Let's All Get Together

Kenneth Bruffee’s ideas on collaboration really hit home with me. As a teacher, I think that the only way that I can truly be effective in the classroom is through varying levels of collaboration.

My primary collaboration is with my students. It is my task to remain in constant conversation with them in everything that we do. When I introduce new topics, I must give my students the context for the information before I can expect them to really comprehend it. I need to be able to provide them with the “so what?” and the “ why do I need this?” when they ask for it, which they will. Giving my students information does not constitute a conversation or collaboration. I need to listen to them after I have given them the initial information. I need to encourage them to question what they are learning in order to gain a better understanding of it. Their role, according to Bruffee, is to talk about the material being covered. I need to also provide them with the skills that they will need in order to feel comfortable participating in other discourses outside of the classroom. They need to understand that their role in the conversation does not end with their graduation. My classroom needs to become a model of the dialogues that my students will hopefully partake in in the future.

In addition to my students, I need to be in collaboration with the other teachers around me. This conversation allows me to look at problems from a different perspective in order to improve my own understanding. by discussing what is going on with others, I am able to see the questions, concerns and obstacles that my students may face when they are introduced to the same material. Collaboration allows me to see material in a new way.