So Much to Say-- So Little Time

There is a price to be paid for community driven learning- TIME. There are only so many hours in a day to invest in reading, learning, writing, and all that goes with being part of a community of learners. The benefits far outweigh the cost, so I am not complaining, however, it is beginning to impact the time I had previously devoted to blogging.

I was reading a post on Our Virtual Class Blog called 2.0 Riptide. He quotes Konrad Glogowski who after finishing his dissertation establishes research questions that  he hopes to be able to work on in the near future:

1. How do we prepare teachers to teach 21st century learners whose lives are based on rich interactions in multiple online environments?
2. How do we help new teachers move away from what Marshall McLuhan once called the “imposing of stencils” and adopt a practice of probing and exploration?
3. How do we help new teachers acquire the courage to transform their classrooms into communities of learners and transform themselves into participants who can embed themselves in those communities?

These questions are near and dear to my heart because they are the very questions I have found myself grappling with for the last four years. As I have shared before, years of experience working in several large projects that look directly at these very  issues (ENDAPT, TLN, ABPC 21st Century Learners, ASSETOnline and now Powerful Learning Practice) it seems I keep coming full circle to networking, community of practice, true collaboration and what my friend John Norton terms "mutual accountability" among teachers.

MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY
John asked recently on TLN, "What's the difference between "negative competitiveness" and a willingness to trade narrow accountability measures from the outside for collaborative accountability -- where teachers hold one another accountable for teaching quality? He suggests that until teachers seize that ground, they will always be on the defensive and easy targets for top-down reform.

One teacher's response caught my attention-

Teachers need to be seen as professional leaders in their districts and communities, leaders able to work together to improve student learning...  Teachers are either working as silos, not interested in collaboration, or scared to show their areas of vulnerability for fear of ridicule or reprisal.

To "[seize] that ground", convincing administrators, public opinion, media, etc. that collaborative accountability is the best method for improvement, I believe we must expand our playing field.  We need to seize the grounds of media and public opinion regarding education, testing, school and community partnerships, and the nature of improvement and change.  This requires organization.  Where is the teacher voice?

Then it hit me, this is exactly where participatory media can make its biggest impact. Allowing teachers to network together online first - forming personal learning networks around areas of passion and interest and gaining comfort and trust in the nonthreatening use of the medium helps to give teachers the confidence they need to use these tools to hold each other accountable for learning.  Using tools like Twitter, Tapped In, NING, Blogs, wikis, Ustream, Diigo, Elluminate, etc, teachers who understand how to "seize the ground" can apprentice teachers who are emergent in their understanding of such concepts. Conversing and working at it together in spaces that are somewhat separate from the local context, educators can learn within the safety net of the community and develop the self-efficacy skills and boldness needed to generalize what they are learning to their local context.

WHY IS IT EASIER TO COLLABORATE TOGETHER ONLINE THAN IN OUR SCHOOLS?
One of my consulting projects this year has been CTQ's ASSETOnline project. I have had the wonderful experience of working with Anne Jolly, a professional learning community expert. In a recent conversation online she asked teachers if they liked collaboration and if not, why not. In her true researcher form she compiled the results.

Frustrations that lead to a preference for working alone in some cases.
These include . . .

1.  Not knowing what collaboration really means
2.  Not knowing what is actually expected from those collaborating
3.  Insufficient implementation support
4.  Not finding real value in collaboration
5.  Different teaching philosophies among participants/ little to share
6.  Doesn't spring from teacher's needs
7.  Dictates and limits from administrators about content for collaborative meetings
8.  Teachers left out of decision-making
9.  Lack of modeling/understanding of collaboration by administrators
10. Need space to be creative - tricky to do this in teams
11. Lack of training for collaboration
12. Lack of trust and comfort in sharing with other teachers - feeling threatened
13.  Not enough time
14.  Getting everyone on the team on the same page is hard
15.  "I don't like meetings!"  :-) - a waste of time that could be spent grading and preparing
16.  Need more time for self-reflection rather than group reflection
17.  Others on the team pass off other's work as their own
18.  Too much talk and not enough action
19.  Not enough clout - except in the classroom
20.  One person does all the work
21.  Merit pay breeds competitiveness rather than sharing
22.  The education system is designed for isolation - and the status quo is strong
23.  The atmosphere can be punitive
24.  The school setting doesn't support collaboration
25.  Teachers are overwhelmed and trying to survive difficult situations
26.  Lack of communication about changes and the reason for changes

Feeling that collaboration works at times too, such as when  . . .
1.  Teachers see value in the collaboration
2.  Teachers have similar teaching philosophies and complementary skills
3.  Collaboration is more natural and spontaneous than structured
4.  Collaboration springs from teachers' needs
5.  Collaboration is not mandated
6.  Teachers make decisions about what they collaborate on
7.  Administrators practice what they preach
8.  The atmosphere is trusting, respectful, and comforting
9.  The school is successful at supporting collaboration
10. Teachers have time to think through together what they want for their kids
11. There is time for introspection as well as collaboration

I am curious-
How do you feel about collaboration?  Do you feel safe enough in your school to "seize the ground" or do you hesitate to share for fear of ridicule or reprisal. Do you feel collaboration online is easier than it is locally in your own schools or organizations? Or do you feel the same hesitancy to publish and as a result become "clickable?" Do walled gardens (private online communities of practice)  make you feel safer in terms of being transparent enough to hold each other accountable for what kids are learning in our schools?

What is your take?

 

Comments

[Dan Rehman]

Great post Sheryl. Thank you. I think collaboration is key in all walks of life. To get better at anything, you should surround yourself with people who are more experienced and have more knowledge then you. As well, you should have people in your network who are just like you (to share ideas, successes, failures) and others with less experience (to help move them along in their journey).

I feel that at this stage of my educational journey, I have no choice but to "seize the ground" in the schools I learn in. There will be times when I am successful and others where I am not, but I have to keep the big picture in mind.

Blogging is new to me, and it is difficult but I am going to keep at it. Being "out there" helps me clarify what I am presenting to students and colleagues.

[Pat Sine]

Interesting post, Sheryl. I blogged about it with regard to my immersion in Twitter this year.

[Charlie A. Roy]

Cheryl,
I love reading your posts. I think it is definitely beneficial for teachers to connect with one another and share their craft knowledge. I am currently attending the NCEA conference in Indianapolis and one of the best parts is the ability to network and connect with other principals. The sharing of "craft" knowledge is immensely powerful. Good teachers are good thieves and as professionals we owe it to our field to share our collective wisdom.

[Denise]

Hi Sheryl,

Am all for collaboration. Have been involved in some tension this year at our school because workload has become onerous.
There are so many resources and great ideas around our school but many people are keeping tight fisted about them. During meetings people have indicated they are all for sharing resources but many have not come forth with their resources and are allowing the management of the school to present us with many. There is a very top-down approach happening and I fear that unless we (the staff) begin to, "seize the ground" as you so aptly stated, we will be led into a very dictatorial environment that will be unpleasant.
I have found that being someone that is not happy with the status quo is sometimes a very lonely and precarious position.
Thanks Sheryl for your wealth of knowledge and questions.

[Jenny Luca]

Starting to participate in the edublogosphere has given me the confidence to speak up in my community and make efforts to shift teachers forward in their thinking. It is hard to write that first post and feel like you have something worthwhile to contribute. I've learnt to let go of these fears and just put my 2cents worth in. What's happened has been newfound respect for my efforts from school administration and global networks that are proving beneficial for my students. To my way of thinking, all positives!

[Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach]

@Dan,
I agree, I have always told my kids- want to be a great basketball player? Then hang out with great basketball players and NOT hockey players. Same with life. I try to always surround myself with folks that are smarter than me so I can grow. Keep up the blogging, you are good at it.

I would love to know what you mean by--
"I feel that at this stage of my educational journey, I have no choice but to "seize the ground" in the schools I learn in." Can you unpack that a little for me?

[Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach]

Charlie,

You said.. "The sharing of "craft" knowledge is immensely powerful." Indeed it is. But do you think that most educators know how to do this effectively or make it a regular practice to do so? If no, why not? If yes, examples?
......................
Denise,
You said...
"I have found that being someone that is not happy with the status quo is sometimes a very lonely and precarious position." I agree, but there is leadership for you. Keep holding folks to the higher standard and when you need a shoulder to bounce ideas off of--I am here.
...............
Jenny,
So true- I believe the community really helps us find our online voice and strengthen it to the point it can become respected. Thanks for sharing.

[Dan Rehman]

@Sheryl
"I feel that at this stage of my educational journey, I have no choice but to "seize the ground" in the schools I learn in."
I came in to education at the age of 27. In my first 4 years, I was a first grade and sixth grade teacher. Being new to the profession, I was just trying to understand how the clasroom worked, trying to deliver quality lessons, etc. My job has morphed itself into my current role as an A.P. and math intervention teacher (2 separate buildings, same district).
We have had some difficulties with the current math programs we use K-6 (Investigations and Connected Math). There has been teacher, parent, administrator, and board outrage at the test scores. I believe passionately that students learn through experience and understanding. Having a student memorize an alogrithm without understanding (in order to spit it back on some state exam) doesn't make sense.
So for the best few years I have been trying to lay the foundation for best teaching practices.
The other piece is the technology piece. We are in a upper-middle class town where technology (and the use of it) should be commonplace, not a rarity. I have been spreading the word through informal talks, presentations, and the building of my current site.
Building from a conceptual understanding combined with the use of Web 2.0 tools, is just what this generation of learners deserve. It is not just a program or a tool that make the learner, it is also the people delivering the program and the tools that will influence learning.
This is what currently drives me and helps me to "seize the ground" of the buildings I educate in.

[Dan Rehman]

@Sheryl
"I feel that at this stage of my educational journey, I have no choice but to "seize the ground" in the schools I learn in."
I came in to education at the age of 27. In my first 4 years, I was a first grade and sixth grade teacher. Being new to the profession, I was just trying to understand how the clasroom worked, trying to deliver quality lessons, etc. My job has morphed itself into my current role as an A.P. and math intervention teacher (2 separate buildings, same district).
We have had some difficulties with the current math programs we use K-6 (Investigations and Connected Math). There has been teacher, parent, administrator, and board outrage at the test scores. I believe passionately that students learn through experience and understanding. Having a student memorize an alogrithm without understanding (in order to spit it back on some state exam) doesn't make sense.
So for the best few years I have been trying to lay the foundation for best teaching practices.
The other piece is the technology piece. We are in a upper-middle class town where technology (and the use of it) should be commonplace, not a rarity. I have been spreading the word through informal talks, presentations, and the building of my current site.
Building from a conceptual understanding combined with the use of Web 2.0 tools, is just what this generation of learners deserve. It is not just a program or a tool that make the learner, it is also the people delivering the program and the tools that will influence learning.
This is what currently drives me and helps me to "seize the ground" of the buildings I educate in.

[Patrice]

Thanks for asking about collaboration and providing the thought-provoking questions! This post allowed me to reflect on collaboration. I think we take collaboration for granted in and out of our classrooms - that it will just happen when necessary sometimes. Yet, as you indicated in your lists, collaboration takes much more time for planning and cooperation. Perhaps collaboration is taken for granted because it cannot happen without cooperation which is getting to a different level of group dynamics. In my school environment I don't fear collaboration but I probably am reserved because of the coordination required to collaborate successfully. When collaboration does occur naturally and spontaneously liked noted in your second list, it can be very powerful. No doubt being able to shoot an email to a colleague to get feedback and positively influences the amount of professional collaboration taking place. Additionally, the Web has allowed us to engage in more sustained technology-mediated collaboration. I feel personally like I pull a lot of information from commercial and personal sources. Yet, I don't give back to those channels to create two-way collaboration as much as I should. In general in my school environment, collaboration is still more of a "bonus" than a common practice. I'm inspired to "seize the ground" and look for more ways I can foster collaboration - make sure the silo doors are open then tear down the silos brick by brick! (I'll also reference this useful list on collaboration in discussion with other teachers - thanks!!)