Collaboration Breeds Success!

Teaching in today's classrooms poses increasing challenges to keep students engaged. Student engagement is not a small task to say the least. Yet, we know that when students are interested, motivated and captivated by the delivery of instruction, learning occurs. As teachers work hard to deliver meaningful instruction, even the most seasoned educator can become depleted of ideas and strategies as they plan lessons. Therefore, the need for collaboration in education is essential to best serve students. Consequently, collaboration is often approached with a bit of skepticism in the realm education, due to the isolated nature of teaching that has occurred for so long.

Coaching allows for the much needed proximity and interactive conversations that breeds the collaborative connections that will benefit both educators and students alike. When students see positive interactions among educators, they see first hand how important it is to be able to work effectively in a school community for a common purpose. Through collaboration, administrators, coaches and teachers are fundamentally partners working to assist students to become successful. Moreover the learning community demonstrates a unified commitment to student SUCCESS!

Ways to build and enhance a collaborative school community: 

• Identify a purpose for collaborating: Professional Learning Communities are great vehicles to navigate towards a common goal.
• Practice leads to Promotion: The more you collaborate as a professional, you can better promote and demonstrate effective collaboration skills in your classroom. 
• Time: Designated time is critical to collaboration success. The lack of time and consistency can quickly diffuse agency. 
• Understanding of how to effectively collaborate: Lack of  understanding of the "how" and "why" is the root cause of ineffective collaboration. Establishing group norms helps each member to remain focused on the purpose and the plans.
• Freedom to explore and express various points of view: It is important to value everyone's point of view. An appreciation for diversity can lead to rich learning experiences.
• Communication is key: Active listening is a key component to effective communication when collaborating. Everyone should have a voice in discussion. EVERYONE has something to bring to the table!