Roberts, JohnEady, Sandra2019-04-152019-04-152011-07-06Roberts, J. & Eady, S. (2012) Enhancing the quality of learning: What are the benefits of a mixed age collaborative approach to creative narrative writing? Education 3-13, 40 (2), pp. 205-216.1475-75750300-4279https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/9677https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2010.511624Sandra Eady - ORCID: 0000-0002-1089-666X https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1089-666XDeposited in University of Stirling (STORRE) repository on 10 February 2018 under permanent embargo, available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/20116Item not available in this repositoryThis study, based in a small rural school, explores the opportunities provided by collaborative learning with a mixed aged class of 7–11 year olds (Year 3–Year 6). This paper specifically focuses on those children aged 7–8 years (Year 3) and how they worked on improving the quality of their writing through optional and directed collaborative group work. Data were collected predominantly through a series of observations and interviews. The findings suggest that optional collaboration does not always lead to shared ideas or improvements in the quality of writing. However, directed collaboration and structured conferencing can enable powerful learning to take place within a group context. The study concludes that with skilled adult support children are not only ‘learners’ but can also become ‘peer teachers’ within a supportive context.205-216enCollaborationCreative WritingPrimaryArticle