Team-skills training and real-time facilitation as a means for developing student teachers’ learning of collaboration

• Published in: Teaching and teacher education 2021-11, Vol.107, p.103477, Article 103477
• Main Authors: Sjølie, Ela, Strømme, Alex, Boks-Vlemmix, Juliette
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Collaborative learning; Collaborative skills; Facilitation; Group processing; Teacher education
• ISSN: 0742-051X; 1879-2480
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2021.103477

This mixed-methods study investigates whether and how team-skills training and real-time facilitation can enhance students' learning of collaboration. Two hundred and fifty-seven student teachers carried out a group task at two different levels of intervention. The findings show that the intervention had a positive impact on the students’ perceived learning outcomes and on stimulating group reflection. We also identified four enabling structures of the task design. The study contributes to literature on how collaborative learning activities in higher education can be facilitated and argues that cultivating a language around the subject of collaboration is a prerequisite for developing transferrable collaborative skills. •257 student teachers carried out a group task at two different levels of intervention.•Significant differences between the intervention group and the control group.•Importance of stimulating students to talk about their collaboration.•Need for task designs that explicitly focus on learning to collaborate.•Student teachers need to cultivate a language around the subject of collaboration.