Collaboration and Sharing in Education

Teaching is hard work.  At the beginning of the year, we map out our plans and look at what we need to cover for curriculum.  When the students arrive in our classrooms, we know that each child will be unique with his/her own strengths and challenges.  We look at these needs and plan our instruction accordingly.  Our day to day instruction becomes this living breathing entity.  

For some teachers this is a challenge they passionately embrace and for others it can be an exhausting marathon.  Knowing that we all are running the same race, we strive to embrace collaboration and sharing with our fellow colleagues.  We need this for ourselves.  We need this for our students.  How can we share our knowledge and tap into the wisdom of other teachers?  

As I work with teachers and administrators, my role is to guide, lead and facilitate this collaboration.  How can I help the teachers in our district to collaborate and build capacity as professionals?  From time to time, I will get emails or questions about resources or how to help certain students.  My job allows me to do research, look for resources, coach teachers and even do some modelling.  I love this!  It allows me to impact student learning by collaborating with teachers.

On some occasions I’ve felt a little disheartened.  When I suggest the great books to read or model a great lesson, I’ve seen the blank looks from teachers. “Oh,”  they say,  “That looks great, but do you have like a program I can borrow or something that I can just pick up and use?” Other teachers have asked for a collection of lesson plans to be created and shared for each of the guided reading books being used in our schools.  This is not responsive teaching geared toward the needs of our students.  Lesson plans are for students, not for books.  

In our digital age, teachers have easy access to more resources than ever before. Is this a good thing?  Maybe not.  With one click of the mouse, a teacher can access a multitude of pre-made units and lesson plans made by other teachers.  Fantastic!  Our job is done.  Or is it?  Our job as professionals is to teach the students in front of us.  My district embraces comprehensive balanced literacy and differentiation within our classrooms.  Will purchasing these pre-made unit plans or programs allow us to do that?  

How can we embrace collaboration and professionally learning that moves beyond sharing unit plans?  Have conversations with your colleagues.  Ask questions, discuss the big ideas in education/pedagogy and share success stories.  Arrange an educational book study with other staff to spark discussions.  Plan some collaborative teaching within your school and later share this learning impact with your whole staff.

As your year begins and you prepare for the start of the race ahead of you, reach out to your colleagues.  Share resources and value their knowledge, but remember that ultimately you need to drive the instruction in your classroom because you know your students best.  Collaboration and sharing in education should enrich your own professional learning as well as make an impact on your students.