Enriching Teaching Practices Through Professional Collaboration

● Collaboration is the process of working together to achieve a common goal. In teaching,

the common goal is always improved learner outcomes. Teacher collaboration involves:
debating, planning, and problem-solving together. inquiring together, using evidence
and research to guide decision-making.
● Teacher collaboration has been a common element of middle grades initiatives for
years, typically one or more of these three organizational models: common planning
time, professional learning communities, and critical friends groups.

Organizatonal Models That Promote Teacher Collaboration

Common Planning Time

 Coordinate team policies and procedures

 Discuss students
 Meet with parents
 Examine student work
 Participate in professional development

Professional Learning Communities

● Disciplinary teams
● Ongoing process of collective inquiry and action research
● Collective analysis of student assessment data in relation to specific learning targets
● Use of data to inform and assess effectiveness of instruction

Strategies for Building Teacher Collaboration

1. Create a truly shared vision and goals.

The level of ownership they feel in the process influences how much teachers actually
invest in collaborative work.

2. Develop a sense of community.

Like all relationships, a collaborative community develops over time and requires work
to maintain

3. Use discussion and dialogue.

Whether they are integrating curriculum, analyzing data, or studying a new practice,
teams should understand the roles of, and differences between, dialogue and
discussion. They are equally important to the group process.
What is Collaborative Learning?
● Collaborative learning – the practice of breaking students into small groups to answer
questions, work on projects and learn from one another – has become one of the
strongest core philosophies operating in classrooms today.

10 Strategies to Build on Student Collaboration in the Classroom

1. Deliberately select which students will work together

Left to their own devices, students will sort themselves into groups of friends who share
common bonds. However, when a teacher creates the groupings, he or she can match
students by strengths and weaknesses, deliberately mixing ability, diversity and social
capability.

2. Size the groups for maximum effectiveness

If a group is too small, ideas and discussion may not be diverse or energetic enough; if
too large, some students won’t get involved. Optimum group size tends to be four to
five.

3. Teach your students how to listen to one another

Among young learners, active listening isn’t a natural skill. Taking time to discuss and
practice listening skills with your students – teaching them to make eye contact, avoid
interruption and repeat important points – has both short and long term benefits.

4. Set the rules of language and collaboration

There will always be one or two students in each group who will be more likely to take
the lead – or take over. Take the time to teach students how to clarify issues, how to
paraphrase, how to disagree constructively and how to build on what others have
contributed.

5. Make goals and expectations clear

Specific goals and expectations are important. If students are not clear on the goals they
are expected to meet, group work has the potential to trail off into socialization or
apathy.
6. Assign roles to the members of each group

With roles delineated, students are able to better understand what is expected of them.
With roles like leader (directs the group’s actions for the day), recorder (takes notes and
does all writing), encourager (enables discussion and gives positive feedback) and
checker (checks the work and hands it in), it’s clear how each student needs to fulfill his
or her responsibilities.

7. Use real-world problems, not imaginary ones

With practical, real-world assignments, students find information through research and
forming real opinions. If you find a scenario that they feel involved in – an
environmental issue, a recent Supreme Court case, a complicated social issue – they will
take more ownership of the project. Even better, select a problem from the students’
own community and challenge them to solve it.

8. Consider giving each group a different task

Delegating tasks gives each group a sense of importance and emphasizes the fact that
large problems are solved by people working together. By solving different pieces of an
issue, your student groups will have a more personalized learning experience and will
better refrain from ill-spirited competition or “borrowing” each other’s work.

9. Play a game to get students warmed up

This is particularly helpful for younger students, who may not be sure of their roles in
the group or the classroom. Cooperative games require children to use the same skills that
they do in collaborative schoolwork, and they can see results quickly. For example, Teach
Hub offers cooperative classroom games that are appropriate for grades 1-3, grades 4-6 and
grades 7-8.

10. Evaluate each group on its own merit

If you judge groups in relation to each other, students will feel like their success or
failure is not entirely in their own hands. Try a system where you can give grades per
how well each group met its goals, and/or how each student performed the duties of
their assigned role. You can also reward by category, as in best discussions, best
research or most original solution.