Giving Compass' Take:

• This Getting Smart post lists some takeaways from the "How I Know" initiative in identifying, analyzing and sharing successful methods of collaboration in classrooms across the U.S.

• While much of the advice is geared towards teachers, funders and nonprofits in the education space can also learn from what works, with universal themes including curiosity and openness to feedback.

• Here's how collaboration can be effective in saving failing schools.

Here are several ideas for teachers who want to create a collaborative culture in their classrooms:

Promote responsibility. Act as a facilitator to allow students to take responsibility for their own learning.
Appreciate multiple viewpoints. Provide ample opportunities and time for students to come to appreciate and value multiple viewpoints.
Encourage questions. Discuss in an open class forum what makes students feel safe or unsafe to ask questions or admit confusion.
Normalize confusion. Establish a classroom norm that confusion is the perfect starting place for learning. For example:

  • Allow students to talk about what they don’t understand and “make it cool to be confused.”
  • If you give credit for classroom participation, include credit for sharing confusion and questions, not just answers.

Scaffold discourse. Encourage students to build on the ideas of others and evaluate information presented by connecting, adding evidence, or providing a counter-example. Scaffold this student-to-student discourse through sentence stems, such as:

  • “I agree with your idea that…it reminds me of…”
  • “I like your idea that…Do you think that supports….?”
  • “I have a different idea. To me, the evidence on page xx means…”
  • “Do you think that there is any connection between…and…?”

Focus on others. Design classroom learning experiences that help build an outward mindset by asking students to see and empathize with other students’ needs, objectives, or challenges.

Read the full article about building a collaborative culture in the classroom by Mary Ryerse and Bob Rosenfeld at Getting Smart.