John Seely Brown has claimed that in many ways the world may not be becoming flat, as Tom Friedman has proposed, but spiky. By this he means that the world is made up of centers with unique distinctive capabilities and the the chore is to weave together those capabilities into open network that is successful. This idea may serve as a metaphor to schools and classrooms, curricula and modes of instruction. In this session we will discuss strategies for working with students that try to encourage collaboration while promoting uniqueness.