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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration. By: Marilyn Friend

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration. By: Marilyn Friend

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This article talks about how a lot of times the word "collaboration" is used in the wrong way, that is, sometimes it is used because more than one person, or a group of people are working together, but this does not necessarily mean they are working collaboratively. Another misconception is that the more collaboration the better, when this is actually not true. In schools, it is necessary to set priorities and time must be set aside for these priorities. Working together and feeling good and positive about the work is not only what it's important, the group must look at the goals and the outcomes from their actions. Finally, collaboration does not happen naturally, it should be a topic of study and professional development. One thing that resonates with me while reading is when the author mentions the side meetings and hallway conversations as factors that may influence collaborative work, I agree with the statement and thus agree that it should be part of staff development.

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Collaborative Consultation: A Pathway to Transition. This article is relevant to our contexts as the article was written by two teachers. Additionally, the context of the article is international, as the study occurred in New Zealand. This article was especially interesting because it was reflective in nature and focused on the experiences of the teachers as they worked with special needs students. In the course of working with these students, the teachers must collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including mainstream teachers, families of the students, and various staff members and community members. The authors mention how important interprofessional collaboration is to assist students. This collaboration includes communication that is continuous, positive, and mutual. These are important guiding principals to remember. In addition to the above, the other big takeaway from this article is the impact that teacher attitude has on students. Specifically, the article mentions that teachers that view inclusion policies and practices positively can influence students forming a positive perception of their learning environment. As educators, we all know how true this is. With that being said, we also know how one can become frustrated and form a negative attitude towards a situation. 

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Collaborative Consultation: A Pathway to Transition. This article is relevant to our contexts as the article was written by two teachers. Additionally, the context of the article is international, as the study occurred in New Zealand. This article was especially interesting because it was reflective in nature and focused on the experiences of the teachers as they worked with special needs students. In the course of working with these students, the teachers must collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including mainstream teachers, families of the students, and various staff members and community members. The authors mention how important interprofessional collaboration is to assist students. This collaboration includes communication that is continuous, positive, and mutual. These are important guiding principals to remember. In addition to the above, the other big takeaway from this article is the impact that teacher attitude has on students. Specifically, the article mentions that teachers that view inclusion policies and practices positively can influence students forming a positive perception of their learning environment. As educators, we all know how true this is. With that being said, we also know how one can become frustrated and form a negative attitude towards a situation. 

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In the article “Collaborative-Consultation: A Pathway to Transition” the experiences of two teachers were presented in a project to transition nine students with special needs from their special classes to regular classrooms.

When describing the project, it was clear that the authors seek to emphasize the importance of collaboration between all parties involved (students, parents, RTLB, teachers and other members of the school community). Everyone needs to act in partnership so that the results can happen satisfactorily and when this partnership happens the results are wonderful. Each has their own role and responsibility for team work to take place in the best possible way. It is also important to emphasize the importance of communication to flow clearly and easily and feedback is very important as well.

The authors also mention how important it is to have space for flexibility in conducting the process and to always be aware of possible specific needs.

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This article brings out the role of the RTLB - Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour. The RTLB are itinerant specialized teachers who help to facilitate the presence, participation and learning of students who experience difficulties with learning and behaviour, by working collaboratively with class teachers, students, parents and other professionals. There are seven guiding principles in the RTLB practice, and working with collaborative consultation is the most effective practice because collaboration facilitates the other six principles. The article provides the example of transitioning two students from two special classes to a mainstream context and highlights the importance of all stakeholders working in a collaborative consultation model considering their values and ethics, roles, responsibilities, teamwork and most of all: communication!!! For this problem-solving model to be effective, open communication must take place using different methods of communication so that all concerns can be addressed quickly and feedback be provided. One thing that resonated with me was the lack of research of the collaborative-consultation model in the educational field because of the historical isolation of teachers. So let's no longer isolate ourselves, let's better communicate among sections, let's collaborate, exchange experiences, help each other, our families and students in order for our community to continue to thrive!

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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The first five pages written by Cook and Friend (1993) is not supposed to function as a step-by-step program on how to implement collaboration, but as a set of principles that will help the conduction of teacher collaboration.

It stresses the definition of collaboration as a professional relationship among teachers that are voluntarily engaged in shared decision-making toward a common goal. This practice is what differentiates mere democratic school from really effective and successful schools.

The characteristics of collaborative work are as follows:

Voluntary: no teacher will ever collaborate just because a school program demands it. Therefore, teachers must be willing to collaborate.

Based on parity: all teachers involved in the collaborative work are equal.

Shared goal: as stated above, teachers should come together to collaborate toward a common goal. Such should be as clear as possible so miscommunication and consequent frustration won’t happen.

Shared responsibility: all teachers must divide their load of labor toward the goal they wish to achieve.

Share accountability: the outcomes and results are also equally shared among teachers, be them good or bad.

Shared resources: teachers should invest whatever resources they may have. It could time, expertise, space, equipment or others.

Emergent: collaboration will always have room for improvement. With time, trust and respect will grow and provide teachers with even more opportunities to collaborate.

The part of the article that resonated with me the most was the part that explains that teacher collaboration must be fostered by the leadership personnel of schools. Since its practice shows to make a big difference in school success, school leaders should be tailoring and encouraging programs to make it possible.

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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The text assigned to group 2 deals with the issue of teacher engagement and the school administration to assist students with special needs. The authors address the idea that people who collaborate must not only have autonomy but also follow predetermined rules to assist these students. They mention the importance of attending classmates' lessons and offering strategy feedback to some teachers. The text enumerates a series of characteristics that teachers should be aware of when participating in a collaboration program to meet all the needs of the student with special needs. What caught my attention in the article is precisely the idea of commitment from both parties that decide to engage in this project. The idea of volunteering demonstrates that it is an option for the teacher or the administrator to deal with this special student in the classroom, not least because not all teachers undergo training in this area. It is important to emphasize the need for a partnership between teachers and administration to achieve a good result and allow an adequate job that meets the needs of this student. 

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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Well, I really liked this article and all the practices developed on the researchers. This article talks about one of the initiatives of the Ministry of Education to achieve 100% of schools in New Zealand with inclusive practices by 2014. One of these initiatives is Resource Teachers: Learning and Behavior (RTLB), they are specialized teachers (also intinerant teachers) who work in regular schools to help facilitate the presence, participation, and learning of students who experience difficulties with learning and behavior. They work collaboratively with members of the school community such as Class teachers, students, parents, and other professionals, which is amazing. They will support teachers and help to find the needs of a student who needs support. As RTLB they have some principles which guide their practice like: Inclusive teaching, culturally responsive, ecological approach, collaborative and seamles model of service, strengths based, reflective and evidence based.

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration 

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration 

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The article talks about the importance of teacher collaboration. The author discusses about 4 main topics:
1) The description of collaboration  is used as a way to define it. So collaboration must be vonluntary even if teachers have to work together because of an adm reason. Teacher's have to value each other's contribution. They also have to share the same goals, resourses and responsabiblities.
2) How collaboration relates to special education services as a strategy  to include and integrate students with special needs in  general classes.
3) The benefits and costs of collaboration as serious considerations for its implementation.
4) How can administrators plan for and implement programs and services that foster collaboration with a multidisciplinary group.

I am currently experiencing co-teaching with a very wise teacher in Grade 2. We had worked together when I was an assistant and we know each other's teaching styles. The collaboration and co-teaching is working well because we share the same goals, responsabilities and values. The communication is very important to set expectations, support each other and balance work. The main barrier we face is time for planning, make decisions and feedback.
It has been very beneficial for students because we can make smaller groups to work on specific skills and work closer to students with special needs.

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration  -------------------------               In this article, the author addresses her attention through the matter of communication, not as the word “per se”, and its current and performative use, in which determined group has the certainty of its undoubtful utility, but as a real necessity and an indispensable tool that can and must be used in the most variety of tasks. In order to show the disconnection between the speech, that claims the effective use of collaboration and its actual use, the text brings some myths regarding the theme, presenting some circumstances that, in our experience, are frequently heard and said among teachers and the school community. From time to time, expressions and words gain such relevance that people begin just repeating it and not thinking about the true meaning of it, and the more they repeat them, using for rhetorical and apparent purposes, the more they lose density, becoming superficial and disconnected from the reality.With that being said, the author proposes that, if we want to give the word collaboration a real meaning and a palpable objectiveness, there must be an unabridged reevaluation of our practice and to look at the routine and projects with new eyes, rethinking our goals and the strategy required to get there, not being attached to superficial and ineffective tactics and tools. 

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration  -------------------------               In this article, the author addresses her attention through the matter of communication, not as the word “per se”, and its current and performative use, in which determined group has the certainty of its undoubtful utility, but as a real necessity and an indispensable tool that can and must be used in the most variety of tasks. In order to show the disconnection between the speech, that claims the effective use of collaboration and its actual use, the text brings some myths regarding the theme, presenting some circumstances that, in our experience, are frequently heard and said among teachers and the school community. From time to time, expressions and words gain such relevance that people begin just repeating it and not thinking about the true meaning of it, and the more they repeat them, using for rhetorical and apparent purposes, the more they lose density, becoming superficial and disconnected from the reality.With that being said, the author proposes that, if we want to give the word collaboration a real meaning and a palpable objectiveness, there must be an unabridged reevaluation of our practice and to look at the routine and projects with new eyes, rethinking our goals and the strategy required to get there, not being attached to superficial and ineffective tactics and tools. 

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This article investigates the evidence behind Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB).

RTBL are specialised teachers that facilitate the presence, participation and learning of students with difficulties in learning and behaviour. These teachers have to work in collaboration with many stakeholders, such as teachers, students and their families, staff and so on.

Although teachers believe they have strong collaboration, evidence has shown that training and improvement is needed. The four competencies for effective interprofessional collaboration (values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork) should be checked and applied, with focus on communication.

One thing that strongly resonated with me was the argument that teachers with very positive attitudes towards inclusive policies and practices communicate these to their students who, in turn, develop a positive perception of their learning environment.

As teachers, we see this happening everyday in our classes, in different situations.

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Stating that Collaboration is present in all contemporary society dimensions, the author aims to discuss myths and misunderstandings about Collaboration, especially at school.
According to her experience as an educator, when discussing collaborative methods to address any problem, colleagues assure that they know everything about these topics, but when confronted with reality, it was clear that they did not know precisely how to manage cooperatively.
After raising important points to break down myths, she concludes inviting educators to find a way of raising the standard for collaborative practice in schools to a new, higher level.

What resonates with me from reading the article:
In two different text passages, the author quote Collaboration methods as time-consuming. Considering my knowledge about the topic, the same way the technology arises to be time-saving, Many collaborative approaches do the same.

I don't need to go far. This assignment that Dr. Harris is proposing is not only collaborative but, also helps us saving time.

How much time do we as teachers-students would take to read all these four different articles, not mentioning the questions that needed to be answered?

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CAMILA BARROS

The article presents 4 prevalent myths and misunderstandings about collaboration, specially in schools.
1. Everyone is doing it - collaboration requires commitment from each individual to a shared goal. "Let´s quit the implicitly defining the word ´collaboration´ as any activity involving more than one person, and reserve it for situations in which it is appropriate".
2. More is better - schools tend to call professional interactions collaborative, because they think that if a little of it is good, more of it must be better. This comes from the universal lament among educators about lack of time to work together. "Collaboration is a vehicle for achieving shared goals and as such, it is reasonable to expect that time devoted to collaboration should lead to results that can be documented".
3. It´s about feeling good and liking others - positive feelings is not a primary goal. The author reinforces the point that if a job could be completed as well or better by one alone, then collaboration is not worth its cost. "Successful collaboration is not about ´like´, it´s about respect".
4. It comes naturally - when working with individuals we know, poor interaction skills are used as we know what was meant, don´t take offense and overlook gaffes. But when working with someone we don´t know, a high level of skill is needed. "Although some professionals have intuitive collaboration skills, it is an error to assume that the skills should be naturally present; they must be carefully taught and nurtured".
Lastly "We need to recognize collaborative undertakings as a dichotomy: the interpersonal style is distinct from the activities in which it occurs".

One thing that resonates with me is when the author talks about the topic 3 - it really ´helps´ when we work with someone we know well and requires higher skills when we work with someone we don´t know very well.

"No single one of us can do it alone."

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How We now Collaboration Works (by Greg Anrig)

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How We now Collaboration Works (by Greg Anrig)

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By comparing various research and educational scenarios of urban districts in the US, this article shows the benefits of having teachers and administrators creating partnerships in order to promote collaborative school improvement efforts that may produce impressive results. It also describes how administrators in Cincinnati, Ohio; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Hillsborough County, Florida, have reached out to teachers and teachers unions to develop strong and effective collaborative practices and school systems.

The great success of some schools in enhancing student outcomes is usually related to a well established relationship of trust among administrators, teachers and parents. The author mentions the five organizational features that usually contribute to such success:

Formulating an integrated and coordinated curriculum within and across grades with meaningful teacher involvement;

Providing ongoing support and guidance for teachers, including opening teachers' classroom work for examination by colleagues and external consultants;

Establishing meaningful bonds among school personnel, parents and students;

Supporting the students individual challenges and needs;

Promoting the participation of the school community (teachers, parents, and community members) in sharing responsibility for the school's development.

The part that captivated my interest the most was the power of collective capacity and how it enables ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. That might happen due to the fact that effective practice becomes more widely available and accessible on a daily basis, and also because working collaboratively usually generates commitment.

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Group 2 Article on Collaboration pages 1-5

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Group 2 Article on Collaboration pages 1-5

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This article explained the different types of collaboration that teachers can do together in a classroom. I really liked that it outlines the different approaches to co-teaching in a classroom and I think it's very important that all teachers involved agree upon the best approach for them and their students. Previously, I was an ELL teacher, so I have some experience with co-teaching. I always found the method of station teaching to be the most effective for language learners. I would also take the ELL students to my area of the classroom to provide a reading or writing mini-lesson just for them. I have also participated in the approach of one teach and one observe. I find this useful for me to go around and help the individual students. Sometimes, I could even teach them a new strategy this way. However, I like designing lessons so I didn't find this "fun". I also agree with the article that the biggest issue with co-teaching is time. It's so important to have time to plan together and when you don't get that then the students don't get the most out of the lesson. I think the most important factors is when you have two teachers in the room, they must really get along and be "in sync". I have had this experience twice in my career and it's amazing! I think what made it so great was that we had time to plan together and we had the same "visions" for the students. Right now, I am co-teaching with the wonderful, Blenda (who is in this course), and the great, Monna. They come into my classroom to help the learning support students. It's very challenging to find a great approach to co-teaching on Zoom so I look forward to returning to school and working more with them.

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The article "Collaboration Myths" by the professor Marylin Friend presents a few misconceptions and misunderstandings about collaborative work, especially in an educational environment. Friend highlights the importance of thinking carefully about which activities require collaboration and which don't, how long should we spend collaborating and to adopt a scientific approach towards that: was it fruitful as we thought? Could one person have addressed that solely?

Another point is that the term collaboration is overused and many times mistaken for what it is. The simple fact that we exchange knowledge or co-teach does not mean it is a solid and meaningful collaborative work. Collaboration requires effort, respect and considerable time to sustain it.

The author foments further research and solid implementation on how and where collaboration works best in educational environments. It should become a personal development topic for schools to invest and improve.

One thing that resonated with me is that after reading this article, I came to the conclusion that schools and teachers worked for so many decades isolated that now, in the 21st century, that we need to solve everything in a collaborative manner, we cannot perform well. Teachers find hard to collaborate for many reasons, admins compete among themselves and this is harmful to the entire chain, and schools in general do not know how to collaborate with companies and NGO's. This has been generating a huge gap between what the educational system delivers and what is demanded by the market.

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En #China, los niños se #divierten con un #juego llamado “Cooperación”

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By Greg Anrig

A growing body of research shows that collaboration between teachers and administrators—not confrontation—improves student outcomes

I find it important for my sense of direction to read articles that support theories and feelings that I have on education and the system. The five points that schools must include in order to obtain a high student success ranking are matters that I deem fundamental.

This article supports collaboration between government administration and teachers as a mean for success. “Research consistently finds that a high degree of trust between administrators and teachers is an essential ingredient in making successful schools tick.”

The article starts by reporting a educational reform period in New York where public schools were shutting down and conflict reigned between state administration and teacher’s union. The new office approach brought schools closer together and offered a space of communication and partnership.

Anrig claims that there is no definite guideline or one solution that fits all, but points out that schools with solid “relational trust” between administration, teachers, and parents. Five points were identified in schools that held strong rankings -

1. A solid instructional guidance system

2. Ongoing support and guidance for teachers

3. Strong ties among school personnel, parents, and community service providers, with an integrated support network for students.

4. A student-centered learning climate that identified and responded to problems individual students were experiencing.

5. Leadership focused on cultivating teachers, parents, and community members so that they became invested in sharing responsibility for the school's improvement.

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This article was refering to the "how" when it comes to collaboration among teachers. I really liked the quote "Interpersonal collaboration is a style of direct interaction between at least two co-equal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal" because with every personality quz I take, I am strongly interpersonal and I believe many teachers are. We have a drive to work and learn with others and while we can stray from that (when we get stressed or busy for example) it is something we all value I believe.
I also liked that this article discussed the types of collaborative teacheing (co-teach, team, etc) and the positives and struggles associated with them. This is a good reminder that one size does not fit all.
Another thing that resonates with me is the idea that this takes time (so often schools are reactive rather than proactive) and that all staff should be supprting- admin should be helping teachers and others by lessening their load not adding to it. There is this concept of finding value and sustainability which I see as crucial

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Joe alread did a great job explaining the article itself so I will dive a bit deeper. I want to first echo how refreshing it was to get another world view. It was also slightly founded on some American data/principles so I appreciate and recogize the diversity. There are many schools and professional workplaces that stress the power of colloboration all over the world, but the idea is universal.
With this in mind, the article also addreses that we are all working on the whole child. So often we find ourselves in our own little bubble, but there is power in coming together even if it does take time.  As the article says, "The research implies that it is important for all team members (teachers, parents, teacher-aides and other professionals) to attend the programme as this can have a positive impact on team collaboration." It is also crucial that everyone identifies the same goal " With regard to values and ethics, it is essential that all key stakeholders have shared core values" and this can be achieved through meetings, clear roles, and deep discussions.

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The article defines the role of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), who are experienced teachers trained to support students who experience difficulties with learning and behaviour. The example presented in the article, focuses on a year-long project involving the transition of nine students from two special classes to the mainstream at a multicultural primary school in New Zealand.

There are seven guiding principles of RTLB practice and this study focuses on one of these principles: ‘collaborative and seamless model of service’. In order to support this model, it is necessary to consider the four competency domains for interprofessional collaborative practice, which are: values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork. The study shows that parental involvement benefits the student achievement, attitudes, attendance and behaviour, as well as raising the confidence and satisfaction for parents, and improving parent-teacher relationships for school staff. One of the lessons learned from this study was the importance of flexibility and being open to the needs and concerns of all involved stakeholders (class teachers, students, parents, RTLB and other professionals).

The article concludes that in case of repeating this project, two aspects should be taken into consideration. First, the RTLB needs to have prior knowledge of the school where the project will take place in order to establish relationships with the school staff and community, and second, the team members should be provided with feedback on their performance.

The part of the article that caught my attention was where it emphasizes the importance of student involvement and participation in their own individual Education Plans and goal setting. The students should be consulted about their strengths and weaknesses and the amount of support they need to succeed. I have personally seen how effective this approach is at our school. Individual plans and goals that were set with student involvement have shown to be more effective and successful.

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How we know collaboration works Greg Anrig

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How we know collaboration works Greg Anrig

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The article is about how important is the collaboration between teachers and administrators to improve the learning process of the students, and  it is necessary to have a trustful relationship among the school community.

One thing that resonates with me was the five basic characteristics to have success in a school:

create a curriculum with teachers´ involvement;

give support to the teachers;

parents´participation and collaboration;

support to the kids who have individual issues;

participation of all the school community.

According to Michael Fullan “the power of collective capacity is that it enables ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things—for two reasons. One is that knowledge about effective practice becomes more widely available and accessible on a daily basis. The second reason is more powerful still—working together generates commitment.”

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration

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Myths and Misunderstandings about Professional Collaboration

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This article brings to light a discussion that is incredibly relevant for teachers and educational administrators alike. The term collaboration has been a buzz-word in education for at least the past two decades. The social awareness of Globalization caused affected education in a sense that it created a big push for people putting their heads together and working with others to achieve common goals. The problem with this sudden urgency to implement collaboration is that we, as educators, didn't have the time to stop and analyze the nuances of what makes legitimate collaboration great. Some of the misconceptions and myths debunked along the way include:

1. There is an overuse of the word collaboration, not every team working together is necessarily collaborating.
2. Collaboration does not occur because of administrative mandate, it needs to be intentional and deliberate.
3. More collaboration does mean better work or results. True collaboration demands time, something teachers cannot always afford.
4. Collaboration is not always the best choice, in some situations, one educator can be able to complete the job well or better by themselves. When you collaborate, you won't always like the people involved or the process, but it's about respecting other people as professionals and their points of view.
5. Collaboration does not come naturally, it needs to be taught and nurtured in educators. Being a teacher does not guarantee that the person will have intrinsic good people skills.

This last point was the part that resonated with me the most. In my experience I have met many teachers who would make good school administrators, because of their natural ability in coordenating and delegating, but as educators, they needed urgent training in what collaboration really means. It's something that needs to be taught and trained in teachers, because it allows us to leave our comfort zones.

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Greg Anrig
Cooperative work between teachers and administrators for the continuous improvement of teaching practice.
The article explains the creation of the five basic characteristics for the success of this work.
-create a curriculum with teacher involvement
- support to the teacher
- Parents and Teachers Association engaged
-the continuous participation of the community
What was most significant is the phrase by Michael Fullan
"Working together generates commitment."

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The ASCD article is focused on communicating the importance of effective collaboration within the school and community.

It shows how trust between administrators and teachers is an essential ingredient for the success of schools.

Other factors that spring from that trust are also crucial, including close communication with parents, strong ties to community service providers, effective use of data to identify and respond to problems, and ongoing team-oriented support focused on continuous improvement of teaching practices.

An effective system for improving professional capacity, providing ongoing support and guidance for teachers, including opening teachers' classroom work for examination by colleagues and external consultants.

With this partnership, teachers are grateful that the services are performed in the building, as they know that the needs of the students will be met.

Creating programs for greater communication and community improvement not just only addresses extreme needs, but also makes students feel more secure, which leads to better behavior.

After exercising collaboration, several districts achieved positive and significant results when they established good communication with each other, thus favoring the development of children.

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How We Know Collaboration Works (Greg Anrig)

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How We Know Collaboration Works (Greg Anrig)

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Research has shown that "highly collaborative practices are associated with unusually high strong student outcomes." A high degree of trust among staff and stakeholders, collaboration of effective practices, strong ties within the school community, and developing an inclusive culture of shared responsibilities has proven to help student learning.

A phrase that resonated with me was: "teamwork generates commitment". Forward together. Stronger together.

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration

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This article emphasizes the basics of teacher collaboration, its importance, how it should work, and its role in special education.
It is important that this collaborative work is voluntary and that everyone shares the same effort and goals. Along with goals comes responsibility. If teachers are working together and the goals are the same, the chances of collaboration working out are greater and more satisfactory, this is what reinforces the sense of parity. All this beautiful process aiming to improve schools to succeed and achieve the teacher's work.
It is also worth emphasizing the importance of collaboration for special education, with co-teaching for example, including children with disabilities in general, but collaborative, classes.

What resonates with me is that teacher collaboration is about sharing... goals, responsibilities, accountability, results (positive or negative), resources, decision making, trust, respect, empathy ...
Another interesting point is that collaboration is also about practice. The more you become familiar with collaborative work, the better your relationships and work will be. The result of this effort reflects directly on the students.

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How We Know Collaboration Works, by Greg Anrig

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How We Know Collaboration Works, by Greg Anrig

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The article How We Know Collaboration Works, by Greg Anrig, discusses and brings evidence (based on researches and practices in different United States School Systems) that collaboration and teamwork effectively impacts students’ achievements.

One thing that resonated with me was the finding of The University of Chicago's Consortium research that demonstrated that the “high degree of “relational trust” among administrators, teachers, and parents, was crucial to the students’ success”. And that has highlighted that the features that I copy below contributed to this:

A coherent instructional guidance system, in which curriculum and assessment were coordinated within and across grades with meaningful teacher involvement.

An effective system to improve professional capacity by providing ongoing support and guidance for teachers, including opening teachers' classroom work for examination by colleagues and external consultants.

Strong ties among school personnel, parents, and community service providers, with an integrated support network for students.

A student-centered learning climate that identified and responded to problems individual students were experiencing.

Leadership focused on cultivating teachers, parents, and community members so that they became invested in sharing responsibility for the school's improvement.

This resonated with me because it reinforces what we have discussed in the previous course about the importance of school community relations to improve students’ achievements.

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration, by Lynne Cook and Marilyn Friend (1993).

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Educational Leadership for Teacher Collaboration, by Lynne Cook and Marilyn Friend (1993).

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This article has four main goals: What is teacher collaboration and how does it relate to school practices; How teacher collaboration relates to special education; Benefits and costs of fostering teacher collaboration; and how can school administration plan and implement teacher collaboration as a school practice. The main idea is to provide the reader with enough information about collaborative practices and their development and impact in teaching practices. They also provide very clear explanations about collaborative teaching methods, pros and cons of it, and professional leadership.

The authors are very careful in describing the differences between real collaborative practice and simply doing things together with others. Collaborative work requires, according to the authors, seven things to be effective: it is voluntary; it is based on parity; has a shared goal; shared responsibilities; shared accountability for outcomes; shared resources; and emergent properties.

Some things resonated with me while I was reading:

- The special education part is very touching. It shows how much collaborative teaching is important to provide students with special education needs with the best service possible; and very needed for teachers to share experiences and learn from each other. Special Education practices are avant-garde and led to the best educational practices, and it all started with collaborative work. The authors describe some variations of co-teaching strategies, the importance of collaboration and to have programs to achieve a common goal. It also shows how it is important for special education, the participation of other members from the school community, as well as external professionals. The relevance of multidisciplinary collaborative team work for special education is unprecedented and the development of best educational practices came from this collaboration.

- "... it is teachers working together for the purpose of improving their teaching that distinguishes a truly collaborative school from a school that is simply managed in a democratic fashion". Collaboration goes beyond simply working together or being able to speak your mind. It is about trust and openness to others for the common purpose of improving educational practices.

- " Teachers collaborate only when they share a goal. If they are working on poorly defined goals, they may be unintentionally working on different goals." Having clear shared goals, and having everyone on the team on the same page, will prevent members from working in different goals, which could harm the main one.

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“Collaborative-Consultation: A Pathway to Transition” is an article written by two Resource Teachers: Learning and Behavior (RTLB) who reflect on their experiences transitioning nine students with special needs into mainstream classrooms.

The study took place in New Zealand as a part of the Ministry of Education’s initiative to have all of their schools have inclusive practices by the year 2014. The authors outline the role of the RTLB as a “scientist-practitioner,” or rather, a specialist familiar with theory and research who can inform a teacher’s classroom practice.

The authors emphasize the importance of interprofessional collaboration among stakeholders (teachers, principals, parents, students, and RTLB) to best facilitate the students’ transition into the classroom. They mention that communication and feedback must be mutual, continuous, and positive. All stakeholders play active roles in ensuring their student’s success.

I was surprised by how many Maori words were woven into the article. Too often, academia and research is seen through a Euro- or US-centric lens. If research includes indigenous communities, they are often the object of study. Here, Maori words shape the educational theory/ the lens of the study. It’s not just “culturally responsive.” It’s just multicultural.

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This article discusses how educators present a dichotomy mean of work in a collaborative way with their team.
We as educators have to work as a doctor to investigate through the diagnosis to analyze the symptoms to help our students in academic and emotional progress.
Collaborative work involves differents contributions to implement positive, careful, and collective actions. And also, to figure out our student's strengths and weaknesses to plan specifics goals.
The part of the article that resonates with me was that we are not alone, and we need to connect knowledge, strategies, and experiences to implement our teaching approach.