Effective Collaboration
Tips to promote Student Learning
Why is collaboration important?
Collaboration is a style of interaction between individuals engaged in
shared decision making as they work toward a common goal (Burden and Byrd, 2013).
Lets explore the importance of collaboration for each topic: Classroom management, Teacher collaboration, Student Relationships, Family Relationships, School Relationships, and Community Relationships. Although each has its own value, all topics relate to promoting student learning and academic excellence.
How does collaboration affect Classroom Management?
- Successful teachers are considered to be effective managers of classroom environment; organize the physical environment, manage student behavior accordingly, create a respectful environment, facilitate instruction, and interact with others when needed. (Burden & Byrd, 2013).
Best Practices:
- Teachers can collaborate to promote a positive learning experience. Teachers can do this by separating and blending students in based on personalities, behaviors, cognitive abilities.
- Teachers can collaborate to establish rules of conduct, understand consequences versus punishment, Understand the psychology of behavioral problems, and how to prevent disruptions.
For more information on Classroom Management:
How does Teacher collaboration impact Student Learning?
- Colleagues can provide assistance to each other when dealing with student behavior problems, reading or language problems, instructional technology, students with exceptionalities, and other issues pertaining to issues preventing student learning.
- Teachers may also obtain assistance and information from resourceful individuals including principals, counselors or psychologists, special education resource teachers, curriculum specialists, or other district service providers.
Best Practices:
- Build Trust and Promote Open Communication. Successful interpersonal communication must exist in teams, and also, building trust is another essential element.
- Seeking Assistance from variety of experiences. Its widely known that teacher retention and teacher satisfaction can be improved when the collaboration involves novice and veteran teachers.
For more information on Teacher collaboration:
How does Teacher-Student relationships impact Student Learning?
- Teacher-Student relationships are the heartbeat of a classroom. Teachers can build relationships with students to build a sense of trust, communication, and safety.
- Teacher-student relationships that are kept professional, respectful, and have boundaries can have a positive impact on student learning.
Best Practices:
- Keep teacher-student relationships professional and have boundaries
- Keep fostering positive relationships with students. Studies have shown students will achieve better things.
For more information on Teacher-Student relationships:
How do Teacher-Family relationships impact Student Learning?
- Families can provide information about their child at home; teachers can use this information to help deliver more effective and appropriate instruction in the classroom.
- Together teachers and family members can work together to seek and utilize supports such as community based programs, online resources, and etc to help promote student learning.
Best Practices:
- Establish effective communication between the school and home
- Build relationships with families; to work together to seek and utilize resources and tools to support student learning at home.
For more information on Family and School partnerships:
How do School relationships impact Student Learning?
- Teachers team-up with many other school professionals, which include counselors, speech therapists, special education teachers, educational assistants, curriculum specialists and other specialists to collaborate with other school professionals when they have questions about teaching or meeting student needs.
- Teachers may also need to collaborate or discuss with school administrators including the principal, assistant principal and directors regarding various situations such as students in their classroom, professional development and participation in school advances.
- Teachers often join and work with committees that deal and discuss diverse topics involving assisting English Language Learners, curriculum development and revisions, professional development, classroom management, and many more.
Best Practices:
- Develop and maintain professional relationships and communication with other educators.
- Well informed, actively involved in committees and participates in staff meetings and other conferences
For more information on School collaboration:
How do Community relationships impact Student Learning?
- Community collaboration provides students and parents with connection to people with similar concerns that can serve as resources and emotional support.
- Communities provide services and assistance such as child care, parent employment, and programs designed to encourage interaction among families.
- Parent and community involvement that is connected to improving student learning has a greater effect on achievement than more general forms of involvement.
Best Practices:
- Engage diverse families by recognizing, respecting and addressing cultural and class differences
- Develop a society that encourages public involvement and addresses specific family and community needs