I Want to Hold Your
Hand: Tips for Finding a Collaborative Partner Sarah
Picard
During the first weeks of the school year teachers settle into their
classrooms, build classroom community, assess individual needs and
create classroom environments that encourage independence. It is
at some point during all of this hustle and bustle of the beginning
of the year that many teachers ask themselves, "Why am I doing
this alone?" Many teachers begin to feel isolated. Some of my colleagues
have told me they feel like they are making a decision every single
minute and they are unsure of many the decisions they make. Should
a student be moved into a higher level reading group? Should I move
on to the next math lesson in the curriculum or do I need to go
back and review again? Am I letting one of my students go to the
bathroom too often? Why is she asking to leave the room so often?
They constantly express the need to have someone to ask about
these crucial teaching decisions.
Seeking out a partner or critical friend within the
school building is what many teachers at P.S. 126 have done.
Teachers walk into each others classrooms with student work in their
hands, questioning each other about what they should do for specific
kids; they gather around a big book, asking about strategies for
a first grade reading lesson; and others spend time after school
each day planning lessons with their team members. Many of the teachers
at our school say their teaching is better and they feel more confident
because of these collaborative relationships. After being in this
kind of collaborative culture for several years, I have begun to
ask myself how these collaborative relationships or critical friendships
have bloomed. I wondered how these kinds of critical friendships
could be replicated in other school communities so I went to the
core of these friendships, and asked the teachers how they developed
their collaborative relationships.
What I found out was finding a partner for collaboration
requires patience, time, and commitment for all involved. First,
you need to decide what kind of partner you are looking for --
What area of your practice needs help? Are you looking for help
with classroom management? Do you need help teaching reading? Are
you struggling to understand the new math curriculum? Then,
look around your teaching community for teachers who you think may
be able to be a collaborative partner with you . Ask colleagues
on your grade or in your subject area if they have expertise in
your area of concern. Your principal or staff developer may be able
to help you identify other teachers who could provide help with
your areas of concern. When you have found a teacher or two who
are willing to talk with you, make an appointment to visit their
classroom(s) on your prep periods. Bring your notebook to jot observations
of that classroom and questions you have for that teacher. You might
get some of your questions answered and you will probably generate
a whole new list of questions. After you observe the classroom,
set aside a time to debrief so you can have a conversation about
what you saw and what you thought about what you saw. These conversations
will build a sense of community between you and your partner. You
will decide if your teaching styles and philosophies are similar
and what you can learn from each other. Teachers at our school say
that after a few of these structured conversations, they feel more
open and willing to stop by each others' classrooms to ask questions
and get involved in deep conversations. Hopefully, your observations
and conversations about the observations will lead to similar results
and you will find a critical friend to turn to when you need someone
to hold your hand.
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