Teaching and Collaboration: Creating a Community of Engaged Learners

Inasmuch, as the face of teaching practice is changing; whereas teachers once taught behind closed doors in isolation and concerned themselves primarily with their own classrooms, now teachers are encouraged to open their doors, leave their classrooms, and regularly collaborate with various other colleagues. This new paradigm is quickly becoming the norm and the expectation for several reasons. First, teachers now meet with others when data results are received (e.g. reading, math or content specialist consultants). Second, teachers meet within grade level teams, building teams, or across district teams for school improvement. Third, they collaborate with psychologists, school counselors, special education consultants, librarians, media specialists, and with others who play a specialized role and who can provide assistance and insights into situations. Finally, teachers will meet when they have a specific need or question concerning a student to better meet his/her needs (Burden & Byrd, 2013). Whether in lesson design, data review, or interpretation and development of learning goals and assessment, teachers are often found in collaborative situations with their colleagues in professional learning communities, whole faculty study groups, or grade level and department meetings. The predominant importance of collaboration is reflected in Standard Ten of the Model Core Teaching standards recently developed by InTASC with the expectation that teacher preparation institutions nationwide will soon adopt them. Standard Ten states that teachers collaborate with students, families, colleagues, other professionals, and community members to share responsibility for student growth and development, learning, and well-being (CCSSO, 2010, p. 3). The standard states that a core competency in teaching is being able to collaborate in decision making, whether in development of a common purpose and goals, or in developing, monitoring and adjusting instruction, or in recognizing and utilizing the gift of feedback in giving and receiving information from colleagues. The revisions were a result of the new imperative that every student can and must achieve to high standards. Educators are now being held to new levels of accountability for improved student outcomes (CCSSO, 2011, p. 3). Outcomes to prepare students for the global world as productive citizens who problem solve, interact, and interface with one another toward a common purpose