The benefits of collaboration in schools are well-documented. Working with other educators means better access to fresh ideas, new resources, schemes of work and much more. It also invariably means a reduced workload, which in turn, lowers stress and leads to greater wellbeing.
We know collaboration works in theory – but how can you put it into practice in your daily life? With that in mind, here are some suggestions about how you can work more effectively with other teachers; both online and off.
Nine Ways to Collaborate in Education
- Meet with others (on a regular basis). You probably already attend regular departmental meetings; but how much of that time is spent focusing on collaboration? Try to introduce an environment where fellow teachers feel comfortable sharing ideas; and even better, developing new schemes of work together.
This doesn’t have to be limited to your own school. Take things further by asking teachers from other neighbouring schools to join you. It’s likely that they’ll be covering similar topics with their classes and, like you, will appreciate having access to new ideas or material.
How to get started:
- Discuss with your head of department. it’s likely that you’ll need their support to achieve this.
- Get organised. An online platform / social media group can be useful when coordinating meetings; especially if you plan to involve teachers from other schools.
- Lead by example. By willingly sharing your resources and schemes of work, you’ll be creating an open, helpful environment – which is perfect for encouraging meaningful collaboration.
- Encourage parent participation. Getting parents involved can be tricky. However, with the right approach, they can offer invaluable skills and experience. Try to find out what they might be willing to help with, and if their expertise could enhance any schemes of work that you have planned.
For example, if a parent works as a research scientist, they might be happy to lead an assembly for the school, explaining what they do. Likewise, a stay-at-home parent may be willing to set aside some time each week to help struggling readers, who are badly in need of some ‘one-to-one’ time.
How to get started:
- Send a letter home, asking willing parents to sign up as volunteers (be aware, they may need to complete some forms to legally do so, especially if they’re helping on a regular basis).
- Talk to parents. As you can imagine, parents’ evening is a great opportunity to find out more about what they do.
- Don’t be afraid to ask. Some parents won’t want to collaborate; others will be delighted to. You won’t know until you ask.
- Join in the (online) conversation. One of the best aspects of collaboration is communication. Not only does it help you to feel less alone in your career; it also opens up new opportunities for the future. By joining an online community of like-minded teachers (for example, on teacherly.io or a social media site), you’ll be able to chat about your next scheme of work and get feedback from a teacher who has already completed the topic with their class.
How to get started:
- Do your research. It’s better to join a respected, well-regulated community. Social media is free but unfortunately, is also vulnerable to ‘trolling’ – which can be irritating.
- Be an active participant. It’s tempting to be a ‘lurker’ and simply read what others have to say. We recommend joining in with conversations. It’s a good chance to ask questions and make valuable online allies.
- Be civil. Not everyone will share your opinions – try to remember that the purpose is to support and help each other.
- Pool your resources. Create a central ‘zone’ (this could be a series of folders, a drawer, or even a Dropbox account) where teachers in your department can easily share resources, schemes of work and lesson plans. It makes far more sense than each teacher separately preparing every lesson when working on the same topic.
How to get started:
- Identify what will work best for your department. It might be that teachers prefer having access to a physical copy, in which case, a filing cabinet filled with printed material is better. Alternatively, if they’re happy to go online to access content, an online file sharing system is a good choice.
- Be proactive. Some teachers may not initially feel comfortable sharing their resources. Share your own work first, then suggest they share their material too.
- Collaborate with students. Don’t be afraid to get students involved. After all, they’re the focus of your efforts, and their support and feedback can be invaluable. Get them to help you identify what works in the classroom and what doesn’t; they’ll appreciate being asked to take an active role in their own education.
How to get started:
- Ask for honest feedback. Obviously, this may leave you open to some silly comments; but it’s worthwhile in order to get the ‘real picture’ about how successful the lesson really was.
- Encourage suggestions. If students have good ideas about how to take their learning further, listen to them. It might come in useful for future lessons.
- Let them lead a session. Ask students to prepare a learning session for the rest of the class, with your help and guidance. This powerful form of collaboration not only gets children actively involved with the lesson but also nurtures the teacher/student relationship.
- Search online. There are some amazing lesson templates online, providing you know where to look. Some sites can be unwieldy and difficult to browse through. Others focus on quality and ease-of-use, making it simple to find exactly what you’re looking for.
How to get started:
- Use the right site. Sites like teacherly.io carefully vet the content, which ensures you’re downloading something that has already been tested in the classroom.
- Be selective. It’s tempting to print out as much as possible, but we’d recommend sticking with what you need, to avoid ‘print-out overload’.
- Be generous. Others have willingly submitted their lesson plans for you to use, so it’s a nice gesture to do the same for them.
- Collaborate with the community. Your community is home to a wealth of talent and skills, in the form of local businesses, clubs and charitable enterprises. By developing links between the community and school, children gain a better understanding of the world they live in. Also, exposure to a versatile range of skills enhances their education.
How to get started:
- Get in touch with companies, clubs etc. Whether it’s the local football team or a big business, you’ll be amazed at how many people are happy to come in and work with the students.
- Provide a focus. Explain exactly why you’d love for them to get involved. For example, a local game design company could provide a great introduction to a lesson on coding; explaining its practical purpose in the real world.
- Offer something in return. This doesn’t have to be financial. Sometimes, even a mention in the weekly newsletter is enough; it’s free marketing for them and an enhanced lesson for you – a win/win situation.
- Install a ‘specialist skills’ board. This is a great idea for the staffroom. Use a large whiteboard and ask teachers to leave their name on it, along with any specialist skills they’d be happy to ‘lend’ to other teacher’s lessons.
How to get started:
- Let teachers know in advance. Send out emails/letters in the pigeon-hole, explaining that you’re encouraging better collaboration in the school and that the board will be present in the staffroom soon.
- Put your own name up there! Again, this is all about leading by example.
- Coordinate the skills. Take notes of each teacher and their skill, then get in contact with each of them (again, email is fine) to thank them and suggest how they might use the skills collaboratively in the future.
- Suggest professional development with other schools. Professional development plays an important role in career progression. Explore ways that this development could take place on a grander scale; incorporating teachers from other local schools. For example, a workshop session with a selection of teachers from across the city or town provides the perfect chance to chat informally and forge links for the future.
How to get started:
- Make the suggestion. Professional development is normally organised by senior management, so you’ll need to present your case to them.
- Outline your argument. You may need to explain how this sort of collaboration would be beneficial. An email detailing all the advantages should suffice.
- Offer your services. Mention that you’d be happy to get in touch with other schools to get the ball rolling.
By: Atif Mahmood
Atif Mahmood is the Founder and CEO of Teacherly. He is a former teacher, head of department and director of learning technology. Atif has worked in the UK and Asia and successfully built and implemented 6 online platforms while working for Cambridge Assessment.
