JPSY_V3_N3_Art1 Sarah R. Daniel Brandon K. Vaughn Journal on Educational Psychology 2230 – 7141 3 3 1 8 Heedful Interrelating, Cooperative Learning, Collaborative Interactions Van den Bossche (2006) points out how fruitful collaboration is not merely the case of putting people with relevant knowledge together. Studies on collaborative learning suggest that group outcomes improve when members focus not only on the task but also on the inter-personal group processes (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). However, attempts to improve these processes, through training modules, are often diverse from the main group task. The concept of heedful interrelating (HI) offers a method for addressing the need for high quality inter-personal processes by its focus on the skills necessary for successful interrelating in the moment-by-moment interactions of members working to accomplish a task. HI is defined as interacting with sensitivity to the task at hand while at the same time paying attention to how a person's individual actions affect group functioning. To interrelate heedfully requires that one notice, take careful action, and pay attention to the effect of that action (Weick & Roberts, 1993). HI's focus is on how best to interrelate effectively, in real time, to reach the group goal. This article focuses on how HI provides a tangible framework for facilitating group members' effective engagement in high quality inter-personal processing which, in turn, should translate into an increase in beneficial collaborative outcomes. November 2009 - January 2010 Copyright & copy; 2010 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1075