Collaboration is the process of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal and strengthen teaching, learning and assessing in order to foster a safe and caring environment for all.
Process - Teachers will meet for two collaboration periods per 6 day cycle with one or more colleagues of their choice. These meetings can occur synchronously or asynchronously depending on individual schedules.
Non-negotiables
- Every teacher will be assigned two collaboration periods
- Every teacher will participate in the collaboration periods
- Every teacher will be able to articulate progress with building administration
- Collaboration periods will be relevant to teaching, learning, and assessment
Below are a few suggestions on what types of activities could take place any one collaboration period. No one activity should be used every collaboration period.
- Learn a new skill from another faculty member
- Work on differentiating instruction with special education teacher
- Work with another department to write a new interdisciplinary lesson
- Prep for an IEP meeting to discuss any issues relevant to your course
- Problem-solve a disciplinary issue.
- Review an IEP with a special education for students in your classes
- Attend an IEP meeting
- Meet with guidance counselor to address student needs
- Work with a new tech tool
- Work with social skills group facilitators to coordinate instruction and activities
- Co-grade shared common assessments
- Work with a co-teacher to adapt or modify instruction and assessments between disciplines
- Hold an informal conversation about how your lesson went
- Set SMART goals for the month/quarter/semester/year
- Host a book club (professional or leisure reading)
- Mentor a new teacher
- Research new learning and assessment ideas
- Work on a school beautification project (mural, installation, bulletin boards, displays)
- Revamp a lesson
- Communicate with regular education and/or special education teachers to address student progress toward goals
- Work with other grade level to address transition related concerns
- Work with a special education teacher to create modifications for a Foundations level course
- Work with special educator to organize and facilitate use of Schoology for instruction and assessment
- Watch a video or listen to a podcast related to the content area
- Design (or redesign) a new project
- Observe another teacher at high school (or in another district building)
- Review student assessment data
- Analyze standardized testing data
- Plan an event with multiple groups
- Plan a new lab or adapt an old one
- Plan a curricular-based field trip
- Write a common assessment
- Discuss common vocabulary
- Coaches checking in on team eligibility by reviewing grades of specific students with teachers and creating a plan
- Participation in a Twitter Chat with other professionals
- Build a professional (non-educational) network to enhance teaching/learning for students
- Create intervention/supports for students
- Or other professional activities that support collaboration