Stop! Collaborate and Listen.

Nowadays, when I see a classroom where there is no group work amongst students, I am immediately shocked.  Students love to talk!  They can learn from each other.  They can verbalize their thoughts.  They can validate their thinking before speaking aloud.  They can strengthen their own skills in a certain topic.  Being able to converse with a partner/group could be the key to turning the atmosphere of a classroom around.

But what about teachers? 

I've gone into some schools where one teacher is the only one who teaches that grade level subject in the school.  He/she struggles to collaborate face-to-face with someone.  It's difficult to plan lessons, create assessments, and analyze data alone.

I've also gone into schools where there are 6 teachers who teach exactly the same thing.  How beautiful is that?!  You see different views on the same topic.  You hear how other people think about your approach.  They will tell you how varying students will interpret your instruction.  They can help you analyze your data.  Finding engaging activities won't take an hour anymore, and setup won't be so time-consuming.  You have help!  You're not alone.

Seeing the brainstorming that takes place in these larger groups is phenomenal.  As long as those individuals work well together, the teachers are unstoppable.

I am definitely not saying that great things can't happen if you teach alone at your school, but it is much more difficult.  For example, if a grade level group finds they didn't score well on a particular standard, they figure out how they can change their teaching from the previous year.   Figure out what worked and what didn't.  If I work alone, I only have my personal opinion and thoughts.  If I work with 5 other teachers, I have at least 5 other possibilities to choose from.  Power.  In.  Numbers.

Teachers are not meant to feel like they're teaching alone on an island.  

So, are you a teacher who feels alone?  Is there no one to talk about grade level content at your school?  Join other teachers!  There are so many things online.  Twitter is HUGE amongst math teachers across the US.  The Global Math Department hosts webinars online.  Read blogs about what other teachers are doing.  There is a lot out there!  Get to exploring!  

Until next time,

-Ms. C.