Hargreaves, A. (2019). Teacher collaboration: 30 years of research on its nature, forms, limitations and effects. Teachers and Teaching, 25(5), 603-621. Web.
The article features the role of collaboration among teachers and school stuff. A collaborative environment is understood as a space where teachers and school counselors’ exchange ideas on the methods of work, and implement approaches that allow to merge the knowledge students get in different subjects into a cohesive whole. Collaborative efforts enhance the quality of work on two fronts: on the one hand, they create conditions for fruitful activity of each student and, on the other, teachers achieve better results in educating students when they engage into discussions about their difficulties and methods of work with other staff.
In fact, Hargreaves (2019) states that “[teachers] perform better in their work when others take an interest in them and that there is a strong relationship between friendship and output” (p. 2). However, collaborative efforts may run into a deadlock if they are overregulated by school officials. Thus, Hargreaves found that teachers, in fact, collaborate less if their cooperation is strictly regulated by school management. The author found that the key to a successful collaboration often lies in combining it with competition. When teachers strive first to achieve the best results on their own and then engage into a mutual project, they can employ their best practices to achieve a common result. The article is relevant to my field of knowledge since it pinpoint the difficulties teachers’ collaboration may run into and outlines the ways to successfully overcome them.
Paju, B., Kajamaa, A., Pirttimaa, R., & Kontu, E. (2022). Collaboration for inclusive practices: Teaching staff perspectives from Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 66(3), 427-440. Web.
The article features the importance of collaboration in diverse classes with inclusive practices and speaks about mutual efforts of teachers, teacher assistants, and other staff to implement the best educational practices in classes where children have different educational needs and abilities. Paju et al. state that “the three key modes of collaboration comprise coordination, cooperation, and reflective communication” and along these lines education processes should be built (p. 1). Coordination presupposes the division of responsibilities between classroom teachers, resource and special education teachers with the common aim of involving a child with special needs into classroom educational processes. Thus, a child may take part in some lessons together with the rest of the class and in some he or she will have a special assignment. Cooperation presupposes modification of tasks through collaborative efforts of classroom and special education teachers in such a way that these assignments align with the class curriculum and are understandable for children with special needs as well. Reflective communication presupposes regular revision of teaching practices with colleagues to find the best ways so approach the students. The article is relevant to my field of knowledge since it outlines the best collaborative practices in teaching kids with special needs, and I, as a teacher assistant, intend to use them in my work.
Jortveit, M., & Kovač, V. B. (2022). Co-teaching that works: special and general educators’ perspectives on collaboration. Teaching Education, 33(3), 286-300. Web.
This article features building collaborative partnerships between classroom and special needs teachers to help pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) study better. Jortveit and Kovač (2022) state that co-education should first of all implement inclusive practices that allow to unite children with different needs into a single whole so that pupils with SEND do not feel excluded from classroom environment. Moreover, Jortveit and Kovač (2022) note that “successful collaboration is embedded in the type of instruction that supports the basic premises of inclusive education and appreciation of diversity” meaning that instructions should be worked out in such a way so that they are comprehensible for all pupils in the class (para 5). The two key points of successful collaboration comprise ‘cognitive contract’ when teachers have a common educational goal and ‘an emotional consonance’ that allows teachers to create a positive atmosphere in class. The article is relevant to my field of knowledge since it outlines the best practices in education of diverse classes and pinpoints the two key elements of successful collaboration that can find practical application in classroom environment.
References
Hargreaves, A. (2019). Teacher collaboration: 30 years of research on its nature, forms, limitations and effects. Teachers and Teaching, 25(5), 603-621. Web.
Jortveit, M., & Kovač, V. B. (2022). Co-teaching that works: special and general educators’ perspectives on collaboration. Teaching Education, 33(3), 286-300. Web.
Paju, B., Kajamaa, A., Pirttimaa, R., & Kontu, E. (2022). Collaboration for inclusive practices: Teaching staff perspectives from Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 66(3), 427-440. Web.