Collaborative Writing as a Pedagogical Technique

Abstract

Abstract Writing in the language classroom is generally perceived as a solitary activity where writers produce a text individually and are assessed on the quality of their text. Collaborative writing—the co‐authoring of a single text by multiple authors—is a novel pedagogical activity that has drawn research interest particularly following the proliferation of collaborative writing platforms in the internet such as wikis and Google Docs. These technologies have prompted implementation of collaborative writing activities with groups within a class and even beyond the physical confines of the classroom. This entry begins with a definition of collaborative writing that identifies the key elements of this activity. It proceeds to briefly review the theoretical issues and research findings providing support for collaborative writing as a pedagogical activity in second language (L2) classes. The entry then discusses some of the challenges that have been identified when implementing such an activity and possible strategies to address these challenges. The entry concludes by identifying additional areas that require further investigation, including how best to assess learners' success in collaborative writing activities and the need to gain a greater understanding of teachers' views and experiences of implementing collaborative writing activities.