The key to strong collaboration is recognizing that a student shouldn’t be the responsibility of only one teacher, but of all teachers. Wong, a well-known educational author, states that the trademark of effective schools is a culture where all teachers take responsibility for the learning of all students. Teachers may feel that this is an invasion of their classrooms where their mentality is one of “they know what their students need because they know their students best” or “they have been teaching for a long time and have not had any problems yet”. It can be said that creating a culture of collaboration is often met with resistance. This type of definition seems to take all the fun out of teacher planning time, but it is exactly what needs to be in place in order to build strong students and strong teachers. Professional Learning Communities co-creators Rick DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, and Robert Eaker would define collaboration as teams of teachers who work interdependently to achieve common goals - goals linked to the purpose of learning for all - for which members are held mutually accountable. These conversations may be helpful from the stand point of stress relief and building camaraderie among teachers but are not times of collaboration. In this case, very often the topic of the conversation will be about what they are learning in their class and how it applies to their classrooms. ![]() The one exception to this may be if two or more teachers are working towards an advanced degree and they are in the same class. The topics of these conversations tend to be personal in nature and have very little to do with teaching or the teaching profession. In many schools, teachers have opportunities to gather in hallways, cafeterias, lounges, or other areas in the school to talk. One proven way to accomplish this is through collaboration. To be a truly effective teacher one must learn from others in the profession. There are many teachers who like it or even prefer it this way, but this limited interaction does not encourage teacher professional growth. In this scenario the only places for teacher interaction is in the hallway or parking lot as they come and go. ![]() Most often a routine is developed in which the teacher arrives at school, walks into a classroom, shuts the door, and for many and varied reasons does not emerge again until it is time to go home. Teachers often experience a sense of isolation.
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