CreatinCreatingg

Collaborative Collaborative ClassroomsClassrooms

The Collaborative Classroom

ATTRIBUTES

► Demonstrates teachers and other educational staff working together to model collaborative strategies of cooperation

► Reflects coequality, co-participation, and reciprocity among teachers and other educational staff

► Celebrates diversity within the classroom and progressively remove barriers to child learning through methods of creative problem solving

► Educational goals and classroom requirements are collaboratively determined by teachers with support from parents, administrator and others.

► There is an understanding of Equality and Equity.

Collaborative Teaming

Collaborative Teaming is people working together to achieve a common goal(s)

“Working Together” means that a positive interdependence exists among team members who agree both to pool and partition their resources and rewards and to operate from a foundation of shared values

A “Common Goal” is derived from the team and not the individual. (Snell & Janney, 2000, p. 3)

Collaborative TeamsCollaborative Teams

may be considered as the

adult version of aCooperative Learning

GroupANDIs significantly influenced by Who is Involved?, Is there a Common Vision?, How does the Team Function and How does it’s Members Communicate and organize?

OR THE TEAM WILL FAIL

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;

All the king’s horses,

And all the king’s men,

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

Why do TEAMs Fail?

Why couldn’t ALL the King’s Horses and ALL the King’s Men put Humpty Dumpty together again?

• Team Membership Issues

• Effectiveness of Team Operations

• Shared Values of the Team Members

Collaborative TeamingCollaborative Teaming is a is a transdisciplinary approach to team transdisciplinary approach to team

functioning that is. . .functioning that is. . .

• based on mutual goals within a based on mutual goals within a

framework of similar beliefs;framework of similar beliefs;

• requires parity among participants;requires parity among participants;

• depends on shared responsibility for depends on shared responsibility for participation and decision making;participation and decision making;

• requires shared responsibility for outcomes;requires shared responsibility for outcomes;

• requires that participants share their requires that participants share their resources;resources;

• reflects a voluntary relationships.reflects a voluntary relationships.

Directions:Choose one of the words from the list

below. Begin when we say go, you will have fivefive minutes. Write as many words as you can, using only the letters in the word you choose. The rules:

These must be real words of two letters and up. Use only the letters in the word you choose. Stop writing when the five minutes are up.

PUBLISHINGPUBLISHING

PERFECTIONPERFECTION GUIDELINESGUIDELINES INSIGHTFULINSIGHTFUL

TELEPHONESTELEPHONES PALINDROMEPALINDROME SCAVENGERSSCAVENGERS DICTIONARYDICTIONARY

Directions:Directions:Get into your groups and pick a word that none of you worked on individually and complete the activity again. Remember, you have only 5 minutes! Here’s the words one last time…

PUBLISHINGPUBLISHING

PERFECTIONPERFECTION GUIDELINESGUIDELINES INSIGHTFULINSIGHTFUL

TELEPHONESTELEPHONES PALINDROMEPALINDROME SCAVENGERSSCAVENGERS DICTIONARYDICTIONARY

How was the process of How was the process of working individually different working individually different from working as a group?from working as a group?

You all collaborated to complete this You all collaborated to complete this activity, but the big question is …activity, but the big question is …

Lessons from the GEESE

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the bird following. By flying in a “V” Formation the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.LESSON:LESSON: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.LESSON:LESSON: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will join in formations with those who are headed where we want to go. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position.LESSON:LESSON: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership -- with people, as with geese -- interdependent with one another.The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed.LESSON:LESSON: We need to make sure our honking from behind is encouraging -- not something less helpful.When a goose get sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow their fellow member down to help provide protection. They stay with this member of the flock until he/she is about to fly again or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation, or to catch up with their flock.LESSON:LESSON: If we have as much sense as the geese, we’ll stand by one another like they do.

Each person’s Each person’s contribution to an contribution to an interaction is interaction is equallyequally valued and valued and each person has each person has equal powerequal power in the in the decision making.decision making.

Whether results are Whether results are positive or negative, positive or negative, all participants are all participants are responsible for the responsible for the outcomes.outcomes.

• Participants must Participants must share at least one share at least one goal.goal.

• Participants must Participants must also put aside also put aside differences to reach differences to reach this goal.this goal.– This might be one This might be one

of the hardest!!of the hardest!!

A sense of community evolves from collaboration.

Professionals/students who collaborate trust one another.

If you collaborate, you are assuming responsibility for participating.

Equal participation in decision making

Sharing resources is sometimes the Sharing resources is sometimes the key motivator for collaboration.key motivator for collaboration.

A scarcity of resources sometimes A scarcity of resources sometimes causes people to horde resources.causes people to horde resources.- - Collaboration becomes unlikely when this Collaboration becomes unlikely when this

happens.happens.

Administration can make you work in Administration can make you work in close proximity but only two close proximity but only two individuals can decide to work in a individuals can decide to work in a collaborative style.collaborative style.

Active ListeningActive Listening

AssertivenessAssertiveness

Asking QuestionsAsking Questions

Using Statements EffectivelyUsing Statements Effectively