“I would rather work on my own,” is a statement I have thought a countless amount of times in the classroom as a student. However, going into education in college has opened my eyes to how different forms of collaboration are beneficial for both students and teachers. Below I have included a video of a student discussing how she has benefitted from collaborative learning, which is when students come together to create and problem-solve.

In this video, the speaker Maddie Edwards most notably brings up a Johnson & Johnson study from 1989 that lists three key benefits from learning in a collaborative classroom environment:

• Students achieve more and are more productive
• Students build more caring, supportive, and committed relationships
• Students have better mental health and higher self-esteem

Alongside the students in the classroom utlizing collaboration, teachers do as well. Well, they are working on it and making it a key part of teacher preparation. Here is a short article on how teacher collaboration broadens our educational horizons.

The linked article particularly acknowledges that teacher collaboration:

• Allows creative ideas to be brainstormed and discussed
• Generates self-reflection
• Leads to higher student achievement

I have come to learn that collaboration involve an adjustment of the mindset you may currently have. Below I am going to leave another video that more generally discusses the benefits of becoming comfortable with collaboration. In every field or passion, people benefit from gaining perspective and hearing critiques. It makes us grow and be better.