  
Working
Together: Challenges and Benefits
The
path to greatness is always along with others.
--
Balthasar Gracian
No matter what model is used to
integrate curriculum or how projects are designed
and used in the classroom, the work of integration,
design and connection is most effectively done
by teachers working together.
As Kathleen Cushman says in “Developing
Curriculum in Essential Schools”,
Developing
curriculum together also gives teachers the
important chance to have ongoing, meaningful
conversation with each other about interesting
ideas in their fields, about how children learn,
and about ways to improve their classroom practice.
The professional community this engenders, recent
research by both Milbrey McLaughlin and Robert
Felner has shown, has a direct link to higher
student achievement. And this holds true whether
such collegial conversation takes place in department
meetings, in summer institutes, or by electronic
mail with distant colleagues.
But working in teams is easier
said than done. To develop new curriculum, teachers
may have to challenge their district's politics,
culture and organizational structure, setting
into place an entirely new culture of inquiry
and professional growth. Where they begin, and
how explicit they make their assumptions and their
process, can dramatically affect whether anything
ultimately changes in their schools and districts.
Some systemic barriers to implementing
team approaches may be best addressed through
structural changes. For example, providing common
planning time to teachers greatly facilitates
collaboration; the creation of pathways, academies
and other “small learning communities”
mitigates departmental separations and promotes
interdisciplinary coordination.
Additionally, some teachers do
not have experience in setting agendas, running
meetings or otherwise facilitating group processes.
Engaging the support of a facilitator, coach or
consultant to model and teach these skills can
promote more effective meetings and positive outcomes,
in the short- and long-term.
Finally,
the personality differences that exist among teachers
can be harnessed to enrich both the quality of
collaboration and the quality of the experiences
offered to students. Some teachers are more organized,
while others are more spontaneous. Some teachers
value “hands-on” learning and the
concrete realities of developing skills that will
ensure immediate employability or the simple joy
of fine craftsmanship. Other teachers may place
greater value on the world of ideas and the needs
of youth to achieve long-term non-economic goals.
Team members benefit from the complementary skills
of their colleagues. Young people benefit from
coming into contact with all types of adults.
Appreciating differences and keeping student outcomes
at the center of the work will allow teachers
from all disciplines and fields to work together
effectively and create powerful learning opportunities
for students. (For more information on the effect
of personality differences in team building see
Center
for Applications of Psychological Type and
search on “teams”.)
The
Connected
Learning Communities Toolkit
pages 65-68 includes a useful tool called “Conditions
for Effective Teaming” that promotes optimal
use of common planning time.
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