Conclusion
The artist enters the room and looks around, surveying her tools, thinking about the disparate colors on her palate, the varied media she will work with, and the elements she must adjust for in the ongoing work of her masterpiece. She’s excited at the possibilities – how can she bring all of these colors, textures, ideas together and create something beautiful and long lasting? She thinks about the artists who have come before her and what she has learned from them, and she is thankful for the support and critique of her fellow artists in this, her life’s passion, the thing she gets up every morning excited to do. And then she turns around, with chalk in hand and writes on the board: “Today’s agenda,” and turns back around to the shining eyes looking back at her, ready to start the day.
Many have likened teaching to art. I think there’s something to that. Both are creative, both intuitive, and, though you wouldn’t think so about teaching, both often solitary endeavors. For even though much of what we do each day as teachers is far from solitary, a lot of the creative work of lesson planning and project development is. But maybe it shouldn’t always be so. My work these last few years has been focused on that “maybe” -- on collaborations between teachers.
Quite honestly, I initially became interested in teacher collaboration because of my own resistance to it, my tendency to want to work alone while at the same time seeing the amazing products emerging from teacher collaborations in the group of schools where I work -- and wanting that for my students and for myself. Sure, I had collaborated in years past, but I’d never been completely satisfied with the product that had emerged. The projects never felt completely integrated; more often my class took the lead and the other subject was added to it and I always felt bad for the other teacher I was paired with. At the same time, as much as I wanted to be part of a rigorous, integrated project, I was reluctant to give up control of my curriculum, of my time, of my classroom. I was feeling very double-minded about the whole thing and was anxious to explore and challenge this duality in my thinking. So I read about collaboration and talked about it -- and then tried it this year.
I focused on how students and teachers experienced collaboration, and while I looked at quality of student work produced to think about the effectiveness of those collaborations, I was not interested in looking at the impact of student achievement as it is often defined or in looking at how these collaborations impacted teacher longevity or commitment to the profession, though I suspect they would positively impact both.
I attempted several different kinds of collaborations, from quick one-day activities to an integrated project between the math teacher and myself. Sometimes the collaborations were successful and sometimes less so. I wanted to find out why, as well as how the collaborations impacted those involved, both teacher and student. My most important findings were the following:
Students benefit from any kind of collaboration
First and foremost, students benefit from teachers working together. It was clear from the students’ exit cards and reflections that they benefited from all teacher collaborations, even the ones that were less integrated because there was still a continuity, a connectedness that they felt and appreciated. However, where students benefited the most was in the integrated projects. Not only did these collaborations create continuity and connectedness, but they prepared our students for life beyond high school by providing opportunities for growth in perseverance, motivation, communication and critical thinking skills. Our students were challenged, but supported, felt proud of their accomplishment and had fun.
As I became more aware of what worked in teacher collaborations, I was able to transfer some of this to creating effective and helpful student collaborations. From thoughtfully critiquing each others’ work to recording one of their detective stories as a group, they worked together for a common goal. And as they helped each other, they became invested in the success of every other student in their class. I often have thought that instead of just one name as the author for each of their stories, there should be at least three or four. So not only did they benefit from the work of teachers collaborating, but they were able to benefit from the collaborations they had with each other.
On top of that, as I tried different support structures and solicited student feedback, a new collaboration emerged -- that of student and teacher. A co-construction of curriculum emerged and as students felt some control and input over the work they were doing, engagement increased. Students benefit by having opportunities for growth in communication and self-advocacy. And I benefited by becoming a more reflective, responsive, and empathetic teacher.
Teacher collaborations support student equity and engagement.
For Nadia and me, writing our story together, creating our scavenger hunt, brainstorming together, creating our joint calendar, and reaching out to community resources was energizing, affirming, supportive and, well, just plain fun. So when we launched our project, our enthusiasm and the fun we had in planning the project was contagious to the students. Doing the project first also helped with engagement as we knew what the pitfalls were and could help our students navigate through -- there was less likelihood of losing a student
And because our integrated project contained so many different elements and had many different entry points, most students were able to find something that interested them or that they were good at. At exhibition one parent commented how having an integrated project like ours helped students find areas where they could excel and where they could start to build on their success. Nadia said that she felt “very proud of the final work they created and the fact that it "hooked" some students that oftentimes lack engagement.” In thinking about how we see students and how students see themselves, Judith Warren Little (2012) talks about how we tend to categorize students and that "collaborative groups have a way of interrupting these taken for granted ways of thinking about what kids are capable of, and instead creating opportunities that really allow kids to connect with each other and with ideas" (pg 34).
Teacher collaboration also allows for differentiation and personalization because it provides a variety of perspectives on the same task. For example, on the essay collaboration I did with the biology and history teachers, students were able to tap into the expertise of those two teachers and get their feedback from a different perspective than I would have given.
Collaborations can be supportive and unifying for teachers and students ...
As I mentioned earlier, during my collaboration with Nadia, I had never felt so supported as a teacher. Nadia echoed that sentiment, saying that she had been happy “to find an engaging interdisciplinary project that respected both subjects and the academic content equally. It never felt as though one class was the lead - it was truly a team effort.” When things got dicey with the students, when they started pushing back due to the difficulty of the task, we supported each other and re-enforced the validity of our thinking. Nadia also mentioned that she “felt good about the fact that we respected student voice, that we scaffolded and provided supports wherever we could, and that we pushed them and challenged them at times when we could have otherwise given in.” I can’t help but think that our unified front and our willingness to listen to their suggestions created a safer space for our students to push themselves, to step out of their comfort zone.
By creating structures that encouraged student collaboration, students were able to use each other as resources who helped them think through some of the difficulties they were having with their project. It’s clear in their post-project feedback that they valued their peers’ help in the process. Our work on the Encryption Project created a trust between us all (teachers and students) that wasn’t there before and that improved the classroom culture in both of our classes. This more collaborative classroom may challenge some of the ideas we have around what a well-managed classroom and a “good” student look like. Some great learning during our project happened in the midst of noisy and impassioned discussions as my students talked through a struggle they were having. Certainly not
...but autonomy is important as well
At the same time, however, it was important to value and support the need for autonomy or solitude for both students and teachers, as well as distinguishing between those activities that required extended concentration and those that didn’t. Psychologist Anders Ericsson has identified “Deliberate Practice” as a key to exceptional achievement. Deliberate Practice is working on “tasks or knowledge that are just our of your reach,” and this requires intense concentration, which, he says can only be achieved when alone. (Cain, 201, pg 81). This is reminiscent also of Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow” as well as Pink’s (2009) argument that mastery -- “the desire to get better and better at something that matters” is something that greatly motivates us. (pg 109). Writing a story demanded intense concentration. Thinking through the logic of code integration required intense concentration. Providing feedback on a story didn’t take quite as much; proofreading for spelling errors took even less. Creating a quiet work environment that allowed students to immerse themselves in their stories and really concentrate was crucial because this was an activity that required that intense concentration. Providing time, space, and structures for students to collaborate and learn from each other on tasks that didn’t take the same kind of concentration was also crucial.
The same can be said about the work that teachers do. Though much of the current thinking in education is pushing for a more teacher collaboration and encouraging us not to work in isolation, we cannot forget that there is great value in solitary work. I know that some of my best thinking around classroom practice, student needs, or curriculum development during the Encryption project came when I was alone for extended periods of time. At the same time, I loved getting input and ideas from my wonderful partner Nadia who inevitably had thought of something I hadn’t. Hargreaves (1993) addresses this by making an important distinction between solitude and isolation. Solitude, he says, is “a retreat” (pg 72). He notes that in trying to free teachers from isolation, we are instead “restricting them in their chance for solitude” (72). Neither solitude nor collaboration by themselves is “the way” to create an effective learning experience for students. Rather, a more purposeful use of both that can create the best experiences for both teachers and students
Collaborations can challenge boundaries
In the midst of my collaboration with Nadia, I felt more comfortable trying new technologies and new approaches to teaching because I knew that if I couldn’t figure it out on my own, Nadia and I would figure it out together. She felt the same, saying that she “loved working on, planning, and executing this project. As a teacher and partner, I feel that I learned a lot and challenged myself to try something new.” This collaboration also challenged me to let go of the tight grip I had on my curriculum in order to grab onto another kind of learning outcome, a less testable kind of outcome but just as valuable. Developing perseverance, cooperation, and critical thinking had always been teaching goals, but working with another teacher and integrating our curriculum the way we did pushed this to a whole new level, complete with frustration and set-backs, tears and push-back, but ultimately culminating in the creation of something my students didn’t think was possible.
Why? Because in working together we broke down some of the artificial boundaries we create by having subjects taught only in a specific class. In life, there is constant collaboration between scientists and artists and writers and mathematicians. Pixar encourages and even insists on what they call “smooshing.” Executive Producer Darla Anderson goes so far as to say “If I don’t see lots of smooshig, I get worried” (Lehrer, 2012, pg 152). Just as in successful and innovative companies like Pixar, an integration of disciplines can be developed in schools, leading to new ideas, innovations, and creations. The key is to maintain authenticity in developing projects by reflecting real-world problems or products. Forcing students to work on an inauthentic “forced” project is as pointless and discouraging an exercise as a curriculum that consists of filling out a bunch of worksheets.
Another boundary that collaborations can break down are those of race and class, especially student collaborations. When students work together toward a common goal, when they depend on each other and support and encourage each other, those boundaries are weakened and often disappear altogether.
Collaborations are not always comfortable, and that’s OK.
In teacher collaborations there’s a lot of negotiation, especially at first, as each partner tries to figure out how to be faithful to the subject they love and maintain a level of rigor that will most benefit their students while leaving space for a new perspective and innovative work on their subject. But in the midst of those negotiations, collaborations provide opportunities for growth. This goes for both teacher and student. My perspective about what it meant to work with another teacher, what was most beneficial for my students and what rigor looked like were all challenged in this process. I think that this discomfort may be where some of the resistance to collaboration comes in, because not only did I see the resistance in myself, but I also saw it in my students.
My and Nadia’s collaboration had resulted in a project that wasn’t obvious or easy for our students. It required a different kind of thinking that perhaps our students weren’t used to, and this, of course, led to some resistance. When given a choice between comfort and discomfort, human nature pushes us toward comfort. And when we observe discomfort in those we care about, when we are witness to the struggle, our tendency is often to try to alleviate that discomfort. As the proud owner of a flock of chickens, this reminds me of the struggle that a baby chick goes through as it emerges from its shell. The struggle is necessary as it allows it to transition from the structured safety of its shell to the oxygen-filled world that it will soon inhabit. It’s a difficult struggle to watch. Sometimes it will take hours for a chick to emerge, panting as it rests after each little bit of progress, its lungs getting used to the oxygen, its heart growing stronger. Many a kind-hearted person has tried to help a chick along in its struggle only to watch the chick die.
Though certainly not as dramatic, watching a student or teacher struggle can also be difficult. But we need to be OK with the struggle. Collaborations aren’t always easy or comfortable, but they are worthwhile because they help us grow. The trick, perhaps, is to create a space where every failure (because they will happen) is seen as an opportunity to reflect and grow, and every student challenge is seen as an opportunity for students to find their own voice and learn to make good decisions.
Collaborations are not more work.
They are just a different kind of work. Sure there’s a significant time investment up front since the planning process can take a while, but once the project is planned and in motion, there is a lot less work around classroom management and daily planning. With a joint calendar, you all know what each day holds and when the deadlines are, and there is a lot more time and mental energy left for individualized instruction. Co-labor is what it all boils down to. If one person is doing the bulk of the work, then it’s not very collaborative.
Recommendations for teachers wanting to collaborate
So what’s a teacher to do if she is looking to collaborate? I recognize that I still have a lot to learn, but I have taken a few lessons from my own collaborative experiences and observations. First, find a generous, dedicated, thoughtful teacher, one who is equally committed to the collaboration – it doesn’t matter what discipline – and build a project together. The rest, it seems, is all about balance and communication
Find a balance between autonomy and collaboration: This, I think, was one of my most significant findings. Just as collaborations should be nurtured, it’s important to respect and create time for individual work. As Fullen and Hargreaves, (1991) remind us, the contributions of individual work are sometimes undervalued, but for both teachers and students, in the midst of collaboration it’s important to allow for individual creativity and reflection. I first noticed this during Nadia and my brainstorming sessions. We would talk things out for a little while and then just naturally retreat to do our own thinking and then come back together to build on our ideas.
I noticed this also with student work especially in using Google Docs, which allowed for both autonomy and collaboration. It was supportive and productive to balance individual work time with collaborative workshop time, and then to provide time and space for reflection in order to think about what could be improved.
Related to this, while collaboration can be beneficial, it is also possible to “over-collaborate.” While it’s important to let go of some classroom curriculum and not be limited by “content loyalty,” it is possible to let go too much. Keeping sight of who you are and what you’re passionate about is valuable and should be protected. You have to be willing to compromise and let go of a few things certainly, but if you let go too much, fragmentation and frustration will set in. We should create and support opportunities for collaborative work but respect and nurture individual work as well. This should also be a caution to those wishing to create a collaborative culture at their school -- both are valuable; both should be nurtured. Both are part of our human make-up. As Susan Cain (2012) observes, "Most humans have two contradictory impulses: we love and need each other, yet we crave privacy and autonomy."
Help your students (and yourself) become comfortable with discomfort – Teachers want happy students. It just makes coming to class every day more fun. But as in everything, there is a balance. We can’t sacrifice rigor for joy, but we can work to bring them together. There were times when I felt uncomfortable as my students struggled (and complained), but I was reminded that the struggle was the most important part of their learning and lead to their incredible sense of accomplishment. And this was where the limitations of student voice come in. When things got uncomfortable for them in the midst of a challenging project, it was natural for them to want to retreat to a place of comfort. It was my job to hold the line and support and encourage them in this place of discomfort as they worked their way through it. I had to resist the impulse to help these chicks break free from their shell. I could support them of course, but I couldn’t take on the struggle for them. Rigor, in this case, became less about the product and more about the process, the decisions we all made together in moving forward through a difficult project. And after each small accomplishment, after each decision that resulted in forward progression or a lesson learned, there was joy. Having a partner to go through this process with kept me on track and helped me keep my eye on the end goal.
Build Trust and Communication: Sounds obvious, I know. But as in any healthy relationship, these two things are crucial. There is a trust that needs to be established between partners if they are going to feel comfortable stepping out of their comfort zone and having uncomfortable discussions as they negotiate through the collaboration. This trust is built through open, honest dialogue, vulnerability, and generosity. In addition being open to new ideas and being flexible without losing sight of your goals (or maybe even rethinking some of your goals) will allow for more innovation and creativity. By constantly checking in with each other, sharing observations, voicing our concerns and fears, we were able to make adjustments when they were needed.
This trust and communication is also important in creating a safe, stable structure for students to work and push their own boundaries.Though sharing their work made some feel vulnerable, in groups where members thoughtfully critiqued their classmates stories and communicated their feedback in a helpful, specific, and kind way, great trust was built and group members felt comfortable pushing each other and being pushed. And through the open conversations I had with my students, soliciting their feedback and listening to their concerns, making myself vulnerable and acknowledging mistakes a great supportive classroom culture was developed and spilled over into their next writing project.
This is reminiscent of Patrick Lencioni’s (2012) book The Advantage which talks about organizational health. While he approaches this from a business perspective, what he says can be applied to schools as well. He notes that the first step to a healthy organization is the building of trust -- vulnerability-based trust -- where members feel comfortable sharing their strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures (pgs 27-37). This trust results in the ability to have conflict, achieve resolution and grow.
Be willing to let go -- Change is unnerving because we like the “familiar” -- but we also lose out on incredible opportunities for growth when we avoid change. Opening up our classrooms and curriculum can be scary. We’re afraid of judgment, loss of control, and failure. It’s so much safer to retreat into our classrooms and have control of our little kingdoms. Safer, perhaps, but less interesting, fulfilling, energizing, or exciting.
Letting go of some of our content can also be unnerving. We feel the pressure and the responsibility of the task before us. We want to equip our students to succeed in their future educational and career goals. And right now, our culture tells us that passing tests is the best way to do that. But reality tells us something different. Ultimately our students are better prepared for the challenges ahead if they are critical thinkers, if they are resilient, if they are innovative and if they can clearly communicate. And tests don’t measure that. Working with another teacher on an integrated project is one way to develop these qualities. So we have to be willing to let go of some (not all) of our content if we’re going to open up to less conventional ways of teaching those skills than what we may be used to.
I also found that letting go of my more conventional ideas of what it meant to teach writing opened up possibilities for increased student engagement. One student said it best: “I love that my work can’t be wrong because it’s my story.” That was a big lesson for me -- letting go of one thing in order to get something so much more important.
Take risks but keep it real
On a related note, don’t collaborate on a project when it doesn’t make sense to you. It will lead to a lot of frustration for both you and your students. But don’t be too quick to throw an idea out. Sometimes a little tweaking or talking through an idea will lead to connections you hadn’t thought of, and something really innovative and interesting will emerge. Be willing to take a risk. When students see that we are willing to take risks and that we celebrate not just the successes but the failures for what we can learn, they are so much more willing to push themselves and take those risks themselves.
Technology is our collaboration buddy
UsingGoogle Docs for planning and critique supports the balance between autonomy and collaboration that has been often cited. It allows for more choice in when and how collaborations will happen.
Using websites for project documentation and resources creates a coherence and an authenticity to the project. Though a few students never used the website, others used it all the time for handouts, calendar reminders, and instruction. It created one central place for our two classes to post resources so that students weren’t having to go back and forth between teachers to try to find what they needed.
What does all of this mean for schools?
As I started this project, I reflected on my dream school and what motivated me to embark on this journey. While none of my dreams have changed, I do have a new perspective on the role that collaboration can play in realizing those dreams, as well as how collaboration can be supported.
For administrators and teachers I see the need to create a “vulnerability-based trust” (Lencioni,2012) where teachers feel comfortable taking risks and experimenting, where collegiality is actively supported and collaboration is expected, where staff development centers on growing and supporting the whole person, providing opportunities for continued education and development as well as supporting the many other facets of the teacher’s life.
For teachers, I see the importance of space and time in creating opportunities for collaboration-- so that the physical space and schedules in our schools are changed to encourage and support more teacher interaction or “smooshing” as it’s called at Pixar (Lehrer, 2012, pg 152). I also see the importance of solitude in supporting “Deliberate Practice” and of autonomy in giving teachers power and confidence in their decision-making. So my dream school would honor and support both by having quiet spaces and collaborative spaces for teachers. It would provide time and structures for collaboration but also trust teachers to decide when collaboration isn’t the best approach.
For students I see much of the same -- quiet and collaborative spaces along with a better understanding of when each would be most beneficial. I also have a new understanding of the benefits of teacher collaboration for students. Through teachers working together, I see the creation of a community where students are known well and supported, where there are multiple entry points and opportunities for success, where we work together to create a safe place for students to push themselves, take risks, learn and grow from successes and failures. Judith Warren Little (2012) notes from her observations and research, that successful schools were those "that had built robust cultures of collaboration. They had norms of collegiality and experimentation, and these had to go together" (pg 33).
In the end, collaboration matters because relationships matter -- and building healthy, supportive relationships between administrators, teachers, and students is what school is (or should be) all about, because that’s where the learning is.