How do you work with others to engage students?

1 Identify common goals

Before you start working with others, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve with your students. What are the learning objectives, standards, and outcomes that you want to cover? How do you want to assess your students' progress and performance? How do you align your goals with the school's mission and vision? Having a shared understanding of the purpose and direction of your collaboration will help you avoid confusion, conflict, and duplication of efforts.

2 Communicate regularly

Communication is key to any successful collaboration. You need to establish and maintain open and respectful channels of communication with your collaborators, whether they are your co-teachers, parents, or community members. You need to communicate your expectations, roles, responsibilities, and feedback clearly and constructively. You also need to listen actively and attentively to their ideas, concerns, and suggestions. Communication can take various forms, such as face-to-face meetings, emails, phone calls, or online platforms, depending on your preferences and availability.

3 Plan and implement together

Collaboration is not just about sharing information and resources, but also about co-creating and co-delivering learning activities for your students. You need to plan and implement together with your collaborators, taking into account their strengths, expertise, and perspectives. For example, you can co-teach a lesson with another teacher who has a different subject or grade level, or you can invite a parent or a community member to share their experiences or skills with your students. Planning and implementing together can help you create more engaging, diverse, and authentic learning opportunities for your students.

4 Reflect and improve

Collaboration is also a learning process for you and your collaborators. You need to reflect and improve on your collaboration practices, as well as on the impact of your collaboration on student engagement. You need to collect and analyze data, such as student feedback, attendance, participation, and achievement, to measure the effectiveness of your collaboration. You also need to solicit and provide feedback to your collaborators, highlighting the strengths and areas for improvement of your collaboration. Reflection and improvement can help you enhance your collaboration skills and outcomes.

5 Celebrate and appreciate

Collaboration is not only a professional duty, but also a personal joy. You need to celebrate and appreciate the achievements and contributions of your collaborators, as well as your own. You need to acknowledge and recognize the efforts, time, and resources that your collaborators have invested in your collaboration. You also need to express your gratitude and appreciation for their support, guidance, and inspiration. Celebrating and appreciating can help you foster positive and lasting relationships with your collaborators.

6 Engage and inspire

Collaboration is not only a means to an end, but also an end in itself. You need to engage and inspire your collaborators, as well as your students, with your passion, enthusiasm, and creativity. You need to share your vision, values, and stories with your collaborators, and invite them to share theirs with you. You also need to challenge and support your collaborators, and encourage them to challenge and support you. Engaging and inspiring can help you create a collaborative culture that promotes student engagement in K-12 education.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?