Inspired example of teacher (and community) collaboration. Watch as a group of motivated teachers and community members transform an overcrowed classroom by revamping the physical space.
First of our “topic of the month” posts: September’s topic is collaboration.
Well, that’s it. Our formal training is over and we are all now officially teachers. Where do we go from here? Our class of student-teachers that we have learned so much from over the last year is spreading out across districts and and taking up a variety of teaching posts. If I only take one thing away from what I learned in my teacher training, it is that we should not go it alone. So, as we move away from each other and towards (hopefully) employment, it is time to think about how we will continue to collaborate and learn from each other. “Collaboration, it turns out, is not a gift from the gods but a skill that requires effort and practice.” ― Douglas B. Reeves, Transforming Professional Development Into Student Results First of all, I hope this website will serve as a conduit for continued learning and professional development. We are still figuring out how this will work, and working out the details of how to keep the momentum going, but I think simply working together to keep contact with one another will aid us greatly (and hopefully others too) in the future. It is essential that we continue to find other teachers that want to learn together so that we can build each other up and become a learning community for each other. In addition, we can draw from the many resources that are already available and that have been created by other teachers who also wish to foster collaboration. Browsing online, I found this helpful article that describes 10 Ways to Naturally Support Teacher Collaboration. All of the advice in the article makes a lot of sense and I will definitely be trying to incorporate some of the tips from this site. Most importantly, I think we really have to fight hard to avoid becoming isolated. I know that in my teaching practicum it was very hard to find time to get together with other teachers or student-teachers to bounce ideas off one another and seek advice and encouragement. As we head out into our profession, I feel that seeking out mentors will become very important for us as new teachers. Best of all, the knowledge we gain from teacher mentors we can share with each other. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Meade Please post any thoughts, resources, and ideas about collaboration over the month of September :) |
AuthorWe are a group of new teachers who just completed our Bachelor of Education program at the University of British Columbia. Archives
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