Collaborative groups can’t be assigned, they have to be built and nurtured. Students often need to learn how to work effectively with others and as part of a team. We have to help students understand the what, why, and how of collaboration. We can do this in several ways:

• Helping the students understand the benefits of collaboration and what successful collaboration looks like.

• Guiding the students through the stages of team building (forming, storming, norming, and performing).

• Giving students time and opportunities within the activity to develop leadership, decision-making, trust-building, communication, and conflict-management skills.

• Establishing expectations and norms for working together.

• Designing, or have students design, protocols for handling conflict disagreement so that they can resolve issues within their teams.

• Teaching students active listening skills.