Whether practicing informal collaboration or more formal real world type meetings, students will benefit from taking time early on to develop strategies or guidelines for good student led discussions. By discussing, developing, and reflecting on student roles, ground rules, and other aspects of group discussions, students can enhance the efficiency of student led discussions. An established structure for such discussions will also support students' willingness to risk expressing ideas and increase their involvement with the process. Production teams Production teams set the stage for student direction . Production teams which work together for the duration of a long term project can provide multiple opportunities for students to collaborate with each other and play active roles in the learning and production process.
Production teams can also provide unique opportunities for assessment and reflection.
The goal of planning for production teams is to provide adequate structure for students to function independently. When groups are working on their projects, it's always good to have strategies for the groups to share questions with each other. Students learn from each other, generate new ideas, and get important feedback from other groups. The book will help both students and teachers plan, keep track of, and assess the progress of the project, and also provide a record for the student of what worked, what didn't work, and some ideas for the future. Project Journals Journals are places for students to write down their thoughts, comments, and questions on the project, the process of working together, and what they have learned.