Partner work

I am currently a big fan of students working in partnerships. I am finding many advantages of cooperative work in my computer lab. My fourth graders are currently working on Google drawings which illustrate and explain how to play a variety of sports.

Some important social skills are used when students work with a partner. They get practice in using listening and speaking skills. Students use negotiation skills as they decide which facts, images and other resources to include in their projects.

They get the benefit of being exposed to another person's thoughts and opinions. If conflict occurs, students learn how to deal with it.

In my classes, students have a wide range of abilities. I have students with learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism and limited English. Partnerships give all learners a teammate to help them read, write, translate, process, remember, and stay focused on the learning.

Too often, individuals get stuck and I cannot always be available to help them right when they need it. In partner work, each learner has one more possible source of assistance.









I believe teachers sometimes avoid partner work for a variety of reasons. Obviously, there is a gamut of possible problems when students work in partnerships. There must be thoughtful decision-making by the teacher if collaborative learning is to be successful. Setting the stage for success includes realistic expectations and the promotion of student responsibility. Giving students some choice of partners along with the positive expectations of working with others can be valuable.

Collaborative Drawings in Google Apps

My sixth grade students have been delving into the world of Google Apps. One favorite project has been to work collaboratively on a drawing about a city. Students selected a partner at the beginning of class.

The younger of the two had the job of creating and naming the drawing and sharing it with his/her partner (as an editor) and myself (as a viewer). They had shared documents with me previously, but never with a peer. Many had to ask for the other to spell their names as they searched for their email addresses.

The older then found the drawing in their "shared with me" folder and the work began.

For this assignment, all of the images and information came from the research tool. They were able to browse relevant websites for information. One nice feature is that citations automatically link to each image. Having this resource in the same window really helped students who sometimes get confused when working with multiple tabs or windows.

The criteria for this quick assignment was to use word art, change the background, insert 5 images and write 5 facts in text boxes. Most were able to finish in less than 2 periods. Students needed to cooperate and accept the ideas of their partners. There was one group who kept deleting each others work, only to discover that they could not finish on time, which in itself is a good lesson on cooperation and productivity.