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I surveyed a learning specialist, a general education Middle School Math teacher, and an English teacher who is also a parent at our relatively small, independent school. There is a strong culture of collaboration at the school among all participants (students, parents, teachers, administration).

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This was an interesting one, in that it was only explicitly mentioned by one teacher (Math), but it struck me so I wanted to mention it. This teacher pointed out that the relative experience level of those involved in the collaboration/co-teaching/consultation plays a role, and as an experienced teacher I could understand this. They felt that when there is an imbalance of experience or power, there is an implicit expectation that the less experienced teacher should defer and/or take the ideas of the more experienced teacher. I found this point enlightening and intriguing.

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It was no surprise that each of the three interviewees highlighted the importance of listening in order to have successful collaboration/co-teaching/consultation. This is something that we intuitively know is crucial for collaboration, but those surveyed also mentioned how difficult this can be at times to do well.

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One of the key themes from all three surveys was the notion of people sharing “equally” when it comes to successful collaboration, co-teaching, or consultation. Each person involved must feel invested in the discussion, project, or purpose of the joint effort.

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An interesting finding was the rather paradoxical idea that people need to be both flexible and decisive for successful collaboration/consultation/co-teaching. Each person needs to avoid rigidity with their own ideas in order to incorporate new ones, but then a decision must be made to move forward. Rigidity and indecisiveness are counterproductive to collaborative practices.