What can the “Harvard Business Review” learn from first grade? Maybe a lot!
One of my favorite blogs to read is the “Harvard Business Review”. I enjoy reading about the 21st century skills that are valued in the business world, as this is the world that my students will one day enter. I want my students to be prepared. A couple weeks ago I read Adam Richardson’s “Collaboration is a Team Sport and You Need to Warm Up” on the Harvard Business Review blog and carefully considered the following comment:
But there are barriers to collaboration, many of which exist even before somebody arrives for their first day of work. In the US, our education system is largely focused on individual efforts, and team work is not actively taught in the classroom even at the graduate level.
Richardson elaborates and says that collaboration does not just happen but goes through a “warm-up” process first by creating a personable atmosphere of trust and relationship building.
As I read this I had to laugh, clearly Richardson has not been in an elementary school lately!
In my first grade I value, encourage and teach collaboration. In the beginning of our school year we work on creating and building a learning community based on trust and respect. . I use strategies like Think-Pair –Share, team discussions, partner reading to encourage repectful listening and sharing. Throughout the year students collaborate on reading extension activities, creating power points, using centers, SMARTboard and SMART table. In math students are put in small groups to engage in and solve real-life problems. Nothing gives me greater than pleasure than listening to students plan strategies and try to come to a consensus. Our room is set up to support collaboration. Desks are arranged to make teams/tables. Students also work collaboratively in centers around the room. This fall we are looking forward to removing desks and replacing them with tables in order to further support an environment of collaboration.
I know my classroom is similar to many other classrooms that teach and encourage collaboration. I have to wonder about Richardson’s comment. When will the business world see the results of the collaboration found in our grade schools? I see our educational system as encouraging a collaborative spirit. What are your thoughts? How do you encourage collaboration in your classroom?
