Enhance Digital Teaching Platform

Pathway: Collaborative workingetfoundation.co.uk

Contents

Introduction 3

Collaboration between teachers 4

Collaboration between teachers and learners 6

Developing learners’ collaboration skil ls 7

Reflection 9

Introduction

Collaborative working is a fundamental element of contemporary approaches to teaching and learning.

The big players in proprietary software have already invested heavi ly in

educat ional software suites buil t around communicat ion and col laborat ion rather

than content storage and presentation.

Effect ive col laboration calls for creat ive, technical and pedagogic ski l ls to be

harnessed to a posit ive att i tude to sharing and joint working, which mirrors the

world of employment which awaits our learners.

Col laborative working occurs at a number of levels.

This pathway looks at:

► Collaboration between teachers

► Collaboration between teachers and learners

► Developing learners’ col laborat ion ski l ls.

Collaboration between teachers

The f i rst module looks at the basics of simple col laboration, examining the use of

Dropbox and shared off ice f i les. This is fol lowed by an extended example with good

further resources and then a look at col laborat ion and sharing between a small

team of col leagues. We move on to a complex collaborat ion between

geographical ly dispersed col leagues looking at issues of leadership and

organisation. The f inal module looks beyond content creat ion to collaboration for

personal development.

1. Share, Collaborate, Improve (Part 1)

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1001/share-collaborate-improve-part-1

2. Share, Collaborate, Improve (Part 2)

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1002/share-collaborate-improve-part-2

3. Collaborative learning activities for online courses

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1013/collaborat ive-learning-act ivi t ies-

for-onl ine-courses

4. Leading a content creation team

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/2108/ leading-a-content-creat ion-team

5. Connecting with communities of practice for PLD

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1009/connect ing-with-communit ies-of-

practice-for-pld

Collaboration between teachers and learners

Two modules that explore two common form of real t ime online communicat ion for

teaching and learning – assessment of workplace learning and the onl ine del ivery

of lessons.

1. Collaborating with learners synchronously (Part 1)

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1008/collaborat ing-with-learners-

synchronously-part-1

2. Collaborating with learners synchronously (Part 2)

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1004/collaborat ing-with-learners-

synchronously-part-2

Developing learners’ collaboration skills

The f i rst module does not direct ly address collaborative learning but sets the

groundwork for the paired module that fol lows with an exercise for learners to

develop their core digital ski l ls for learning. We move on to a structured approach

to developing and sharing the same ski l lset through collaboration. The third module

in the sequence sees this example extended to show how col laboration between

learners can be directed to promote accessibi l i ty and inclusion. Final ly, a look at

the use of hashtags which are a powerful tool for connecting and discovering

shared activity and resources.

1. Developing digital problem-solving skills

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1021/developing-digi tal-problem-

solving-ski l ls

2. Developing collaborative study skills

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1038/developing-collaborative-study-

ski l ls

3. Creating inclusive content: Practice

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1046/creating-inclusive-content-

practice

4. Using hashtags

https://enhance.etfoundation.co.uk/modules/1031/using-hashtags

Reflection

As you go through the pathway, you may want to consider the fol lowing quest ions:

1. What part does collaborative activity play in my current pract ice:

► between myself and my col leagues?

► between myself and my learners?

2. Can I ident ify three areas of curriculum and/or three groups of learners where

I could increase the degree of collaborat ion and shared act ivi ty to improve

the learner experience or outcomes?

3. What personal, team or organisational inhibitors might hold me back from

making these changes?

4. What addit ional ski l ls or knowledge, including technical upski l l ing, do I need

before making any changes?