The benefits of collaboration between teachers

I know you will agree with me when I say that teaching can be a stressful and time-consuming passion. 

Fortunate then, that collaboration between professionals, when executed well, can relieve a significant amount of this burden and workload.  Whether done within school or between schools, here are the main benefits we have identified here at My Education Exchange.

1. It improves subject knowledge

Collaborating with others helps us to learn from one another.  Putting two or more experienced and dedicated professionals in the same space, passionately discussing their subjects benefits everyone involved.  It’s only to be expected that lot of new learning is bound to take place in such an environment.

2. It enables professionals to share best practice in teaching and learning

Experienced and highly proficient practitioners are able to help their colleagues to grow by sharing their expertise and this works both ways.  It builds the confidence of the person sharing their knowledge, whilst simultaneously helping the recipient who is learning from a different experience.

3. It can provide emotional support

The relationships we form with others are vital for our wellbeing at work and at home.  Well formed relationships developed through collaboration provide us with the opportunity to lend an ear or benefit from some friendly words and advice, whether it be about an issue in the class or external pressures we all face such as that looming OFSTED inspection!

4. It enables professionals to brainstorm creative ideas

Brainstorming in a group allows professionals to focus on a topic and contribute to the free flow of ideas. One importance of teacher collaboration in education is that it encourages them to come out of their comfort zones by sharing their ideas as well as expand their knowledge by building on other people’s ideas. With the help of peer-to-peer collaboration, teachers can come up with ideas that they have never thought of before.

5. It improves outcomes for students

Spend any time speaking to any of our dedicated professional who work with children and young people on a daily basis and it’s clear who their number one priority are; the students they teach.  Confident, well informed teaching staff who are dedicated to proactive improvement of their practice are only going to help their students to thrive in the classroom.

6. It can save you time!

Time waits for no one and in education, it is certainly a precious commodity.  Collaboration is a way to reduce your workload and free some time for you to spend recharging those batteries ready for another day in the classroom.  It can also be carried out online and at a time that is convenient to everyone engaged in the process.

 7. It promotes professional growth and development

Through the power of collaboration, professionals can draw on the experience of other practitioners who have acquired mastery over the skills they are trying to develop. Those who engage in the collaborative process can self-reflect on who they are as practitioners and learners. Interaction, dialogue, feedback, and exchange of ideas are just a few of teacher collaboration examples that help teachers build good working relations with their peers.

8. It can promote the success of school, academy and national initiatives

Initiatives, when introduced, can often seem like a burden on those who are expected to deliver them.  Initiatives introduced by schools, academies and on a national scale are generally introduced with a careful thought, rationale and a genuine focus on the children we teach.  Trying to implement them alone and in isolation is often the problem.  In an environment of collaboration, particularly when professionals are invested in and understand the initiatives they are pursuing, achieving these goals becomes much easier and quicker because everybody is working towards the same goal, sharing their knowledge and experience. 

9. It promotes staff retention

It is clear that collaboration can help to reduce the number of teachers who leave the profession.  Supportive head teachers, schools and multi Academy trusts can certainly help to reduce this number by introducing well placed systems and support that is available for their staff.  Peer on peer collaboration that provides positive relationships and builds confidence is effective in reducing burnout and turnover of staff too.

I hope this post has shown you how collaboration can benefit you and your colleagues. 

Now I want to turn it over to you!  Sign up to our email updates to find out how My Education Exchange can help you to find the collaboration that you need to help you.

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