3. Knowledge About Each Other's Work
Introduction
(Haley-Speca et al., 2017)
Teachers gain confidence in their peers’ ability to impact student learning when they have more intimate knowledge about each other’s practice. (Robinson, Hohepa, & Lloyd, 2009).
Overview
Click the recording to hear an overview of this page. The transcript of this recording is to the right. (1:03 minutes)
Transcript for Recording
Being able to observe other teachers is a powerful tool to help build collective efficacy. The article from Edutopia focuses on the five key elements that can help teachers become effective collaborators. Teacher collaboration is an important aspect of teaching since teaching is not an isolated practice. While the video Time Matters: Teacher Collaboration for Learning from Stanford SCOPE, follows four schools and their efforts to build collective teacher efficacy through collaboration. Through research five benefits of observing other teachers were discovered these include deliberate teacher interactions, setting standards, or how other teachers run their classrooms along with the ability to share lessons and materials. Observing other teachers can also provide new perspectives and inspiration to try new things.
Learning
The Importance of Teacher Collaboration
Read this article from Edutopia (2018) which focuses on five key elements that can help teachers become effective collaborators. Teacher collaboration is an important aspect of teaching since teaching is not an isolated practice.
Watch this video (13:46 minutes), Time Matters: Teacher Collaboration for Learning from Stanford SCOPE, which follows four schools and their efforts to build collective teacher efficacy through collaboration.
(news.clarku.edu,2022)
5 Benefits of Observing Other Teachers
Interactions: Every teacher interacts with students in unique ways. Which teachers are inspiring, encouraging, positive and fun? Which teachers have that special way of working with kids that can truly make a difference? You don’t have to witness what these teachers teach; You only need to study how they teach.
Standards: You set your own standards for academics and behavior with your students, but what do other teachers do? Observing others gives you a chance to see if your expectations may be too high or too low, and what other teachers do to set their expectations for their students.
Lessons and Materials: Why reinvent the wheel? No matter what you’re teaching, someone else has taught it. Snag a few good ideas, activities, and materials from others who might have just the approach you need for your next unit. You can appreciate the work they have shared by sharing in return.
Inspiration: It’s important to have someone around you whose behaviors demonstrate that approaches to work and life can lead to growth, progress, and achievement. Hang out around those colleagues who inspire you to become a better version of yourself.
New Perspective: Sometimes experience and routines can work against us when we’re so entrenched in doing things “our way.” It can be refreshing to see that learning can be just as effective using a different approach, and it ultimately makes us more versatile as educators. (Mitchell, 2020)
Strategies for Teacher Collaboration
(The Horizons Tracker, 2013)
Critical Friend Groups: a type of professional learning community consisting of approximately 8-12 educators who come together voluntarily at least once a month for about 2 hours. (Additional Information on the Resource page)
Learning Walks: a brief classroom visit utilizing a researched-based tool that provides principals and teachers opportunities to reflect on what students are learning, learning strategies, student interaction with the content, and student engagement. (Additional Information on the Resource page)
Job Swaps: Teachers "swap" places and teach a lesson typically in one or two grade levels above or below what they are currently teaching, the swap usually lasts for one class period. Once the swap is complete the teachers "report out" to one another. (Additional information on the Resource page)
Staff Meeting Commercials: Short videos that are watched during staff meetings so other departments, teams, etc can see what is happening in classrooms across the school.
Lesson Study: An approach is a method of professional development that encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching practice through a cyclical process of collaborative lesson planning, lesson observation, and examination of student learning. (Additional information on the Resources page)
Summary of Knowledge About Each Other's Work
Reflection: Answer the following questions on the notetaking page.
In what ways does your district/school provide opportunities for teacher collaboration/observation?
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