ETL401: Collaboration

When I think of collaboration, I think of proverbs and of social anecdotes, “two is better than one”, “don’t re-invent the wheel”, “it takes a village to raise a child”, “work with me not against me” etc. So it is those things, but more
We know that students thrive and perform better in a collaborative environment. To add some thoughts from a reading by Hargreaves, kids do better when classroom teachers, specialists and administrators pool their skills, but also plan, teach and evaluate together. He makes a distinction between collaboration and contrived collegiality. The latter is an environment limited to anecdotes and only giving assistance when asked, and pooling existing ideas without examining or extending them. This behaviour can sometimes merely lead to confirming the status quo. A collaborative environment differs in that it creates interdependence, shared responsibility, collective commitment and participation in review and critique, which is not always easy. In this environment, student achievement is positively affected.