What does Collaboration look like in the Edcuation

For collaboration to happen among members of an inclusive learning community; teachers/ educators come together as equals to create innovative plans to help the students succeed in the classroom.

Why Collaboration is Essential for All Teachers

• Contributes to school improvement
• Develops relations and provides emotional supper
• Encourages the use of technology to help teachers connect with one another
• Allows teachers to play their strengths and learn from one another

A lot of people are naturally good at forming connections and exchanging ideas. It’s beneficial to have informal conversations in the lounge or hallway regarding a specific student’s behavior or an upcoming lesson or activity. It is almost always beneficial to educate newcomers about building logistics and administrative expectations. However, for teacher collaboration to be successful, it needs to be deliberate, organized, and district- and building-wide.

Ways to Engage Collaboration with Students

When students collaborate, they take part in an activity that develops community building and cooperation. Students provide feedback to one another, which sparks new ideas. Working together fosters a setting where students respect one another’s abilities and feel that they can all learn from one another.

3 Ways of Engaging Collaboration

1. Play Games: Collaboration doesn’t necessarily come naturally to students. It is something that requires direct instruction and frequent practice. One of the best ways to train your students to work collaboratively is through game playing. Cooperative classroom games help students become critical thinkers, learn to work with one another and establish a positive classroom environment. The best part? Kids have fun while developing these skills!
2. Moment in the Spotlight: Flipgrid! A simple yet powerful tech tool that allows students to express themselves creatively and amplify their voices. Teachers create grids with topics of discussion and students respond with recorded videos to talk about, reflect, and share via webcam, tablet, or mobile device
3. Safe Space for Discussion: With any form of group big or small there shouldn’t be tension between any voices. Teachers need to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable to share their opinions.

Overall collaboration is key to education. The built of social skills and teamwork skills are put to the test when collaboration is inculcated into the educational environment.

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