Date
18 November 2024

Organise a collaborative environment

Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘ Facilitate collaborative learning’

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Provide flexible learning spaces

Provide flexible learning spaces

Organise the classroom to support your students’ learning and social needs.

Provide a range of spaces for different types of activities.

Facilitate a positive environment

Facilitate a positive environment

Create a warm classroom climate to facilitate positive learning and social behaviours.

  • Set clear boundaries and high standards and expectations.
  • Be fair.
  • Be aware of, acknowledge, and label your own feelings.
  • Acknowledge and affirm students’ feelings.
  • Talk through emotional situations.
  • View emotional events as “teachable moments.”
  • Avoid punitive tactics, put-downs, sarcasm and criticism – specify the positive alternatives.
  • Be self-accepting, confident, and secure.
  • Remain calm – your emotional state is mirrored by students.
  • Develop student supports.
  • Accept and empathise with students’ feelings
  • Listen with interest.

Source: Warming the emotional climate of the primary school classroom (opens in a new tab/window)

Consider classroom layout

Consider classroom layout

Design your classroom layout to support students with varying learning needs and preferences in their collaboration. 

  • Choose a flexible layout that adapts to the learner, rather than limiting the learner.
  • Offer seating patterns, configurations, and spaces to facilitate social exchanges among students alongside quiet reflection time.
  • Provide a variety of technologies to support participation, communication, and collaboration.
  • Use visual supports such as timers, visual displays, and graphic organisers to support self management.
  • Provide different types of furniture to support students’ varying physical needs and preferences (for example, wobbly stools for students who move to concentrate).

Support student preferences

Support student preferences

Encourage students to utilise all the spaces in the classroom to support their collaboration.

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Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Source:
Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Useful resources

Useful resources

Website

Building an inclusive classroom culture

This guide provides New Zealand illustrations of the distinguishing features of classrooms that value diversity and are truly inclusive.

Visit website

Website

EDtalks: Modern learning environment

Videos of interviews and discussions about modern learning environments in New Zealand.

Visit website

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “ Facilitate collaborative learning”:

Return to the guide “Supporting positive peer relationships”

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