
At Horizon School we teach collaboratively.
Why?
Because at Horizon we try to base what we do on research and best practice as much as we can, rather than relying on doing what has always been done.
Research has shown that high quality collaborative teaching results in:
Why?
Because at Horizon we try to base what we do on research and best practice as much as we can, rather than relying on doing what has always been done.
Research has shown that high quality collaborative teaching results in:
1. significantly higher achievement for learners (Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. 2015).
2. significantly improved student engagement because:
When learners are taught by teachers teaching collaboratively, they benefit because
At Horizon, we have been planning, teaching and learning collaboratively for many years.
In my next post I will write about what that looks like in our school - moving from the WHY to the HOW.
2. significantly improved student engagement because:
- there are 2-3 sets of eyes and ears to notice learners who are disengaged
- there are more teachers who know each learner: disengaged learners can sometimes find that they relate better to a different teacher
- it is more possible for teachers to give specialised attention to individuals and to small groups to meet particular needs
When learners are taught by teachers teaching collaboratively, they benefit because
- teachers learn from and with each other because they observe other teachers in action, can talk about different ways of meeting the needs of learners, solve problems together and can get feedback on their own teaching.
- they get the benefit of more than one teacher’s strengths, and teachers learn from teachers who have different strengths from their own
- the teaching throughout the school becomes more consistent than if teachers all work in their own classes, making transitions from one class to another easier for learners
- teachers’ discussions focus more on how they can raise the achievement or improve the engagement or wellbeing of particular learners, and two or three minds are better than one
- teachers have a greater sense of accountability to promote and enable student success because there is someone else in the room who also notices and cares
- teachers working together are less likely to feel isolated and more likely to be happy and feel supported than teachers working with 30 learners in a single cell classroom. Happy teachers means happy learners!
At Horizon, we have been planning, teaching and learning collaboratively for many years.
In my next post I will write about what that looks like in our school - moving from the WHY to the HOW.