How can you encourage teacher collaboration during professional development sessions?

An example of this is at Design39 a public school in San Diego, CA where every morning there is a dedicated hour of collaboration time. What makes it unique is because there is a strong emphasis on intrinsic motivation, the culture of learning is organic and moves beyond the dedicated space. This flow from structured to organic is a key criteria in how I would define success in this area.

Just as course planning must align to student learning goals, PD plans must align to teacher needs and goals. And as in any class, expectations must be crystal clear. I built a year-long professional development course and ran it for many years at Riverdale Country School. It had two primary goals: enhance teachers' theoretical foundation of great educational practices, and leverage that to create great learning experiences with EdTech. (There were others, but those were the primary ones.) EVERYTHING we did linked back to those goals. They provided purpose and direction. And teachers were clear on expectations from the start (attendance and a final project were mandatory, etc) because they signed an agreement when joining the program.

Strategies for Building Teacher Collaboration Create a truly shared vision and goals. The level of ownership they feel in the process influences how much teachers actually invest in collaborative work. Develop a sense of community. Identify group norms. Use discussion and dialogue. Work through conflict.

Allow the staff to operate in an environment to allow any staff member to converse and partake in dialogues. It gives them an opportunity to open up and share their thoughts. This provides a platform for understanding one another and collaboration.

Many teachers already have things they would like to collaborate on for which they have their own goals. Instead of imposing on them what you think they need, provide a framework in which they outline and communicate their needs and goals. Then give them time to do it. Treating professional educators like students is demeaning and insulting. I’ve been forced to participate in too many pd’s that neglect my professional education and experience forcing me to participate in exercises that do not benefit my teaching practice while simultaneously wasting precious time I could be spending on activities that would. Over 50% of US teachers have masters degree of higher. Treat teachers like the diverse and educated experts they are.

In my experience, creating opportunities for engagement maintains the participant's attention. I love utilizing online platforms to somewhat model what teachers should be doing in their classroom. This often opens the door to questions about how that platform is used and what the benefits of using it are. I agree that facilitating communication is essential in creating a sense of community.

Ultimately, teachers want to understand how a particular PD session can befit their particular curriculum (i.e., grade level and subject). Specific thought should be given to helping teachers implement/customize the PD. If a group of teachers is small, consider including relevant teachers from another school. Also, consider doing the PD online. It is difficult to facilitate engaging PD in person. Some of the best PD I've had were using collaborative products like Lucid Spark or Miro.

Using interactive strategies promotes collaboration, and enhances participants' engagement, a sense of community and active learning. Using online mind mapping tools such as padlets or other platforms for think-pair-share activities and to share findings from different groups. I enjoy introducing gaming apps as well in PDs for reflection. PDs are an opportunity to role model classroom practices and introduce new tools that can be used by teachers.

Professional Development can be hard on staff. It is often provided after a long day of teaching, or on a Superintendent Conference Day. These sessions can reap excellent rewards, if done correctly. Most teachers crave the ability to choose their PD, but also, want to learn from someone still active in their classroom. Engaging in real conversations and modeling of best strategies is the best way to reach teachers.

Providing choice flips it to the educator. They are now in charge of what they wish to learn more about to enhance the classroom. This can allow staff to feel they are gaining the skills they truly wish to improve upon, and motivate them to develop further.

Empowering teachers with choice and autonomy during professional development is not just a strategy; it's a philosophy that resonates deeply with the principles of universal design for learning. Having implemented these approaches within the realm of blended learning, I've witnessed firsthand how giving educators the freedom to choose topics, set goals, and control the pace enhances engagement and ownership. It's more than just a session; it's a collaborative journey where each teacher becomes an active architect of their learning experience. Curious to hear others' experiences with this approach and how it has shaped their professional development!

Absolutely. People learn better when there's meaning and relevance in the learning. In the PD I referenced above, the teachers came to the experience with their own expertise and classroom needs. My program provided a theory-into-practice approach and EdTech tools that could be applied to any discipline. I gave examples of application, but the most powerful results came from teachers who addressed their own needs and interests through the PD experience. One (who had been very much a lecturer) decided to turn her teaching into flipped mastery. She worked on this through three years in my program, succeeded, and told me her students were now learning more (and better) with less effort from her. She said she'd never go back to lecturing.

Providing choice and autonomy should actually be listed as Tip #1. Just as teachers know it is best practice to incorporate student voice into their lessons in order to get the most engagement from their students, administrators must be willing to do the same for their teachers. While on occasion it might be necessary for teachers to all participate in the same professional development, more often than not teachers would be better served by having choices as to what PD they want to participate in. This ensures teacher engagement because they are spending time learning about a topic that is meaningful to them.

Absolutely, fostering collaboration among teachers requires intentional guidance, much like we provide explicit instructions for students. Having navigated the complexities of collaboration in the educational landscape, I've found that modeling and scaffolding collaboration skills during professional development are crucial steps. It's not just about assuming that teachers naturally possess these skills; it's about providing them with the tools, prompts, and frameworks to navigate and excel in collaborative efforts. After all, creating a culture of collaboration starts with empowering teachers with the skills and confidence needed to work together effectively.

In my experience, modeling and scaffolding works well with adults and students in encouraging collaboration. Adults have a variety of personalities, and some adults may be more hesitant to collaborate with others. Especially noted with more seasoned educators, they are sometimes more reluctant to accept new ideas or perspectives. Providing guidance on how to successfully navigate the challenges that may present in a collaborative workgroup will help create expectations of what should happen in a professional workgroup.

Educators appreciate being recognized so even simple forms of celebrations can help. There is a reason why major EdTech brands create badges for educators who complete the self-paced trainings. These badges allow teachers to share their accomplishments on social media and cost little to nothing to create and distribute.

When running PDs you may want to look out for those champions within your context who are already practising what is going to be discussed at the PD. With their permission you can involve them to share their knowledge and experience this becomes authentic and relevant to the workplace. It also allows you to celebrate and recognise another colleague.

Nuzrath makes an excellent point. When I was in the classroom, I resented being forced to used my precious time “learning” skills and techniques I’d been successfully using for years. The fact that my administration did not know this made my efforts feel unseen and me feel unappreciated. Being asked to participate in a role of “expert” would help me feel seen, my efforts appreciated, and give the use of my time purpose. It would also help me feel more open to further developing those skills and techniques.

People work harder under the stimulus of praise. Reinforcement is essential in every form of learning. There is a connection between progressive learning and rewards. Various education theories as proposed by the likes of Edward Lee Thorndike, Ivan G. Pavlov are testimonies to the fact the rewards encourage better performance.

Let them ask questions instead of sharing expectations. Once they have a common question, they will do all what it takes to answer it.