Six Reasons Teachers Should Collaborate

Collaborating to help students: Image credit

I have been coaching preservice teachers and their cooperating teachers in new literacies integration for several years, and I still marvel when I see effective collaboration! I love to see teachers and preservice teachers working together to improve student learning by creating collaborative networks. Guy Trainin and I are working on an article looking at collaborative patterns and learning how resourceful, motivated teachers seek out the specialists they need to make learning happen for students. And just this afternoon I participated in an #edchat where we looked at the need for increased opportunities for collaboration among teachers, preservice teachers, and students. We decided that collaboration and technology must be valued, taught, and resourced; and 21st century pedagogy must be included in Teacher Education.

I share six reasons why teachers should collaborate and challenge you to consider ways you can model collaboration for your students and student teachers.

1. ISTE Standards for Teachers says that all teachers should posess 21st century skills to learn, teach, and work in the digital age. To model digital age work and learning for students teachers need to "collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support students success and innovation." 

2. Share Expertise. Using Collaborative Inquiry teachers can plan, teach, and reflect with preservice teachers, paras, and other teachers. Team teaching makes it possible for multiple educators to work together to assist with technology, pedagogy, and content. 

3. Save Time. Collaborating online using Google Docs or other collaborative tools allows grade-level teachers to each plan one lesson and end up with a complete unit as each teacher adds a lesson. After experiencing this process themselves teachers can empower students to write and discuss

Global Collaboration: Image Credit

collaboratively online.

4. Get Global Input. Asking questions in a collaborative online network can bring insights from educators across the state, the country, or around the world at any time. Connect with authors, scholars, or classroom teachers to plan activities for students to connect and learn globally.

5. Model for Preservice Teachers. Modeling collaboration for new teachers broadens their pedagogical content knowledge. It helps them participate in school PLCs and social media PLNs. Preservice teachers learn that to effectively integrate new literacies they need to collaborate with others for ideas and assistance.

6. It's Fun! We can accomplish more together than we can individually. As technology changes rapidly, new devices, apps and websites will be difficult to keep up with alone. But collaboratively we can share ideas, student projects, and feedback to be effective teachers in the 21st century.