Collaborative Writing
Overview
Collaborative writing activities allow peers to work together to plan, draft, edit, and revise during the composition process, supporting writing skills and engagement with content knowledge as students write to reflect upon and apply what they have learned. This type of writing can also support older learners as they begin to practice writing for different purposes, spurring Creativity and Collaboration as they learn to use new skills, such as argumentative reasoning. In collaborative writing, students gain autonomy in the writing process and increase social engagement, which can stimulate Motivation and sharpen Communication skills. Educators can also use collaborative writing activities in digital formats to help increase digital literacies and foster a sense of autonomy in learning. Digital writing can also provide opportunities for authentic and meaningful learning in real-world contexts while allowing for educators to provide authentic real-time feedback.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch as these students write a story together. For this type of collaborative writing activity each student writes an individual piece of the story and then passes it to the next student so that they can add the next part.
Design It into Your Product
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Cooperative Learning Strategies
As learners work together to solve problems, they learn new strategies and practice Communication skills as they express their academic thinking.
Flexible grouping is a classroom practice that temporarily places students together in given groups to work together, with the purpose of achieving a given learning goal or activity.
Gallery walks are ways of showcasing content and materials as multiple “exhibitions” for students to view and interact with as part of larger learning goals.
An open classroom climate is an educational environment where students feel comfortable and confident expressing their opinions in class.
Respectful redirection, or error correction, outlines a clear and concise way that educators can provide feedback on behaviors that need immediate correction, in a positive manner.
Socratic seminar refers to a discussion technique that engages learners in the exploration of content through Critical Thinking and classroom dialogue in order to help learners make meaning from what they are learning.
