One of the key life skills that I have spoken about it collaboration. I am also a big believer in modeling and practicing what we preach. So if want to instill collaboration in our students than we as educators must be willing to collaborate and model that sill for our students.
This at times can be hard for some teachers. Teachers feel like the classroom is their domain and therefore some can be very protective of that and secondly unless there is a culture of transparency and openness teachers often feel like they are being watched and judged which limits their willingness to collaborate. Finally a fear of failure if they try something and it fails everyone will know.
Given those very real concerns and the fact that we need teachers to collaborate, how can we create a culture that makes collaborating easier?
Here are some of my thoughts and I encourage others to add their own.
• We need to get in the habit of saying “We” and not I and “Our” and not “My”- Sounds simple but this switch shows that we are going through things together and that we are all in the same boat and we are here to help and support each other
• Transparency- This need to begin at the top and school leaders need to model and show a willingness to be open and honest and share.
• A culture of taking risks- Teachers need to feel safe and that they are encouraged and allowed to take risks in a safe environment ( which leads to )
• Teacher Evaluations need to be about growth and support and not gotcha
• Sharing success
I am fully aware that so,e of this is easier said than done but I think they are important starting points.
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