CREATING A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS

“We are smarter together than we are apart.”

Rationale

School activities are organized and implemented by building upon the concept of collaborative teams. This staff development will help teachers to incorporate the themes of leadership, communication, and problem-solving into the actual functioning of the school community. According to Friend & Cook (2007), “Part of the success in problem solving is incorporating the concepts and strategies into process as it naturally occurs in schools.” No matter the type of team that the teachers belong to, teams rely on collaboration as the key to success.

Objective / Evaluation

Participants will develop an understanding of collaboration concepts, including leadership, problem solving, and communication and develop their understanding of the steps that can be utilized to facilitate effective problem-solving processes and teamwork.

The effectiveness of this staff development will be evaluated using two tools: a survey to be completed by each participant at the conclusion of the training and a KWL Chart that will be reviewed to assess whether participant questions have been addressed.

Participants

Participants of the staff development will include teachers, administrator, counselors, teachers’ assistants/aides, school psychologists, custodians, and the school nurse and all other school related personnel. Due to the nature of every work environment, all school staff will benefit from collaboration instruction.

Facilitator

The general facilitator will introduce the training, explain the tasks, assess the progress of each group, and summarize and discuss the outcomes. The specific facilitators will conduct the four collaboration-based group activities and assist in developing concrete observations to be presented and shared with the whole group at the conclusion of the training.

Division of Groups

The participants will be divided into 4 groups of 25. When necessary, depending upon the activity, each group will then be further divided into 5 groups of five.

Introduction

Breakfast snacks will be arranged to allow some necessary socialization time.

The principal will begin his introduction to the day’s activities.

Each participant will be given a KWL chart that they will turn in at the end of the day.

Activity #1 – Collaborative Leadership Games

House of Cards

Tactile Telephone Fun

Untangling the Chain

Activity #2 – Participating in a Collaborative Classroom

Did you feel this was an effective collaborative lesson and why?

Were you able to tell which teacher was special education and which was content area?

Do you feel the extra support provided in this environment helped you to complete and understand the objective of the lesson?

How can you relate what we have discussed in this activity to actual school issues?

Activity #3 - Fixing Snacks Together

Group#1Apples, bananas, melon, grapes, watermelon, strawberries, whipped cream.

Group#2Tomatoes, peppers, olives, carrots, olive oil, Italian dressing, cooked pasta.

Group#3Tuna, celery, cooked eggs, mayo, salt & pepper, wraps.

Group#4Ham, salami, turkey cold cuts, slide cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bread, wraps.

Activity #4 - Solving School Issues Effectively

The group has to brainstorm an actual problem that they feel the school is currently facing.

Identify at least three potential solutions to their problem and develop a method for implementation of these solutions.

The facilitator will ask questions pertaining to the process each group went through using the problem-solving steps as the basis for this discussion.

CONCLUSION Summary of groups flip charts

Big QuestionHow can we

improve the school based on today’s

workshop?

How do you communicate effectively?

How do you lead effectively? How do you solve a

problem effectively?

The facilitator will relate to concrete ideas presented by respected authors to support the specific concepts present in this training

“Effective listening & nonverbal communication is characterized by openness, meaningfulness, effective use of silence, and an ability to adapt communication to meet the needs of the task and the relationship”.

“Leadership skills are those that help the group function effectively and progress towards its goals”

“Model of Interpersonal Problem Solving Steps”

Collaboration is essential to your success as a school professional.” Collaboration is an interpersonal style that professionals may use in their interactions with

colleagues, parents, and others”

Evaluation

Fill out surveys Complete KWL charts