A question educators often pose to themselves is, how well am I preparing students for a career? In looking at giant companies such as Google there are some attributes the company is looking for in potential candidates for hire. I believe one of the things that struck me in the article was the emphasis Google put on collaboration and less on expertise. Google is looking for candidates that will share their opinions, ideas, and thoughts with passion, but who is also willing to take a step back and listen to their teammates so that the end product is done in the best way possible.
In my classroom I highly focus on students learning together. I strongly believe in allowing students to work in collaborative groups to create a final product of which they can be pleased. However, I think grouping students must be done with special design. Students easily can become disengaged in the task, which is why as a teacher I assign specific roles for students to fulfill within their groups. One might be the facilitator, another the investigator, and perhaps another the recorder. There are often different roles for different assignment. Essentially, students must gain experience working collectively. There are many skills that are learned or sharpened through personal interaction with peers. The experience of working along side peers will serve students well for their futures when they are asked to work along side colleagues. I think the classroom is an excellent place to learn collaboration skills that will serve students will in their future careers. Learning these skills will help prepare students for not only a job at a company, but also in their community, family, and other social activities. I think it is time to put a higher priority on how well students can work collaboratively, and less on their expertise at memorizing information and obtain a letter on a report card.
In my classroom I highly focus on students learning together. I strongly believe in allowing students to work in collaborative groups to create a final product of which they can be pleased. However, I think grouping students must be done with special design. Students easily can become disengaged in the task, which is why as a teacher I assign specific roles for students to fulfill within their groups. One might be the facilitator, another the investigator, and perhaps another the recorder. There are often different roles for different assignment. Essentially, students must gain experience working collectively. There are many skills that are learned or sharpened through personal interaction with peers. The experience of working along side peers will serve students well for their futures when they are asked to work along side colleagues. I think the classroom is an excellent place to learn collaboration skills that will serve students will in their future careers. Learning these skills will help prepare students for not only a job at a company, but also in their community, family, and other social activities. I think it is time to put a higher priority on how well students can work collaboratively, and less on their expertise at memorizing information and obtain a letter on a report card.