Better Together: Fostering Divergent Thinking, Collaborative Play, and Creative Production in the Classroom
We sifted through the noise and listened to our students to help us understand their experience. We used surveys, interviews, work sample analysis, and reflections to understand how students experienced a collaborative environment and which structures supported the development of creative production skills. We tracked their collaborative relationships over time using a social network mapping program. There was laughter, tears, trembling anxiety and glorious breakthroughs. Ultimately, we learned that students need to laugh and to play before they can effectively work together.