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Fostering a Collaborative Culture to Support Educator Development and Student Learning
A critical part of leadership is building relationships and the capacity for collaboration among colleagues. Modeling effective listening skills, facilitating meetings, and implementing group processes help teams become efficient and promote meaningful change in schools. Leaders are also imperative for managing and resolving team conflict and fostering trust among staff. Leaders who create an inclusive culture with diverse perspectives support the development of collective wisdom among colleagues and promote effective, positive interactions between teachers.
Artifact 1
Transdisciplinary units (TDU) are units of learning that offer students the opportunity to learn about topics that transcend content areas. At KIS, teachers collaborate on three units a year to provide students with an opportunity to think outside of the box. To start the TDU, we meet as a team to discuss the unit previously taught the prior year and then discuss the possibilities for the TDU unit this year. Typically, the previous concept is used; however, how students learn and the project we create as a team can vary from year to year. During these meetings, it is important to keep an open mind and think creatively about connecting content areas through the chosen transdisciplinary concept. The document below is a living document that is updated each year as teams work on TDUs and outlines the concepts, essential questions, and enduring understandings that we want students to take away from our units. I have found that working with teachers outside of my discipline has given me more opportunities to think about how my content area connects to the greater world. As a result, it has enhanced the vocabulary I use and the connections I make during direct instruction in my classroom. Still, collaboration does not always come easy for all teachers. I have had experiences with teachers who are rigid in their planning and have had to work hard to earn their trust to create an environment where they want to participate in collaboration.
_PC TDU Overview (April 2022).pdfArtifact 2
Conflict is a difficult and inevitable part of our jobs. Teachers have conflicts with their students, other teachers, and leaders in their schools. Dealing with this conflict in a respectful and clear way is essential for teachers to feel that their voices are heard and for collaboration to occur. As an adult, I have read and learned about various ways conflicts occur and how to resolve them. One of my favorite methods to use is called nonviolent communication. In my current position, I have experienced a lot of conflict between teachers and leaders. When teachers have come to me asking for advice about how to speak to leaders about their ideas, conflicts, and emotions, I have guided them to use a version of nonviolent communication. Below is a document that outlines how nonviolent communication occurs and gives sentence stems to guide the conversation. I have used this method throughout my career when I've had conflicts and have found that it helps to synthesize my emotions, needs, and hopes for moving forward in a vulnerable and not defensive way. As a result, I have found that when I use this method of communication during a conflict, people are much more willing to hear me and work with me to resolve the conflict.
Nonviolent Communication.pdfTeacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium. (2011). Teacher leader model standards. https://www.ets.org/s/education_topics/teaching_quality/pdf/teacher_leader_model_standards.pdfRosenberg, M. B. (2015). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life (3rd ed.). Puddledancer Press.
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