

Goals:

Define characteristics of collaboration + reflection.

Explore examples of collaboration + reflection.

Opening + Overview: Slides 1-6 [20 min]

Exploring Resources: Slides 12-33 [15 min]

Closing + Planning Ahead: Slides 7-12 [10-15 min]

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What is ‘collaboration’?

Challenging two or more individuals to collectively solve a problem, make connections, generate questions, defend a position, or create a product

Benefits of Encouraging Student Collaboration:

Deepens Understanding
Builds Social Skills
Helps Meet Individual Student Needs
Enhances Student Engagement
Facilitates Application and Transfer of �Knowledge

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Reflect:

How have you seen students and staff collaborating virtually +during socially distant learning?

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Independent Reflection: in your note-catcher from slide 2

NOW

NEW

NEW- What new routines + practices do I need to build for my students?

NEXT- What would I want to see in classrooms one month from now?

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Virtual environments require self-directed learning

Time

Space

Routines

Communication

Accountability

Brick + Mortar	Teacher manages schedule	Teacher guides classroom layout	Teacher initiates and guides learning routines	Face-to-face communication and predictable schedule	Teacher continuously monitors student progress
Virtual	Student manages schedule	Student and family guide learning space design	Teacher and students share creation and practice	Two-way communication	Student works independently, and teacher monitors progress less frequently

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Resources to Explore

Consider what you’d like to explore more of for the next 15-20 minutes at the playlist linked below.

Access today’s

Choice Board here

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When you have 15 minutes left...

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How could I bring this learning back to my team?

Implement	Try out a new strategy or tool and share the successes and challenges of your experience. Level up: choose an accountability partner and try something out together!
Share	Choose 3-4 high leverage strategies to share with your grade-level or content team, and suggest they try out 1 in the next month.
Turnkey	Make a copy of this presentation and lead a session with your school team.

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Check-out + Next Steps

Take this closing survey to share feedback + your plan to incorporate learning from today’s session.

Questions? Reach out to cristina@edelements.com!

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Next Steps

Continue exploring + planning how to implement the strategy you choose. Fill out Part 2 of your note-catcher with the details of Who, What, When, How, and Why.

Keep us posted on how the strategies go! Tag us on twitter or send us an email. @Cristina_Strunk @CampionMegan @EdElements

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Additional Resources

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Time & Space

Students have agency to create opportunities to collaborate

Students use virtual communication platforms to collaborate

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When adjusting to time and space, start small, and grow as you go

Build in time to adjust to this new normal

Set clear learning goals with support

Day 1: Log In
Day 2: Complete Digital Citizenship Class
Day 3: Complete Reading Assignment

Admin: Provide time for people to adjust in small ways

Teachers: Build confidence with the system before introducing new content

PREPARE

BUILD SAFETY & SKILLS

DEEPEN LEARNING

ADD CHOICE & PERSONALIZATION

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Set Clear Expectations About Time

Does learning need to occur synchronously?

Synchronous Learning

Asynchronous Learning

Learning that involves students engaging in learning with the teacher in real time.

Example: Teacher presents material in real time over Zoom with students who were selected for a small group or entire class.

Learning that involves students engaging in learning through resources and materials provided by the teacher and completed independently.

Example: Teacher provides a choice board that students work through on their own time.

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Video Call Question

Practical supports for collaborating with time and space constraints

Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox

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Routines

Teacher and students share creation and practice of collaboration routines

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Self-Reflect

What type of routines would you typically have in an in-person learning experience?

In-person	Virtual
insert idea insert idea insert idea insert idea	insert new idea sparked insert new idea sparked insert new idea sparked insert new idea sparked

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When building virtual collaboration routines...

Define roles and expectations for each stakeholder before you set the routine

Build in time to reflect and pivot often

(Do not let perfect be the enemy of good!)

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Defining stakeholder roles and routines might look like...

ROLE	ROUTINE
Students	Submits assignments in Google every Friday by 3PM Secondary students can Independently sets up Zoom to complete group projects
Colleagues	Incorporates SEL activity into instruction, weekly Holds weekly office hours for students and parents every Wednesday at 10AM Updates FlipGrid every Monday by 8AM

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Communication & Accountability

Two-way communication

Students collaborate independently, and teacher monitors progress asynchronously

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Ground Rules and Group Roles

When there is clarity around individual and collective purpose, collaboration can happen more effectively.

Example Roles:

Note Taker (record notes in an accessible format)
Time Keeper (keeps the trains moving)
Voice Amp (ensure equity of voice during conversations)
Materials/Tech Wizard (go-to for tech troubles)

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Role of the Teacher

Genius Bartender On-demand support/guidance		Checkup Chief Pre-arranged support/guidance
Logistics Lead Who needs to be where, when?		Mediator Calm the storm when tensions rise

Accountability Auditor

Ensure the gears are turning

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How do we hold students accountable during this time?

Celebrate students who are engaging and collaborating
If a student is unreachable, leverage other stakeholders that might be able to helpful, and continue to elevate the bright spots

Accountability Measures in Collaborative Settings

Exit tickets - short (5 questions max) check for understanding
Check Outs - empower students to set a goal
FlipGrid (and other tech tools) - use video to allow students to show vs. tell
Virtual Polling - sprinkle polls, quick CFUs throughout learning experiences
Collective Puzzles - a puzzle can’t be complete without all of the pieces, so treat collaborative learning experiences as such
Accountability Buddies - together, everyone accomplishes more

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Be mindful of pairing of technology and task

Sharing routine updates with students or staff?

Use simpler, text-based media such as email, chat, and virtual bulletin boards when pushing information in one direction — for instance, when circulating routine information and plans, sharing ideas, and collecting simple data.

Introducing new standard content or skills?

Video chats are richer, more interactive tools better suited to complex tasks such as problem-solving collaboration, which require your students to share different ideas and perspectives.

Attempting to resolve a conflict between students or give students critical feedback?

Avoid email or chat platforms; try to get as close as ‘face to face’ as you can during this time

In short, the more complex the task or type of collaboration, the closer you should be to in-person communication.

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Collaboration Tips and Tricks

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Determine Collaboration Expectations

Create your own collaboration expectations together with your class

7 Norms of Collaboration

Pausing
Paraphrasing
Posing Questions
Putting Ideas on the Table
Providing Data
Paying Attention to Self and Others
Presuming Positive Intentions

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Digital Parking Lot

Plan for questions, wonderings that might derail the content
Digital Parking Lot as a way to capture thoughts that you can return to
Use an image that links to a slide: participants or co-facilitator can add directly to that slide

Insert image - Insert - Link - Slide in this Presentation - Select Slide
Be sure whoever you want to add has edit access

In longer sessions, make time to revisit more than once

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Connection

Before Content

Consider how you can build energy + excitement before jumping into content
Adds a sense of joy and collaboration
Helps the group become mentally present: not on email or other open tabs
When facilitating, consider music, your vibe, and timing
Maslow Before Blooms

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Polls

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Roles & Accountabilities

Student define the roles and accountabilities to complete the task.
Students co-design the agenda for completing the task.

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Sample Agenda

Full Group Opening (10 mins)

Breakout Groups (30 mins)

Clear instructions
Identify 1 facilitator
Each facilitator sets-up and shares their own Google Meet
Identify 1 person to share back on behalf of group

Full Group Closing (10 mins)

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Five Virtual Strategies

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Save the Last Word

How might we provide space for students to practice listening?

All students participate as both active speakers and active listeners
Identify a reading or video excerpt that will serve as the catalyst for this activity
Working in groups of three, students follow a pattern of sharing and discussing their responses to a text

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Breakouts

Missing those turn + talks? Leveraging breakouts to provide a space for more voices to be heard is a great substitute!

Types of Breakouts:

Turn and Talk in Triads
Team Breakouts
Random Groups Breakouts

Things We Consider:

Facilitator doesn’t always need to join a breakout
Be creative + do frequently
Leverage norms, roles + guiding questions to support collaboration and conversation

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Virtual Gallery Walk

How might you add ways for participants to collaborate together?

Works best with groups of 15 or less
Enable edit access in slides
After groups have built slides together, give time for “Virtual Gallery Walk”
Review slides, add comments
Be clear about what participants should look for in their comments: what key points do you want to highlight?
Facilitation Notes: be clear on which slides to add comments, model how to insert comments, play music + set a timer

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Ask Three Before Me

How might we provide opportunities for students to learn from each other?

Helps students take more responsibility for their own learning
Reinforcing the idea that they can depend on someone other than the teacher for help
Frees you to answer those questions that clearly require teacher input and to assist students in genuine need

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Project Based Learning

How might we provide opportunities to students solve problems?

PBL is a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge

Benefits:

Better prepares students with life skills that set them up for future success
Students learn how to solve problems that are important to them, including real community issues —even learning from failure

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