Collaborate!
Promoting Student Learning Through Collaborative Practices
Classroom Management
Classroom management focuses on promoting and teaching responsible student behavior. When students act responsibly:
● Students are more responsive
● There are fewer distractions
● There is more cooperationi.e. Set clear rules and expectations, then hold the students to those rules and expectations. Arrange the classroom to best suit learning and behavior management.
For more information, visit http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-management-tips-novice-teachers-rebecca-alber
Teacher Collaboration
Collaborative teaching provides opportunities for instructors to work together with students and for the benefit of students. Some approaches to collaborative teaching are:
● One Teach, One Observe
● One Teach, One Assist
● Parallel Teaching
● Station Teaching
● Alternative Teaching
● Team TeachingRead “Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers” in The School Community Journal.
Student Relationships
- create a positive learning environment
- students gain a sense of accomplishment
A teacher can build a relationship with a student by asking non-academic questions about the students' interests, background, activities, etc. Another way to get to know a student is to hold informal meetings prior to the IEP.
For more on this topic, refer to the International Journal of Instructional Media article, "High-stakes environments and effective student-teacher relationships: Some lessons from special education"
Family Relationships
- resolving problems
- parents' satisfaction
- positive academic outcomes
This collaboration can be done in informal meetings prior to the IEP to discuss the student or in regular communication throughout the school year.
The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education advocates for the collaboration between home and school. Their website is http://www.ncpie.org/Developingpartnerships/
School Relationships
Schools within a district work together to support students and staff members. Various professional development meetings that district teachers may attend can be hosted by the schools or the school board. Different schools may also have specialized programs that district students can enroll in. Individual schools also build committees to help with curriculum and lesson planning as well as teacher support.
The Guardian published an article titled "Competition vs collaboration: are schools working together enough?" at http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jul/22/competition-collaboration-teaching-schools-leadership
Community Relationships
Schools and community agencies work together to support student learning, address problems, and enhance the quality of life inside and outside of the school setting. Some common community partnerships that you may find are:
- Businesses and corporations
- Universities
- National and Local Volunteer agencies
- Social service agencies and health partners
It has become commonplace for small businesses and community outreach programs to financially support various student interests. They may purchase equipment such as basketballs and footballs for sports programs, computers for labs, or camera equipment for the theater and A/V club.
For more on school-community relationships, check out http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effective-strategies/school-community-collaboration