Collaboration


 * How will the teacher facilitate an authentic collaborative learning experience to promote deeper student engagement with content skills and concepts?**

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Collaboration in an important component in Problem-Based Learning. Collaborating allows for greater diversity in the classroom and an opportunity for students to learn from each other. The teacher will create a positive atmosphere where students feel safe to learn and have a desire to be fully engaged in the content. The teacher becomes the facilitator of the classroom and monitors student progress throughout the unit. It is important that the teacher clarify the role of each member of the group.=====


 * How will the teacher support students' efforts to identify solutions to the problem in the Problem Based Instructional unit?**

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The teacher will guide students in their work with the problem as they develop problem-solving skills. It is important to provide positive reinforcement to students of all abilities in order to help build their confidence within the group. To help students identify solutions to the problem the teacher can provide examples and help students make a connection between the task and content. It is important that the focus of the PBL unit remain on the content and not the tasks of completion and deadlines.=====

The fifth grade classes are semi-ability grouped. There are three classes that consist of abilities that are average to high and two classes that are average to low. Students in each class will be divided into groups of 3-4 students. The groups will consist of a high student, average student, and a low student. The reason students are grouped this way in math is to provide the lower student a role model to learn from. High students also learn more when they become the teachers or leaders in the group. Many students are able to understand the concept at a deeper level when they explain and model it for their peers. Groups that consist of just low students are really difficult to manage and the students are easily frustrated because nobody in the group knows how to get started or want take a leading role.
 * List the criteria used to assign learners to collaborative groups, including the rationale. How big are the collaborative groups?**

Students will use the classroom blog to answer daily questions related to fractions. Classroom performance systems will be used to assess students level of knowledge on converting fractions to decimals and dividing fractions. Power Point will be used for final presentation Mobile Laptop Cart Microsoft Publisher to create the invitation Publix shopping site: http://shop.mywebgrocer.com/ Walmart shopping site: http://www.walmart.com/cp/grocery/976759 http://www.math-play.com/math-fractions-games.html http://educationcity.com
 * Which digital tools and websites will be used for collaboration?**

Rubrics will be the primary assessment for the collaborative groups. Students will complete a self-assessment evaluation of their own participation within their group. Students will also complete assessments on each group member. "Students should evaluate themselves and each other on the extent to which they took turns, listened to one another, accepted responsibility for the group and completed their assigned tasks." (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010) Students will also be assessed individually through the use of the Classroom Performance Systems. This will assess their content knowledge of multiplying and dividing fractions along with converting fractions to decimals.
 * How will students be assessed in their collaborative groups?**