'Students' learning and achievement increase substantially when Dissertation

'Students' learning and achievement increase substantially when teachers work in learning communities supported by school le - Dissertation Example In this assignment, I look forward to discussing how crucial collaborating with the other colleagues is in order to bring about a drastic change in the teaching and the development of the teaching resources. For a clear sense of understanding, this assignment is divided into the following sections. Firstly, I’ve tried to point out the various benefits and challenges that were presented to me during the course of my collaboration with the other professionals. Secondly, I’ve tried to point out how my planning abilities were strengthened by my on-going communication with these professionals, and how it helped me with my teaching. Lastly, I’ve discussed how this collaboration has benefitted my students and their learning abilities. In recent years, the shift from a perception of the teachers as solely responsible for educational outcomes to the perception of education as a process that includes collaboration colleagues (teachers and support staff) and other professio nals e.g. a speech and language therapist, etc. has change the way we think about team dimension and working with our colleagues. Team-work is highly important for the success of any activity. Be it a workplace, a football field, or the members of a certain community, teamwork can bring forth amazing results. However, working together as a part of the team is not always as easy as it sounds. Although the benefits that you can derive from the successful implementation are immense, it also requires a great deal of compromise as well as hard work. (Woloch, 2008) There are several ways in which professionals today work together within schools for e.g. in middle schools across the globe teachers usually collaborate in an informal way all the time. These interactions help build up more formal modes of professional collaboration which are directed towards improving teaching and learning. These collaborations are very important for effective learning in any educational institution because t he sum of parts is better than the parts itself. (Wheelock, 2000) Many schools are encouraging teacher collaboration. For example, peer coaching (Joyce & Showers, 1988) and interdisciplinary curriculum development (Brandt, 1991) are premised on teachers' collaborative relationships, as are current trends in the design and delivery of professional development programs (Barth, 1990). Many aspects of currently recommended school reforms call for greater collaboration among teachers (Goodlad, 1984). The trend toward school-based decision making is also consonant with the recognition that collaboration is becoming an essential ingredient in successful schools. Smith and Scott (1990) have asserted that the collaborative school is easier to describe than define. In my opinion, in order to educate children successfully it is very important to clearify your role in the process of collaboration, and also respect the roles of the others. This is important in order to use our input and knowledg e for the purpose of delivering the best quality of education to the children. This is the best gift that you can give to any child: quality education. As in the immortal words of Aristotle, ‘Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than parents, for these only gave life, those the art of living well.’ Hindrances in collaboration: The two major barriers that I