The addition of PLCs (professional learning communities) and RTI have developed team in more formal, student-focused ways at my school. The learning and collegiality that comes from these teams have served to optimize the work we do with students each day. As schools move from isolation (single teachers in classrooms) to greater use of teams, it's important to make the time and intent to build those teams well with a focus on student learning.
What can we do to develop successful teaching/learning teams.
- Lead time: identify teams early and make the time for team-building days focused on student learning. At times team building exercises can take a lot of time and not contribute to the critical issues and focus of the team. Hence, I recommend that as much as possible the work and effort of the team must center on the overall task: student learning.
- Vision and Goal Setting: As teams start, it is important for leadership to be present to share the organization's vision and protocols. Then it's up to the team to set goals that will line up with vision and meet students' needs. Debate and discussion should be welcomed at this point, and the desired result should be "loose-tight" curriculum maps, actions and protocols--guiding principles that still leave room for response to individual student's needs, interests and passions.
- Nuts and Bolts: Teams need time for the nuts and bolts including supplies, tools, schedules, routines, calendars and expectations.
- Regular Meeting Time: Our PLC meets once a week for an hour (or more). This is a great start, but we often mention that we'd profit from at least one more hour a week as we always run out of time.
How do you build teams and collaborative efforts in your learning community? Time devoted to developing strong teams will serve children well and also provide models of teaming efforts and action that can be replicated in student learning groups. This is a win-win for schools today.
