Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much. – Helen Keller 

Most great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of growth. – Sir Ken Robinson Ph.D.

Collaboration is something that we believe in very strongly within our Newington Lindfield learning community. Collaboration is a natural part of life and should be included in the curriculum. Research shows that collaborative inquiry is among the most promising strategies for strengthening teaching and learning and collaborative learning teams are said to attain higher level thinking and preserve information for longer times than students working individually. Group projects encourage students to learn through discussion, clarification of ideas, and evaluation of others’ ideas. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate self-discipline while working collaboratively with peers.

At Newington we have flexible groupings and are constantly grouping and regrouping according to a variety of criteria including academic ability, interest and social needs.

We consciously teach teamwork to our students, and aim to help them to become more productive members of society in the future. Of course as educators we aren’t sure what the economic needs of Australia (and beyond) will be in a decade’s time when our boys will be entering the workforce. What we do know, however, is that future employers will look for emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, communication skills and the ability to critically and creatively collaborate.

Research also shows that collaboration between teachers can be a powerful tool for professional development and a driver for school improvement- hence our recent staff PD/bowling session in Focus Learning groups.

Christina Lowe – Teaching & Learning Team Leader: PYP Coordinator

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