ABSTRACT
STUDENT COLLABORATION The benefits of collaboration have been highlighted throughout this text, but the focus has been on teacher collaboration to support student learning. This chapter will focus on how teachers can utilize student-to-student collaboration, or peer collaboration, to maximize student learning. Given the dominance of ever-evolving technologies and social networking, as well as the emphasis on collaborative skills in the Common Core State Standards, it is imperative that teachers prepare students to be effective collaborators within and beyond the classroom. Collaboration for students living and working in a digital society is one of the “Four C’s of Education” (“The 4CS”, n.d.), along with communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Chapters Three and Four discussed the use of RTI as a way to structure interventions to meet student needs. Student collaboration can be a component of Tier One, as it is a classroom modification with potential to impact student learning in positive ways. Active engagement during authentic, collaborative learning tasks can benefit all learners and increase student motivation (Nastasi & Clements, 1991). Collaborative groups bring the benefits of peer support to the center of the learning process (Slavin, 1990; Lave & Wenger, 1991).
