Teacher Collaboration

Collaboration...

Get Over Yourselfie

This Presentation...

Who Are We?

Carolyn Cameron

Hockey Mom

Band Groupie

Lead Learner

Pit Crew Member

Brad Arndt

Snowboarder

School Teacher

Learning Community

8

Designer of Learning

Nut Movement

Member

Jenna Wilkins

Triathlete

School Teacher

Learning Community

8

Designer of Learning

Nut Movement

Member

Where Do We Come From?

Greystone Centennial Middle SchoolSpruce Grove, Alberta ~ Parkland School Division

*Grades 5-9

*640 Students

*35 Teachers

*12 Support Staff

What Are We About?

What the Research Says...

Building a Collaborative

Culture

Time to meet during

the workday

Focus on essential

outcomes, varied

assessments,

analysis of student

achievement

Develop norms or

protocols to clarify

expectations

regarding roles,

responsibilities, and

relationships among

team members

-Richard

DuFour,2004

Teachers Improve

Their Practice

in the Company of

Their Peers

Effective Teaching Framework

Teacher Learning as a

Collective Endeavor ~ Viviane Robinson

Collective

Responsibility

Greater Diversity of

Thinking

Program Coherence

PLCs are meant to be forums in

which difficult conversations

occur...in order for the instructional

practices of all teachers to change

and improve as the prime route to

producing much higher levels of

student learning.

~Odden, 2009

Collaboration at Greystone

*Scheduled into Day

*Teachers as Designers

*Common Planning Tool

*Look at Student Work

*Feedback Loops

And these “nuts” took it one

step further............

Your turn to be a nut!

• What did you notice about how the game

played out?

• Was it easier to jump in first? Second? Last?

• What sort of feelings did you experience?

• Was there anything that made it easier to

jump in? Why do you think that is the case?

Debrief

Building a Sandwich (or adult beverage!!!) Metaphor for

Collaboration

What do you need for successful

collaboration?

◦ Common Shared Vision - for

us...excellence in student learning

◦ Support

◦ Risk-taking

◦ Openminded

◦ Professional Standards

Greystone Planning Document

Welcome to

Learning Community 8

Flexible Spaces, Flexible

Schedule,

Flexible Groupings

Feedback from Staff

What Do the Kids Have to

Say?

Conversation Time...

Thanks for the conversation. Let’s keep it

going...

Follow us on Twitter:

@carolynjcameron @barndt77 @jennawilky

#psd70 #gcms

Check out our Website:

www.psd70.ab.ca/schools/greystone