Collaboration In The Math Classroom.

 I am a firm believer in letting students work together on their math because they are really great at helping each other.  In addition, I have 12 students in my classroom who need math instruction from grades 7 to 11 and by having them collaborate, I can get around to instruct and help every one.

Encouraging students to collaborate in the math classroom is good because it promotes active learning among students. When they collaborate, they are engaged actively in learning rather than being passive learners. In addition, they tend to ask questions, share ideas and participate when they work in groups.

Working together also allows students to improve their problem solving skills because they are able to share different approaches and strategies which can lead to a deeper understanding of the concepts they are learning.  In addition, working together helps foster communications among students since they have to explain their thinking and reasoning.  Furthermore, they have to practice active listening as other students explain their ideas, thinking, and reasoning. 

When students collaborate, it makes math more fun and engaging because they are exploring concepts in a more engaging and dynamic way which helps increase their motivation and interest. Collaboration also helps students develop certain social and emotional skills such as teamwork, empathy, and respect for other peoples thoughts and ideas.

Fortunately, there are multiple ways you can use collaboration in your classroom.  One way is to assign students to groups to work on math problems or projects.  This way they explore the concepts together in more depth.  Another way is to allow students to act as peer tutors so the student who knows the material can work with one who is struggling.  When they practice peer tutoring, they reinforce their own knowledge and understanding of the topic.

Encourage classroom discussions by posing open ended questions that require critical thinking to answer. When answering these types of questions, students end up sharing their though processes with each other and learn from one another. Think about assigning collaborative projects such as creating a math based game, or solving a real world problem since its another way of promoting teamwork and collaboration among students.

Finally, look at using technology such as online discussion boards, whiteboards, or shared documents so they can communicate and collaborate more effectively.  By encouraging collaboration, students develop problem solving skills while building confidence and deepen their understanding of mathematical concepts.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.