Why We Need to Work Together

Tuesday, I did a search at Education Resource Information Center (www.eric.ed.gov) on teacher collaboration. I received over 10,000 articles referencing this topic. This week there was an article in Education Week stating that in order to implement common core standards properly, collaboration was going to be key. Two years ago our school tried to imbed collaboration within our daily schedule. Last year our district made a commitment to provide teacher collaboration at the beginning of the day on Wednesdays. I share all this to remind us of the importance of teacher collaboration.


For too many years, educators have worked in isolation. When I look at other successful professional organizations, I always see a team approach. The best hospitals have doctors who work as a team. The best law offices use a team of lawyers to attack a case. The best athletic teams work as a team. Over and over again successful companies, organizations, and athletic teams work together. The old saying that two heads are better than one is not just some cliché. To hammer the point, even more, I would like to share the following statement, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return on their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up…Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV)


Collaboration is the key to the educators current and future success. Collaboration doesn’t mean that we all agree. Collaboration means we share our thoughts and ideas around a problem seeking the best solution while seeking consensus. As educators, our focus is on student learning. We collaborate on what needs to be learned, how we know students have learned it, what we will do for those who don’t, and what to do for those who already get it. These collaborative conversations may involve classroom management, classroom instruction, assessments, assessment results, etc. Again, addressing these issues is best done as a collaborative team using the expertise of you as professionals rather than in isolation. The more we do together, the greater chance we have for success!

Can We Help All Students

I truly believe that all teachers and administrators want students to learn. They want the students to enjoy and excel at the subject which is being taught. I don’t believe that all students want to learn. In part, they don’t want to learn because they don’t see the purpose of or enjoyment for what is being taught. This is where the dilemma lies.


For teachers to meet the objective of student learning, they are willing to do almost anything. They are far too often looking for the silver bullet to solve this problem causing them to try the latest and greatest. When it doesn't solve all the problems, they become frustrated. They get frustrated with the trend. They get frustrated with the person imposing the trend (i.e. administration, other teachers, etc.). They may even turn their frustration toward the students or parents.


Students are not machines that are broken down and can be fixed using an owner’s manual. They are humans that have varying degrees of interest and ability. Each individual that walks into the classroom comes with a set of characteristics that cause them to have more aptitude or tolerance for various subjects, behaviors, and/or expectations. A one size fits all approach to curriculum, instruction, and classroom management will never work. No wonder teachers and administrators become so frustrated when the hope of a new program or technology that will have all students actively learning and passing that high stakes assessment does not work. It will never work. If we adopt a program that we believe will solve all our ills, the program is doomed to failure.


As Marzano states, educating students is both an art and science. Certain strategies lend themselves to provide more success than others. They offer greater odds of success but don’t guarantee success. That is why multiple strategies and programs must be implemented to meet the needs of all our students. The science is having knowledge of the programs and strategies that provide the greatest odds for success. The art is the skill of knowing when and how to implement those programs and strategies.


How do we improve our knowledge and skill? First, it is through practice. We must be in the classroom. When teaching, we learn quickly what does and does not work. Second, it is through sharing of ideas. Today, there are so many ways to share ideas. We build in Professional Learning Communities for teachers to collaborate. There are conferences to attend. Technology has provided online webinars, discussion groups, blogs, status updates, video conferencing, etc. Third, it is through traditional professional development. There are plenty of books, articles in magazines and online, and conferences to attend where teachers and administrators can learn. The trend in education has been to focus more on researching practices. Therefore, these conferences, books, and articles should be able to site the “odds” of success.


Educators collaborating and practicing are the keys to student success. We cannot place all our hope in a particular program. We cannot become frustrated with ourselves or others when something does not work. With experience, we learn that one method works with some individuals and not others and more optimally in one situation compared to another. We continue to learn and grow through collaboration, practice, and hard work. When all this is put together, we are increasing the odds of success for all students.