Although most writing instructors know the benefits of collaborative learning and writing in college writing classes, many remain unsure how to implement collaborative techniques successfully in the classroom. This collection provides a diversity of voices that address the "how tos" of collaborative learning and writing by addressing key concerns about the process. Fresh essays consider the importance of collaborative work and peer review, the best ways to select groups in classes, integration of collaborative learning techniques into electronic environments, whether group learning and writing are appropriate for all writing classes, and ways special populations can benefit from collaborative activities. Despite its challenges, collaborative learning can prove remarkably effective and this study provides the advice to make it work smoothly and successfully.

Since the introduction of communicative language teaching, collaborative learning has played an important role in the second language (L2) classroom. Drawing from sociocultural theory, which states that human cognitive development is a socially situated activity mediated by language, studies in L2 pedagogy advocate the use of tasks that require learners to work together. Collaborative dialogue encourages language learning, and research shows that the solutions reached by students in this process are more often correct with a lasting influence on their language comprehension. This volume includes ten chapters that illustrate the benefits of collaborative dialogue in second foreign language classrooms. The volume considers key issues dealing with collaborative tasks and implications for language teaching.

In this first book-length treatment of collaborative writing in second language (L2) classrooms, Neomy Storch provides a theoretical, pedagogical and empirical rationale for the use of collaborative writing activities in L2 classes, as well as some guidelines about how to best implement such activities in both face-to-face and online mode. The book discusses factors that may impact on the nature and outcomes of collaborative writing, and examines the beliefs about language learning that underpin learners' and teachers' attitudes towards pair and group work. The book critically reviews the available body of research on collaborative writing and identifies future research directions, thereby encouraging researchers to continue investigating collaborative writing activities.

Joe Moses and Jason Tham Collaborative Writing Playbook: An Instructor's Guide to Designing Writing Projects for Student Teams supports writing across the curriculum by helping instructors overcome a key obstacle to assigning writing: the workload. The Playbook is for instructors who would assign more writing in their courses if they could create meaningful assignments that complement course goals. The Playbook is for instructors who would assign collaborative writing if they could account for individual contributions to collaboratively written content and use assessment criteria consistent with course learning objectives. Instructors can overcome the workload obstacles by identifying five learning objectives that writing and course content have in common: discipline-specific objectives for critical thinking, research, synthesis, genre/structure, and editing/peer review. By aligning writing objectives with course learning objectives, instructors can design writing projects, tasks, and peer review roles that support rather than distract from course content. Including collaborative writing throughout a course makes meaningful collaboration much easier to achieve than making collaboration a temporary activity, which can disrupt everyone's productivity. Joe Moses and Jason Tham present ideas for small and large activities that help instructors introduce collaboration at a pace that makes sense for them and sustains meaningful learning throughout a course. COLLABORATIVE WRITING PLAYBOOK has several unique features: Practical tools for planning and promoting productive teamwork. Roles for collaborative writing teammates that complement course-specific learning objectives. Structured activities designed specifically to support teammate interdependence and accountability. Templates for team charters, team planning, goal setting, and task coordination. A versatile, five-part structure-defined by instructors according to their preferences-for designing and evaluating team projects. What People Are Saying "Collaboration is a professional imperative. This Collaborative Writing Playbook provides an authentic, reliable roadmap for team writing built on design thinking. You'll be pleased to deploy it for team writing and all forms of collaboration." - Ann Hill Duin, University of Minnesota "Collaborative Writing Playbook revitalizes team-based writing instruction with a strong emphasis on modern career readiness. 'No team is automatically productive, ' write authors Joe Moses and Jason Tham, who roll up their sleeves to rally instructors navigating the difficult world of designing collaborative assignments with a bold but agile five-part structure. The book deftly serves as both a complete model and one that is easily customizable to a range of classroom scenarios. Highly practical and resourceful, Playbook specifies a set of adaptable templates for activities, checklists and guides to prompt instructors. Playbook is a must-have!" - Isabel Pedersen, Ontario Tech University "Collaborative Writing Playbook is a substantial, thoughtful, and insightful contribution to the discourse on collaborative writing. It is simultaneously a playbook, an instructor's guide, a textbook, a work of theory, even a guide for lesson planning and project design." - Jacob Richter, Clemson University Joe Moses teaches collaborative writing, research, and project design in the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Jason Tham (PhD, University of Minnesota) is Assistant Professor of Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University.

Don’t blame technology for poor student grammar; instead, use technology intentionally to reach students and actually improve their writing! In this practical book, bestselling authors Jeremy Hyler and Troy Hicks reveal how digital tools and social media – a natural part of students’ lives – can make grammar instruction more authentic, relevant, and effective in today’s world. Topics Covered: Teaching students to code switch and differentiate between formal and informal sentence styles Using flipped lessons to teach the parts of speech and help students build their own grammar guides Enlivening vocabulary instruction with student-produced video Helping students master capitalization and punctuation in different digital contexts Each chapter contains examples, screenshots, and instructions to help you implement the ideas. With the strategies in this book, you can empower students to become better writers with the tools they already love and use daily. Additional resources and links are available on the book’s companion wiki site: textingtoteaching.wikispaces.com

The must-have Common Core guide for every ESL/ELL instructor Navigating the Common Core with English Language Learners is the much-needed practical guide for ESL/ELL instructors. Written by experienced teachers of English Language Learners, this book provides a sequel to the highly-regarded ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide and is designed to help teachers implement the Common Core in the ELL classroom. You'll find a digest of the latest research and developments in ELL education, along with comprehensive guidance in reading and writing, social studies, math, science, Social Emotional Learning and more. The Common Core is discussed in the context of ESL, including the opportunities and challenges specific to ELL students. Ready-to-use lesson plans and reproducible handouts help you bring these ideas into the classroom, and expert guidance helps you instill the higher-order thinking skills the Common Core requires. The Common Core standards have been adopted in 43 states, yet minimal guidance has been provided for teachers of English Language Learners. This book fills the literature gap with the most up-to-date theory and a host of practical implementation tools. Get up to date on the latest stats and trends in ELL education Examine the challenges and opportunities posed by Common Core Find solutions to common issues that arise in teaching ELL students Streamline Common Core implementation in the ELL classroom The ELL population is growing at a rapid pace, and the ELL classroom is not exempt from the requirements posed by the Common Core State Standards. ESL/ELL teachers know better than anyone else how critical language is to learning, and ELL students need a specialized Common Core approach to avoid falling behind. Navigating the Common Core with English Language Learners provides specific guidance and helpful tools that teachers can bring to the classroom today.

Leadership, collaborative learning, and student achievement – discover what works! This resource-rich book provides a straightforward, strategic path to achieving sustainable communities of collaborative learners. Research-proven inquiry techniques, vignettes, case studies and action-oriented protocols help you build strong learning relationships for high-impact student achievement. System leaders, principals and teachers learn to: Integrate diverse views and perspectives Build trust and hear every voice Leverage key resources and processes Build students’ cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills Use “Assessments-in-Action” to improve, monitor and sustain progress Build a collaborative culture through learning together Use this go-to guide to transform your school from a place of ‘good intentions’ to a center of intentional practice today!

A guide to thirty-five creative assignments for pairs and groups Collaborative Learning Techniques is the bestseller that college and university faculty around the world have used to help them make the most of small group learning. A mountain of evidence shows that students who learn in small groups together exhibit higher academic achievement, motivation, and satisfaction than those who don't. Collaborative learning puts into practice the major conclusion from learning theory: that students must be actively engaged in building their own minds. In this book, the authors synthesize the relevant research and theory to support thirty-five collaborative learning activities for use in both traditional and online classrooms. This second edition reflects the changed world of higher education. New technologies have opened up endless possibilities for college teaching, but it's not always easy to use these technologies effectively. Updated to address the challenges of today's new teaching environments, including online, "flipped," and large lectures, Collaborative Learning Techniques is a wonderful reference for educators who want to make the most of any course environment. This revised and expanded edition includes: Additional techniques, with an all-new chapter on using games to provide exciting, current, technologically-sophisticated curricula A section on effective online implementation for each of the thirty-five techniques Significantly expanded pedagogical rationale and updates on the latest research showing how and why collaborative learning works Examples for implementing collaborative learning techniques in a variety of learning environments, including large lecture classes and "flipped" classes Expanded guidance on how to solve common problems associated with group work The authors guide instructors through all aspects of group work, providing a solid grounding in what to do, how to do it, and why it is important for student learning. The detailed procedures in Collaborative Learning Techniques will help teachers make sure group activities go smoothly, no matter the size or delivery method of their classes. With practical advice on how to form student groups, assign roles, build team spirit, address unexpected problems, and evaluate and grade student participation, this new edition of the international classic makes incorporating effective group work easy.

Find out how to incorporate digital tools into your English language arts class to improve students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Authors Jeremy Hyler and Troy Hicks show you that technology is not just about making a lesson engaging; it’s about helping students become effective creators and consumers of information in today’s fast-paced world. You’ll learn how to use mobile technologies to teach narrative, informational, and argument writing as well as visual literacy and multimodal research. Each chapter is filled with exciting lesson plans and tech tool suggestions that you can take back to your own classroom immediately. See Jeremy Hyler’s TEDx! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHtXIJvSSAA