I can't see how a library could function and support the students if the librarian didn't collaborate with the teachers. To get a collection that matches the curriculum, you need to work closely with the teachers. Also, when students work together, they often produce a better product. Students are not afraid to push each other toward higher levels of achievement. This interaction between students will develop their "people" skills and team work skills for future employment.

I read several comments about our future workforce being global, bicultural, bilingual and I agree with this. As I'm reading about all this collaboration and teamwork it appears as if competition is dying or already dead. With so much information out there, one needs to share to receive it all as well.

I really appreciate the thoughts that have been shared and the different ideas that people have presented on here. What a great example of the benefits of collaboration! I have been really lucky the past few years to have the opportunity to work with a wonderful team where we have had to learn to co-teach and to collaborate in our ideas of how to better student progress. We have had great success in the sharing of ideas and thoughts, and I wouldn't trade any of that for the world. In thinking of the students that I have now, they have the wonderful opportunity to gain a variety of ideas from the different teachers, even though they're just in the preschool setting! I think it's important for students to be able to have the opportunity to hear a variety of teachers and fellow peers and to be exposed to a larger number of ideas, as an idea from a different mind can have an impact on a differrent person! When students have the ability to discuss in a group, they learn to not only hear different ideas presented but also they learn to think critically (among the many other benefits of the use of collaboration!).

Collaboration is a skill that is in high demand now. I think that our society is very strong in building individual identities, but I do think that we don't do so well when it comes to teaching collaboration. I have always tried to have students collaborate as much as possible because it is essential to know how, and it is so beneficial to everyone involved. When I would allow students to do peer editing, they almost always thought it was cheating. It was hard to get them to realize that getting help is not cheating and that as adults we often use other people's skills to get a better end product. It is the same with classroom discussion. I would take a long time teaching students the difference between discussing and debating in order to show them how collaboration works even at this very common level. I feel strongly that it is important to model how collaboration can work in so many different ways and how important it is to work well with others. But I have also found that while it may be new or different for many students, they do pick it up quickly.

The collaborative learning experience will prepare students for their future by empowering them with the skill to collaborate. I can't think of any jobs out there that can not benefit from pulling ideas and resources from others. The list of indicators of collaboration in the chapter can be used to describe a classroom situation as well as the working world. In every job field that I have been in we have used almost everything on these lists to do well at our jobs. Therefore, the students who are taught to collaborate early on will be the ones leading the collaboration in the future.

Collaborative learning experiences prepare students for the 21st century because they encompass so many of the skills necessary to be successful. Collaboration is taking over the working world, particularly in business fields, where the ability to work well with others, to be flexible and creative is often far more important than experience in the field. With these skills, a worker can be molded into an effective powerforce in any profession.

As others have already stated, kids must learn to collaborate as students because their success in any future career will depend on it. However, students haven't always been given the opportunity to collaborate at school. Many assignments require students to work alone, and some kids will do everything in their power to avoid working with a group. I am watching this mindset change in the elementary school where I work. In fact, I had an "aha" moment just yesterday. A small group of fifth-graders came up to the computer lab to access information for a project. I was working with another class at the time, but it was refreshing to watch this team of kids work together to find "the perfect" website and then collectively gather the information they needed. There was definitely a leader in the group, but all members participated in the search, and they were done in just fifteen minutes. Had they not worked together, I'm sure that some of them would have taken twice the time. I think experiences such as this will reinforce the effectiveness and efficiency of collaboration, and a life skill will be learned.

I think collaborative learning experiences are essential for students. Everyday technology is changing. Students are constantly faced with the need to adapt to the world’s evolving technology. The best and quickest way to learn and adapt to these changes is through group/team learning. Each team member has a strength to contribute. Collaborative learning might be the most efficient way of learning. However, I think the most challenging aspect of collaborative learning is that it needs to be planned and organized. I think while students are taught to be individuals there needs to be more lessons on team building and group work.

Collaborative learning has many benefits. It helps our students develop higher level thinking skills. It also helps to develop oral communication skills which students will need to be successful in the workplace. Students get to practice roles that they will have in the workplace and build leadership skills at the same time!

As I am adding my thoughts to this a little late, I have the benefit of reading your thoughts on collaboration and in a sense, collaborate as well. Several of the motifs in these posts are about trust, celebration of diversity of strength, and reflection. Because I have the chance to read tens of others' responses, I can reflect on my own initial thoughts in response to yours - this is modeling collaboration with our students. I also think that when we ask our kids to collaborate, we assume a willingness to trust others, but yet we have spent so many years teaching them to be independent and individually responsible; in America, we typically applaud the "self-made man" so it may be a little confusing to kids when we ask them to give up some control to a group. I think that in modeling collaboration with them, we as teachers, can show how trust is a key component of collaboration and reflect openly with them about we don't know everything and how we rely our colleagues to support us.

Students in the 21st century will be facing a technology world where collaboration is commonplace. Where better to learn these skills than in school? We can model for our students how to cooperate with others to provide the best possible product.

Not only can we model for them but we can also give them the opportunity to put these skills into practice. The modern work environment utilizes a team approach so much that students must learn how to contribute to and work in a group/team effort. One of the self-assessments in the 21st century learner skills is to evaluate one's contribution level to a team effort. Capitalizing on individual skills and then improving one's own skills by learning from others is commonplace in our world. The workplace is becoming more and more specialized all the time.

Being able to collaborate and work within a team is going to be a vital skill for our students. Too many careers and jobs that our students will go into will require that they work collaboratively with others; because of this, educators need to add this to their list of skills to teach. Even as a second grade teacher, I worry about my students who are brilliant but have no social skills to work with others. I think that this will be a huge detriment to them as they get older.

This also makes me think of the Strengths Finder survey that we took. The idea is that we are all not proficient at all of those skills. When we realize what we are good at and what we are not, we are better able to find people to help "fill our holes". If I am lacking in one sort of skill, then it makes sense for me to build a collaborative relationship with someone who has that skill as a strength. It would be amazing to be able to teach this to our students!

I think as educators and as humans, one of the best lessons we can teach our students is that they don't know everything, as well as teach them how to ask for help and work with others to come up with a solution. Teaching students how to collaborate with each other is key in teaching this skill. What better way to teach kids to work well with others than to model it as educators.

The text talked about recognizing the diversity within the group, and I think that's very important. However I feel like sometimes, as educators, we focus only on the diversity within our classroom walls. Wouldn't life as a teacher be even more wonderful if we could recognize and UTILIZE the diversity within our staff more? Teaching cross curricular projects is very difficult, but the few times I've been able to do so have been very positive experiences for both the students AND the teachers. Not only are we teaching kids how to work together, we're showing them that everyone has something to contribute, which is a life lesson I think is extremely important, and sometimes under-taught.

Learning to work with others and share ideas is a key ingredient to success. What better way for students to learn this than to see it modeled by their teachers at school? Collaboration requires that each person’s strengths be put to use and recognized. When students exit the school system, they will be expected to know how to work with others!

A collaborative approach to learning will benefit students for their future jobs/careers. Whatever a student decides to do, communication, team building, encouraging, brainstorming, sharing, developing multiple perspectives, empathy, and seeing the "big picture" are all results of collaboration that students will have experienced. Even when students are in college this will prepare them for group projects, confrontations, and managing stress.

Not only will this method help students in their career, but in their personal lives as well. If you look at all of the skills needed in relationships many are included in collaboration in the Learning Commons. Students will be better communicators which is crucial in personal and professional life. They will be able to identify the problem and take steps to solve the issue.

Collaborative learning experiences will prepare students for their future in the 21st Century by providing them with additional resources. Students will learn from the teacher librarian, other teachers, and specialists that colloborate with their teacher, allowing them to benefit from the knowledge and experience of each of these people, rather than just that of their teacher. They will also be prepared because through colloboration, new ideas will come about. Teachers may fall into the habit of teaching the same things in the same manner. However, collaboration will provide fresh perspective and demonstrate new ways to learn to the students. Another significant way in which collaboration will prepare students is to demonstate the benefits of working together. Their are few careers that do not require collaboration with fellow employees. Students benefit from learning how to work with others, why working with others in beneficial, and how to encourage collaboration in others.

Working with a population of high school students that struggled to make it in traditional high school settings has allowed me to experience the impact that collaborative learning experiences have on teenagers. My students have a hard time trusting each other, as well as communicating effectively. Both of those things are important for post-secondary life. Most jobs today require employees to work together to effectively and effeciently get tasks done. By creating collaborative learning opportunities for our students, we are teaching them skills that will ultimately be useful to them in just about any job or career that they persue after high school.

Practicing collaboration as student prepares kids for a world where the barriers of time and space do not exist as they have in the past. Co-workers and teammates may live halfway around the world from one another, and in order to be productive must work together as a unit. Solving problems and creating effective solutions requires that all users and minds involved in the process engage and work together. This not only involves the skill to use technology, but also requires the mindset and philosophy that "two heads are better than one." Collaboration will be the way businesses function as technology continues to eliminate the physical barriers that previously existed. Practicing this approach now, as students, will prepare kids to be able to participate in the world-wide marketplace effectively. Business embraces what works....and the more creative and thoughtful minds one puts on a project, the more likely the outcome will work. Modeling this in our classrooms, providing the opportunity for students to practice this in meaningful ways, and allowing them to experience the rewards of the successful outcome, will go a long way in equipping them to be valuable team players in their futures.

Collaborative learning experiences in school settings will help prepare students to work in a team setting. For example, many colleges and universities ask students to meet outside the school day and work on a team project. This type of interaction is becoming the norm in many universities and business environments. The knowledge base becomes larger and the project begins to take on a much bigger scope than if the student worked on the project alone. I believe that working in a collaborative environment allows one to learn to work with different types of people, learning styles, and a deeper knowledge base than if one was to work alone. A student will begin to learn how to accept others opinions, beliefs and personal experiences with an open mind and learn how to be a critical thinker.

As high school students prepare for that often-hard transition to the post-secondary environment it is important that they grasp the skills of a 21st century learner. Collaboration at school can help model this future. Progressive models of collaboration will show students the importance and greatness of developing strong relationships; educators that collaborate with effectiveness that reflects a strong relationship will be apparent to the students. Diversity is also a 21st century skill that needs to be transferred to the domains of post-secondary education and employment, and diversity can be taught in greater quantities in collaborative efforts. The world is an increasingly diverse place as borders blur and the global economy expands, and students needs to be prepared for this area. Additionally we all hope our economy will improve, but should it not, collaborative efforts that encourage creative thinking may be beneficial in helping students create their own business or career in which they can make a living.

Since it is indeed true that businesses are increasingly operating in a collaborative and global atmosphere, and that the inhabitants of the world itself are interacting through communication technology unthought of a decade ago, students must be exposed to and become familiar with the experience of working together. Teaching this skill, providing situations for learning this skill and modeling it through example seems to be imperative if we are to prepare our students for success both personally and professionally.

I think the most helpful aspect of collaborative learning is that it is not just teacher directed. This allows students to be empowered. They are not just "sitting and getting" anymore, instead they are active participants in their own learning. Collaborative learning can go far beyond skill and knowledge building. In today's dynamic society it is important for students to be able to problem solve, use big ideas, and work reflectively together.

As educators we've been told time and again that we are preparing our students for jobs that don't even exist. It's hard to imagine what these jobs will demand of our current student population, but I know that those jobs will require a high level of collaboration among workers. In the classroom we can encourage collaboration by grouping students in ways that support their strengths and weaknesses.

In my classroom this year about half of my class are second language learners, which provides me with a wide range of groupings that will support language acquisition. When my students work in collaborative pairs, they are preparing for a future where the demographics are highly varied, and being bilingual and bicultural are skills employers seek.

The collaboration chapter sites ten essential elements of healthy inquiry-oriented PLCs as suggested by Dana and Yendol Hoppey, number five of these essential elements is to "encourage, recognize, and appreciate diversity within the group." If this is an essential elements for teachers today, than it will be a critical component for our students tomorrow.

After reading in Learners Win, the ten essential elements of
healthy inquiry-oriented PLCs (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey) : I started to pick out keywords sort of banners that reflect what 21st century learners do
1. Create visions (not content)
2. Build trust.
3. Understand power within group dynamics.
4. Understand and embrace collaboration.
5. Recognize and embrace diversity.
6. make critical friends (my favorite)
7. establish accountability.
8. change, flexibility and discomfort
9. be able to define and refine data
10. diplomacy .
What is not in the 21st century collaboration model is proficiency based on standardization or 20th century student ranking (advanced, basic, etc.). 21st century collaboration emphasizes that the silence we mistook for learning was more control and isolation. Accountability is not authentic if measured by one benchmark.