Collaborative writing
Problem-centred tasks
Participating in an online writing project in pairs or small groups
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Writing a story
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Writing a reflection about a school trip/event
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Writing a research report on a given/chosen topic
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Writing a blog post on a given/chosen topic
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Contributing to a class wiki
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Creating step-by-step instructions
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Creating a multimodal text
Scaffolding activities
#1 Working together
Students explore the idea of collaborative writing and they identify/generate a list of 'Do's' and 'Don'ts' of behaviour in group work (e.g. unequal contribution, duplicating efforts, meeting the deadlines, communication). They generate and present a list of strategies to deal with 'Don'ts'.
#2 Brainstorming
Students brainstorm ideas for a collaborative text. If required, guiding questions can be used. The students create an outline of the text.
#3 Roles
Students decide on the roles for each participant. They identify the ways to make each participant's contribution visible in the text (e.g. using different colours).
#4 Navigating a platform
Students learn how to navigate a digital platform for collaboration suggested by the teacher (e.g. Google doc, Moodle or others).
#5 Writing
Students plan and create their texts. They consider the context, audience and purpose and how these shape the content, language,
structure and presentation of their work. They collect relevant resources for writing if needed (e.g. a research project).
#6 Peer review
Students explore the idea of 'peer review'. They learn how to provide constructive feedback and negotiate in the discussion. They revise their drafts accordingly.
#7 One voice
Students review their collaborative texts as a group to achieve 'one voice' in their writing.
#8 Reflection and peer-evaluation of group work
Students reflect on the process of collaborative writing (e.g. what went well, main challenges, strategies for improvement). The task may involve anonymous peer-evaluation of group work for further reflection.