Two contrasting paradigms in research on student learning Book

The first 200 pages are devoted primarily to some very basic and repetitive info about why collaborative learning is important and why this model for implementing collaborative learning is the best. It really seems like info that would be shared at the beginning of a professional development session to convince the participants that this will all be worth it.

The recommended process/sequence for rolling out collaborative learning activities is buried in there, but worth reading.

The second half of the book is a great resource for teachers, particularly for back-to-school planning. It includes 200 pages of collaborative learning activities with implementation instructions and post-activity reflection questions to ask students. All of the activities teach collaborative learning skills (like brainstorming, consensus making, constructive disagreement) or create opportunities for students to learn more about each other. There is even a matrix at the beginning of the section listing all of the activities and what they're best used for.

There is a lot of talk throughout about how this instructional model promotes cultural literacy and inclusion. Some of the language around racial and cultural diversity used throughout the book is dated. The authors credit Indigenous peoples generally for providing models for inclusive and collaborative meeting processes. There is a note acknowledging that the use of the word tribes to describe temporary learning groups assigned by teachers is problematic, but also that they feel justified in keeping the name.