Collaborative Writing
Overview
When peers are able to work together to plan, draft, edit, and revise their compositions, their writing quality improves. Social engagement can increase many students' Motivation, and with appropriate structure, peer discussion and feedback can improve students' Foundational Writing Skills, Vocabulary, Syntax, and Verbal Reasoning.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch as these elementary students collaborate to revise their papers. Using a checklist as guidance, these students provide input to their peers on how to improve their writing.
Design It into Your Product
Videos are chosen as examples of strategies in action. These choices are not endorsements of the products or evidence of use of research to develop the feature.
See how Google Docs can support collaborative writing. Their features that enhance collaboration include the ability for students to comment on other's writing, track changes in suggestion mode, and have multiple people work on one document at the same time.
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
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As students work with and process information by discussing, organizing, and sharing it together, they deepen their understanding.
When students explain to others, they deepen their understanding and gain confidence in their learning.
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.
Bringing students' every day literacy practice of texting into the classroom provides regular, low-stakes practice communicating with authentic audiences.
Students develop literacy skills by listening to and speaking with others in informal ways.
Writing conferences allow students to share, reflect on, and receive feedback about their writing, which promotes Motivation for revising.
