Inside the Staffroom
Foster effective collaboration during joint planning meetings
By Chassie Selouane
understands his or her role in the team . Time Keeper , Reporter , Discussion Manager / Leader are a few roles to consider . Also , ensure that you have specific points of discussion to be covered during the meeting . Focus on actions related to the identified goal ( s ) or outcomes . Remember that the most effective collaboration during planning sessions emphasizes active learning , observation and reaction , rather than abstract discussions . Using the opportunity to analyze student work together gives teachers opportunities to develop a common understanding of what good work is and which instructional strategies are working .
Fostering and developing 21st Century Skills in our students has become a key goal in educational settings . Over the past two years the concept of the 4Cs ( Creativity , Critical Thinking , Communication and Collaboration ) has become a reoccurring theme of our Inside the Staffroom column .
Modeling the 4Cs in joint planning meetings is a way to help teachers begin to feel more comfortable in using the 4Cs in their own classrooms . One of the most difficult concepts of the Cs tends to be effective collaboration . To become an effective collaborator , practice is necessary . Efficiently using collaboration during staff meetings and joint planning meetings is the first step to mastering effective collaboration in the classroom .
Below are a few tips on how to foster best practice in collaboration in a professional setting .
Tip 1 :
Create and develop a shared vision of the team . Make sure there is an understanding of what the best practice of collaboration looks like , not just theory . Collaboration is when a team works together to achieve a common goal through the sharing of good practice , knowledge and even problems . Learning how to turn this into actual practice can sometimes be difficult . Effective collaboration encourages ongoing observation and feedback among colleagues , where a culture of professional sharing , dialogue , experimentation and critique become commonplace . People are more willing to collaborate on work that has a significant personal meaning for them . As such , creating a shared vision is important to success .
Tip 2 :
Assign roles that help to foster collaborative discussion during your meeting . Always focus on building trust . Start by modelling the critical components of trust on a daily basis , for example , the recognition of individual capabilities . It is important to choose / assign specific roles to team members . Effective collaboration takes place when each team member
Tip 3 :
Set measurable outcomes or goals to be achieved during the planning session or meeting . Effective collaboration should have a clear focus and should be specific , measureable , simple and easy to communicate , and informed by data . Link the focus to teacher and student improvement . Make sure that it is relevant , and addresses an issue that teachers find manageable .
There is no wrong or right collaboration Strategy . When implementing collaborative practices , it is a process of learning that works best for your team . Just like there are no one size fits all strategies for a classroom , your planning team may need to try a variety of strategies to find what works best . Collaboration activities and strategies can run a wide gamut of possibilities , and could possibly even occur without formal or structured strategies being used . If your school doesn ’ t have a collaborative culture , and you and your team would like to try something different , a suggestion is to explore and use structured strategies like Learning Walks , Instructional Rounds , Peer to Peer Observations , Instructional Coaching , or even guided data discussions these all can be a good place to start .
36 | Jan - Feb 2017 | | Class Time