Reflections and thoughts after reading:
Creating collaborative effectiveness One school’s approach:
by Sarah Martin and Chris Bradbeer
I have picked out some phrases from the reading which I found significant, powerful and really relevant to our inquiry:
- collaboration can be an opportunity, but also be challenging at times
This is so true. Collaboration brings together a difference of opinions, true collaboration may mean you need to see the bigger picture and you may be heard, but it might not be the answer.
- growing teacher capacity to have sensemaking conversations, a disposition seen as especially relevant when teachers are working together
These have also been known as hard to have conversations. But should they truly be hard to have?? Sensemaking needs different thoughts and ideas, being able to explain and express your own thoughts is a good thing, even if others may not agree, they may still want to understand.
- Keeping in mind that a prime reason for creating a culture of collaborative relationships and responsibility is, as DuFour and Mattos (2013) note, to impact positively on student outcomes,
The aim for this inquiry is to enhance your collaborative skills in order to improve the experiences the children have at school and that they benefit from the experiences we are able to give them through effective collaboration. The child is always the centre.
- working so closely with colleagues comes with its benefits and challenges.
When you use people’s strengths, the learning can be amazing,
teacher’s can learn and grow and share. The challenges provide
exacting the same opportunities.
- It became obvious that these teams (operating highly effectively) had mechanisms and systems in place to surface and talk about the non-discussables.
What can you put in place to make it easy for all to be on the same page and make collaboration work.This can be school wide and the different Pathway unique. Always be open minded.
- How much time do you spend meeting as a team? • How do you work to your team strengths? • How do you organise what you do together?
All questions that we need to ask ourselves and our teams. Time has been identified as a barrier, so we need to focus on this to enhance and improve our use of time.
- —the management of conflict in the team. Gaye Greenwood - Sensemaking
Conflict or sensemaking isn’t necessarily a bad thing, that people worry about. Could it become the norm??? All communities have conflict to be able to grow, develop and move forward. Recognising the importance of conflict can allow us to see it in a different light and appreciate the positives that can come from sensemaking conversations.
- Table of Collaborative Teacher dispositions
Ask yourself where do you think you are on the table. Then build your knowledge and reflect.
- Collaborative Framework: Growth Mindset, Learner, Self aware
We all need to look within before we look out and develop our ability to collaborate.
- As Hansen (2009) notes, disciplined collaboration is the “practice of properly assessing when to collaborate (and when not to) and instilling in people both the willingness and the ability to collaborate when required” (p. 15).
Collaboration may not look the same in every area of the school. There are in fact different ways to collaborate, so when and how are questions to be asked, to best suit the situation at the time and the children.
- There has to be a reason to collaborate.
You don’t just do it just because you are told to.
- We have watched the most synergetic teams provide time and forums to have conversations about how individuals like to be supported, how they like to be communicated with
This is important. Collaboration within teams, bring different personalities. You need to be open and honest, otherwise how are you going to be heard. The confidence in the team needs to be there so you are happy to speak openly.
- John Hattie at the recent 2016 global chat said that “The essence of teachers’ professionalism is the ability to collaborate with others to maximise impact”.
With the child being in the centre and gaining positive learning and experiences, it is key for teachers to continue to learn and grow and gain more tools/resources in their kete.
