Creating the right context for teacher collaboration

More and more research points to the benefits of teacher collaboration and team planning.[i] At the same time, schools and districts look for the right mix of structures and policies to make that collaboration a reality. For example, policy makers lament over the challenges of scheduling teacher collaboration.  How will schools adjust their schedules with the new expectation of teacher common planning time? What is the right mixture of time for teachers to collaborate and plan and instructional time for students?

WestEd hosted a webinar titled, “Using Additional Teacher Collaboration Time to Improve Student Achievement,” that describes some research, case studies, and policy implications compiled by the National Center on Time and Learning.[ii] The webinar includes a framework for assessing teacher collaboration, which could help schools that want to shift their structures and policies to better support teacher collaboration. In figure 1, below, I highlight one part of the framework that describes weak verses strong implementation of time to supports teacher collaboration. It suggests that collaboration time be at least 45 minutes, and highlights the important contextual factor of a school’s master schedule for supporting opportunities for teacher collaboration.

Figure 1: Framework for Assessing Time Spent on Teacher Collaboration From the National Center on Time and Learning[iii]

Key Principles	Evidence of strong implementation	Evidence of weak implementation
TIME: Sufficient time is provided for teachers to discuss student learning needs and share, review, and provide feedback on instructional practices that address these needs	-       Master schedule thoughtfully designed to provide targeted opportunities for collaboration amongst teachers -       Collaboration meetings are at least 45 minutes long -       Collaboration meetings are sacred, uninterrupted, and start on time	-        Teacher schedules are not aligned to allow for regular meetings -        Meetings are sporadic and less than 45 minutes long -        Collaboration meetings are often skipped, interrupted or otherwise not taken seriously

http://www.timeandlearning.org/files/Assessing%20Teacher%20Collaboration%20at%20Your%20School_0.pdf

For schools trying to shift their schedules, it would be helpful to look at the case studies outlined in the WestEd Webinar. They describe how schools shifted their scheduling and other contextual factors to support teacher collaboration.  One school creates more time for teacher collaboration by having administrators and instructional aids cover classrooms three times a year in three-hour segments during the school day. This supports the schools use of instructional rounds.  Another school hires additional PE staff to support teacher collaboration time 45 minutes a day. Finally, another school has monthly Saturday meetings and twice monthly teacher collaboration meetings.

Scheduling represents one part of the larger context that supports teacher collaboration and planning. If schools have trouble scheduling teacher collaboration or planning, it may be a symptom of other contextual factors (trust by school leaders that teachers will use the time effectively, lack of culture favorable to common planning, etc.) influencing the realities of teacher collaboration and planning. Most likely, each school’s approach to scheduling and supporting teacher collaboration will look a little bit different.

---

[i] Goddard, Y.L., Goddard, R.D., & Tschannen-Moran. (April 2007) “A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Teacher Collaboration for School Improvement and Student Achievement in Public Elementary Schools.” Teachers College Record. Volume 109, Number 4, pp. 877-896; Bryk, T. Sebring, P.B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., Easton, J.Q. (2010). Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press – Note: Bryk, et al. focus on teacher collaboration as part of the school-based professional capacity related to the essential elements of “Professional Capacity.”

[ii] Lummis, B. and Gallagher, S. (May 2011). “Using additional Teacher Collaboration Time to Improve Student Achievement.” National Center for Time and Learning. Webinar Four of a Series on Expanded Learning Time. WestEd.

[iii] National Center on Time and Learning. “Framework for assessing time spent on Teacher Collaboration.” Retrieved on October 30, 2012 from http://www.timeandlearning.org/files/Assessing%20Teacher%20Collaboration%20at%20Your%20School_0.pdf