How Can Encouraging the Growth of Classroom Communities Impact Student Collaboration in an Algebra 2 Classroom?

Matthew Dueffert


Seminar Title


How Can Encouraging the Growth of Classroom Communities Impact Student Collaboration in an Algebra 2 Classroom?


Concept/Strategy

Focus of the Research


Community Building, Collaboration


Grade Level

Research Was Applied


High School


Relevant Grade Level

Connections


High School


Discipline

Where Research Was Applied


Mathematics


Additional Discipline Areas

I see Application to


All Disciplines


Invitation/Commercial


“But I don’t want to work with her!” Tired of feeling like you’re forcing your students to collaborate? Wish there was a way to make all students feel welcome with one another so that any partnering would work? Me too. That’s why for my project I decided to see whether or not encouraging the growth of a community to form in a classroom would help decrease encounters like these, and increase the amount of positive collaboration. Come along with me as we see if positive energy, respect, and intentional lessons of care can help your students collaborate more effectively!


Abstract


Matthew Dueffert SMUMN GPDE Title: How Can Encouraging the Growth of Classroom Communities Impact Student Collaboration in an Algebra 2 Classroom? INTRO: the question of my research is as follows: How Can Encouraging the Growth of Classroom Communities Impact Student Collaboration in an Algebra 2 Classroom? In order to effectively measure the impact of communities on collaboration, I had to research the foundations of what makes a community, and what inspires collaboration. Community and collaboration turn out to be highly correlated, and can community specifically turns out to play a larger role of the two. A classroom community becomes effective in its’ collaboration when 1) The community environment is respectful, 2) themes of care are explicitly taught to students in the community and 3) there is enough time and freedom for a true community to emerge. METHODS AND RESEARCH: From this research I was able to design a possible way to measure how the sense of community in the classroom could impact the way the students were interacting and collaborating. To do this I administered bi-weekly surveys to gauge students opinions on how they felt the community was growing, and how it changed their perspective of their peers. I also took field notes, taking specific note of positive and negative peer interactions. Finally, I had a third party observer take observations on the community's development over time. By monitoring the students’ opinions of the community, my own observations of the community, and an outside perspective of the changes over time I was able to collect a plethora of data. By using three strategies to collect data I was also able to triangulate my results as to help remove as much bias as possible. CONCLUSION: Creating a welcoming, caring, and respectful environment is a way to help foster the growth of community. The link between community and collaboration is hard to draw, as there are many variables to take account. It can be concluded from my research that there is a small amount of positive change in the collaboration of students as the sense of community rises.