This study used a five-phased, multi-modal research design to develop a pedagogical plan for collaborative learning in freshman composition classrooms, a plan intended to improve student writing within a collaborative environment and be readily adaptable to a range of teaching contexts. The five-phased project used the following methods: (1) teachers-as-researchers: naturalistic-descriptive mode; (2) teachers-as-researchers: interventive-descriptive mode; (3) teachers-as-researchers: interventive-descriptive mode; (4) teacher-researcher collaboration: experimental mode; and (5) teacher-researcher collaboration: case studies-descriptive mode. Phases one, two, and three involved the same three instructors, each responsible for at least one class of freshman composition. Results indicated that the three-tiered, five-point approach to collaboration appeared to increase the level of the students' interest and competence in collaborative learning and writing and was ready to be tested in more rigorous experimental conditions. Phases four and five involved four different instructors who taught freshman composition classes. Results indicated that collaboration throughout the writing process legitimized group talk about crafting writing, attitudes toward writing, and attitudes toward collaboration in all four experimental classes. The pedagogical plan may have a built-in gender bias, making it particularly appealing to female students. (Forty-eight references are attached.) (MG)