Collaboration. It’s a word we have a lot about, and often believe we do it, but it seems to be more about getting it done than getting it done right. Why? As leaders, we want teachers to collaborate with each other or around our ideas,
We have all been there. We have divided students in groups of four to complete a task together. Immediately, one student takes over, a couple of others happily “check out,” and the other is frustrated because “there’s nothing to do.” What went wrong? Read on
Let’s start with two premises. First, students need collaboration skills for learning, for 21st century jobs, and for life. In school and throughout their lives, they will work in groups; will live within families and communities; will participate in teams and organizations. Second, collaborating is
I had eye surgery nearly a decade ago in Phoenix, AZ. The surgery was conducted by a doctor who was well known for his work with airplane pilots and his team received positive reviews on various apps and local references. My mantra has always been that
When we consider the term ‘collaboration,’ terms such as ‘unity’, ‘partnership,’ and ‘synergy’ come to mind. At the heart of collaboration is also a strong desire to work toward a shared goal and to create of a sense of collective urgency to maximise our impact
Feedback to and from students is a hot topic in current education circles. This is primarily due to the fact that effective feedback has the power to double the speed of learning (Hattie, 2012). Who wouldn’t bet on feedback then? The issue often lies in
This month we sat down with Karl Clauset, co-author of Schools Can Change and Schoolwide Action Research for Professional Learning Communities, to talk about how professional learning models have changed and new ways to promote teacher collaboration. Q: In your work with school leadership teams to
Creating Teams from Work Groups: The Ultimate Staff Cohesion Strategies for School Success (Part II) In order for schools to be successful, the need to be strong from an organizational perspective, as well as from a staff perspective. Previously, we’ve discussed the 7 C’s of Organizational Success:
Listen to Jenni Donohoo and Megan Tschannen-Moran discuss demystifying collective efficacy on the Leaders Coaching Leaders podcast with Peter DeWitt: I recently met with school improvement teams at two secondary schools. For the past four years, both school’s results were well below the Provincial average on
Helping Students Develop the Traits of an Effective Learner Professor John Hattie notes in Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning (Routledge, 2012) the importance of going beyond the parking lot and confines of a school to make sure parents are invited into understanding the