Collaborative Writing

Abstract

Collaborative writing activities involve the production of a single text by two or more co‐authors. These activities require the co‐authors to communicate as they compose the text, either via speaking in face‐to‐face collaborative writing or via chats in a computer‐mediated collaborative writing. This chapter begins by defining collaborative writing and then presents the theoretical and empirical reasons to implement collaborative writing activities in the language classroom. It discusses some of the factors which have been found to impact on the opportunities for learning associated with collaborative writing and concludes by offering some research‐informed advice on successfully implementing collaborative writing activities.