Education Standards
Workplace Skills
Collaboration in the High School Classroom
Overview
This lesson plan was created by Kellee Vornhagen as part of the 2021 Nebraska CTE-Beginning Teachers Institute. The attached lesson plan is designed for students in grades 9-12 as a introduction to a collaboration in the classroom. This lesson plan can also be used in any class requiring group work of any kind. Students will create a list of expectations for collaboration, create a poster and present it to the rest of the class. These will be the norms used for group work for the rest of the term.
Introduction
Getting students to work together -
Collaboration Lesson
Setting a Purpose: Every class you will take requires collaboration. Every job you will ever have will require that you work together with other people.
Learning Objectives: Students will create list of skills necessary for collaboration in the classroom and in the workforce.
Step 1:
Anticipatory Set:
Step 1: Everybody has experience working in a group. Think of a time when you worked in a group when everything went really well. In contrast, think of a time when you worked in a group and things did not go well. Have a two minute conversation with a shoulder partner.
Step 2: After initial discussion, students are given a copy of this infographic and asked to summarize what they see. Goal: Students will see that employers want employees who can work together and communicate.
Direction on the board: “Please find the workplace skills document on your desk. With a partner, summarize on the colored sticky note in three sentences what information this document tells us.”
Gallery Walk Discussion and Brainstorming
Problem: We need to come up with a list of expectations for how group work will look while in this class.
Direction: Who would share what your group discovered in the document?
Step 3: Gallery Walk Discussion
Set up: Have numbered stations around the room. Each station will have a question that the students will discuss while at that station. Students will need a notecard or notesheet to take notes on while they are at each station. Stations will have questions about student experiences with collaboration and group work.
Possible questions:
What are some benefits of working in a group? Explain
What are some challenges you have encountered while working in a group? Is there anything you could have done differently to lessen the challenge?
On a scale of 1-5 1 being not at all to 5 being yes absolutely: How comfortable are you working in a group? Please provide detail.
What are some ways you have seen people disagree while working in a group? How do you handle conflict?
What can classmates do to make other people feel valued?
Set-Up: Notecards are on their desks with the station number they start at.
Directions: As you look around the room, notice there are numbered stations. When I say go, you and your partner will move to the station you have been assigned. Once you get there eyes on me and quietly wait for further instructions.
You will have 1 minute to discuss the information you find there. Use the entire minute to talk. Both partners should speak equally in the discussion. At the end of your 1 minute discussion, you will write one sentence about what you and your partner talked about at your station. When you complete this task, look up at me for further instructions. I will rotate you to your next station.
What questions are there?
Step 2: Students get into small groups of 2-3 students. I want the groups to be small and spread throughout the room so I am going to have two sets of identical stations - One numbered with odd numbers and one with even numbers. Each station will have a question for the group to discuss. Students will discuss the question at each station for 1-2 minutes and then take notes. Students will move on to the next station on my time.
When students get to final station - Directions: This is our last station, when you are done discussing and writing your notes, please return to your seats. Be ready to discuss three things you and your partner talked about.
Step 3: Students will return to their seats for a class discussion on the questions that they just discussed in small groups.
Directions: Decide which one of you would be willing to share a summary of what you and your partner talked about. (Ask students to share:Who will share what your group talked about?)
Question: Describe the process you and your partner used to communicate at each station, don’t tell me what you talked about but tell me how you communicated with each other. How did you ‘listen’ to each other. Is that a rule we could use for our class?
Jigsaw Reading Activity
Step 4: Hand out infographics/articles to individuals. Teach students the QQC Strategy. As they read the students write questions, quote the article or make comments. Jot down the questions, Quote something specific they found interesting or write a comment or reaction to something they read. Assign students an infographic/article to read related to collaboration/listening skills/ disention/communication etc. Give students time to read, highlight, make notes on their note sheet. Students are looking for skills to enhance collaboration. As they read students should note questions/quotations/comments in the article.
Source #1: Warren Buffett Thinks This Leadership Habit Separates the Best From the Rest
Source #2: How to Start a Successful Negotiation in 2 Words
Source #3: If you answer No to three short questions
Source #4: Everyone has a hidden genius
Step 5:Jigsaw Activity Put students into groups of 3-4 (different combination that the first set of partners) Each student needs to share what they read about and the notes they took on the document they were assigned.
Question: Now that you each have read an article about communication and collaboration, When I say go, you will have 10 minutes to talk with your group to complete 2 tasks. Task 1 - Each group member will summarize the article he/she read. Task 2 - create a list of what you think are important rules for working in a group. You may take your notes on the back of your article. What can I clarify for you? These 2 tasks will be on the whiteboard in case you need a reminder. Check in after 10 minutes
Question: Have you ever had a time when someone gave you some really good feedback? Not necessarily that you liked or disliked what they had to say but it was feedback that improved your idea/skill or ability?
Question: What are some words or phrases we can use when we disagree or do not understand?
Step 6: Class Discussion: What did we find? How does the information in the articles relate to the questions we answered in gallery walk?
Poster Assignment
Step 7: Poster Assignment - Groups will create a list of skills that will help us work in groups throughout this class. Collaboration Ground Rules. On their poster they will include Titles and Bullet Points only. Any elaboration they want to include in their presentation will need to be written on a notecard.
Directions: Now you are going to put together a poster that you will present to the rest of the class about your Collaboration Ground Rules. Each group will need to send one person to get supplies from supply table: Notecard, poster paper, markers. Once you hav eyour supplies lay them on your desks and eyes on me.
On your poster include Titles and Bullet Points only. Any elaboration you want to include in your presentation will need to be written on a notecard. How much time do you think you will need to put this together? 10-15 minutes? All group member will participate when you present your poster to the rest of the class. When you are done working on your presentation, Is there anything I can clarify for you?
Step 8: Presentations
Students will present their Collaboration Ground Rules to the rest of the class. Audience members will be given a notecard, on the notecard audience members will write 1 thing that each group says that they agree with and 1 question. The question can be to get the group to elaborate ideas further or clarify points that are made.