Welcome to tonight's #edchatie discussion - as usual, before we begin, please introduce yourself and remember to add in the hashtag #edchatie to all tweets for the next hour
Liam Guilfoyle here, PP Sci Teacher, PhD Candidate in UL on Sci Teacher Education. Curious about various perspectives tonight on #edchatie. Would it be worthwhile setting out what we mean by the term "Collaborate" before we start discussing if it can be done??
Welcome to tonight's #edchatie discussion - as usual, before we begin, please introduce yourself and remember to add in the hashtag #edchatie to all tweets for the next hour
Can’t forget #teachmeet that happens throughout the country on a regular basis is another example of teachers truely collaborating! I got introduced to em by @magsamond and I’ve never looked back ! #edchatie
Excellent point, Liam. I think it should involve sharing and critically examining each other's practice in a safe, non-judgemental environment using mutually agreed language. #edchatie
Excellent point, Liam. I think it should involve sharing and critically examining each other's practice in a safe, non-judgemental environment using mutually agreed language. #edchatie
I think the current structures and training within our education system here don't lend themselves to a situation of true collaboration yet. There is still a mentality of the closed-door, autonomous independent teacher. I'm hopeful for change, however! #edchatie
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#lessonstudy offers a great way for teachers to collaborate on designing a lesson. Have learned so much personally through this process working with teachers from other schools #edchatiehttps://t.co/MmQ6rYncKn
I find Achinsteins work https://t.co/fx0DHuj1yX interesting here, To often we think Collaboration is all row in together singing the same song. Real communities have diversity and conflict but are vibrant. #edchatie
I have to disagree with your comment about ed training not lending itself to allow collaboration. I found it was through my training that I learned to collaborate with others better! I would willingly open my door and share ideas with other tchrs! #edchatie
Collaboration doesn’t have to happen just with teachers in school. A rewarding experience i had was when i facilitated a workshop on #eTwinning in @UL with the language PME students there. Great to collaborate with them and learn new things from them! #edchatie
That's a really important point. I think collaboration is working and making substantive decisions together -not everyone doing the same thing
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Teachmeets are great to collaborate with other teachers! Maynooth Education Society are holding one in coming weeks and currently looking for presenters. Brilliant night! @Aishling_4#edchatie
I'll happily agree to disagree! I feel we're missing opportunities to formalise mini-teams within all schools to critically improve on certain issues (e.g. literacy or numeracy). This requires more specific training and time, plus trust. #edchatie
I would venture Groups of teachers co-operating to enhance their own teaching practice and delivery. Where I'm using Joint assessment in the QQI system we may be using a common student artifact for different assessment goals! #edchatie
Did you hear Ridley Scott at the #BAFTAS? A #SouthShields lad saying how #TEACHING is the most important profession? And the story of going to art college in #Hartlepool and then #RCA- how wonderful how true how inspiring. He was in art college with my first HOD.
I suppose my point was this may happen better in some schools than others and we might want to examine if there's a systemic or training reason as to why this is. #edchatie
Hi, I work at UL, a librarian by profession and that's an educator role, main interests for this #edchatie are tech in ed, CPD, comms and digital skills
I do get your point there! Agreed! 😉 I think the willingness to collaborate can be lost sometimes in a busy working environment. It takes time, which isn't plentiful on a full timetable! #edchatie
Example I video a student using a calculator for Maths. This may be used by the Communications teacher as an example of a student presentation to demonstrate a skill #edchatie
Just joining now. Joanna from @UAL. From my experience a number of competencies around 21st learning are merely statements rather than substantive definitions. Have no specific definition for your Q, but find The Futures of Learning papers (2) useful goo.hl/5XMMfM #EdChatIE
Absolutely! Collaboration should form part of our routine practice so it moves from being management-imposed to teacher-led. Time needs to be allowed to enable activities such as observation, discussion or sharing of ideas. We're stretched as it is! #edchatie
I disagree with the common Goal. I live in a Village, and we collaborate, but we all want different things from the process. In teaching if our common goal is literacy, its taking my subject time. If my Goal is maths, and Literacy facilitates it I'm invested #edchatie
Toirdealbhach ere. PP principal, French and English. Collaboration is hard to configure sometimes but I'm interested in the benefits for learning. #edchatie
Using Google Docs for subject plans, allows for collaboration as all can contribute to the editing of plan and reflections/ revisions throughout year #edchatie
In theory, yes. But what does true collaboration look like when opinions, world views and experiences are just so diverse from your own? Would you be open to collaborating with a teacher who believes global warming is God's will? #edchatie
And I feel that the 40mins a week 'jc planning' time is perfect for this if only tchrs could be scheduled to be free at same time. We might be lucky to have 2 tchrs off at same time to be able to plan together. #edchatie
True collaboration is difficult, requires a common interest, a group interested and that have the professional practice language and skills #edchatie also needs leadership Complex processes
This is something I'd like to work on... I've done some TT with student teachers & found it very beneficial for myself & students. However I find other tchrs less willing & again I think this is down to extra planning required & maybe a nervousness of opening door?! #edchatie
In reply to
@toirdealbhach, @CiarraiKM, @muinteoirodwyer
Very positive to hear this is a focus on PME course currently. My HDip experience in the recent past didn't emphasise it at all - assignments were done on very much an individual basis. I'm glad to hear it's changed so much! 😀 #edchatie
In the spirit of the chat... I'm starting the carbon cycle tomorrow morning with my second years. Anyone have any mad ideas on an investigation I can do? No harm asking...#science # #edchatie
I agree, and as a result there is insufficient time to consider the terms of reference, the question(s), methodologies etc. that will underpin the collaborative relationship. What about time to reflect in order to develop the relationship? #edchatie
I have missed a lot of the conversation while moving from office to home, so I presume things have moved on from here, but... this seems like a good start point - the question becomes 'is it possible?' I presume structures stand in the way. #edchatie
A good idea that has worked in our school is to plan a block of team teaching e.g. six weeks; while it does take a lot of time to plan, the six weeks is short enough that enthusiasm doesn’t diminish and long enough to see the benefits #collaboration#edchatie
In reply to
@AshDonohoe, @toirdealbhach, @muinteoirodwyer
When I was teaching at College level, I found Teaching students Hated group work! Because their mark depended on the work of others. The overachievers maintained control by doing all the project themselves! #edchatie
Richard Millwood, Visiting Research Fellow, TCD: I would say collab can be around practice (team teaching), assessment (moderation), planning (lesson study), person learning (action research, teach meet, conference, CPD, cop) and well being (down the pub) :) #edchatie
Check out @VCALLEBAUT. I use his Paris2050 model for PD sessions with #science teachers. By the end of the session teachers/students have to come up with a 2050 model for their own community. It might be a bit much for tomorrow, but his work is very interesting #edchatie
In the spirit of the chat... I'm starting the carbon cycle tomorrow morning with my second years. Anyone have any mad ideas on an investigation I can do? No harm asking...#science # #edchatie
To answer this question, of course teachers can truly collaborate but it takes time, practice, leadership, some kind of formal structure #edchatie lot of what is called collaboration is networking
In 45 minutes time on tonight’s #edchatie discussion we’re talking about "Can teachers truly collaborate?"
See you online and bring along a colleague to #edchatie
A very interesting point! As someone who is currently outside the classroom on a daily basis, I would love a way to collaborate my way back in with some teachers! #edchatie There may be some novel Win-Win collaborations possible if we are creative about it!
Collaboration doesn’t have to happen just with teachers in school. A rewarding experience i had was when i facilitated a workshop on #eTwinning in @UL with the language PME students there. Great to collaborate with them and learn new things from them! #edchatie
#lessonstudy not just about planning also personal learning (e.g conference) and most importantly post lesson discussion and reflection. Most valuable is working with teachers from other schools @ProjectMaths_ie#edchatiehttps://t.co/MmQ6rYncKn
In reply to
@richardmillwood, @fboss, @ProjectMaths_ie
I think the key would be framing it not as an assessment of one's work but rather a coming together of professionals with different experiences, expertise and ideas with a view to always improving teaching and learning. #edchatie
In reply to
@richardmillwood, @CuffeL, @daire_lambert
I agree. Developing competencies in the area of collaboration is a 1-3 year lead-in. While some schools are certainly looking at it teachers also need to consider collaboration in terms of their own PD plan. Is this what I need to focus on to move my practice forward? #edchatie
This is something I'd like to work on... I've done some TT with student teachers & found it very beneficial for myself & students. However I find other tchrs less willing & again I think this is down to extra planning required & maybe a nervousness of opening door?! #edchatie
In reply to
@toirdealbhach, @CiarraiKM, @muinteoirodwyer
Assessment of group work is still an open question. Peer assessment can discourage freeloaders, by may enable clique building and bullying. Small group dynamics and micro politics is a big subject. #edchatie
In reply to
@richardmillwood, @muinteoirodwyer, @daire_lambert
Unfortunately a true story for many LPT's out there including myself. The reason why we joined was never for financial gain but to know that pensions are severely affected after 40+ years of service is disheartening and makes me wonder what the future holds in this job #edchatie
Found out today my pension, that I have no choice but to pay into, will be worth at most c.€7,000 a year with no entitlement to state pension despite paying USC, PRSI, PAYE, FEMPI. Add that to pay inequality & the blatant disregard for education our gov has. I’m done. #edchatie
I recently took part in a Maths #LessonStudy and found collavorating with the 6 other teachers a brilliant experience! I took soo much from it and feel i have so much more to give my students now! BUT was massively time consuming outside school time! #edchatie
There may be scope with building a terrarium, I was just recently developing resources for an activity that works on water cycle, global warming/climate change, and modelling...possible to continue extending it to carbon cycling and how it all links together #edchatie.
#edchatie Kids in bed now! Collaboration is about creating a workplace whereby sharing and learning from each other is the way....shared this will all teachers today and know we will enhance this...sts picked the subject to revise, cross curricular. @Engcmco
I think the more collaboration is done the easier it will become over time...as with everything worthwhile it's difficult to do when starting out! #edchatie
My Classroom is my castle and none shall cross! What happens in the classroom stays in the classroom. etc.
(subtext I think I'm incompetent and I don't want any one else to know!)
#edchatie We need a system that rewards rather than tests learning building Self confidence.
Niamh pp here, peer collaboration/observation on a voluntary basis has been hugely beneficial to my context and #teachmeets focusing on teaching strategies #edchatie
The chat has gone past quickly tonight - did anyone make the point of opening classrooms & collaborating through analysis of lesson observation (especially across subjects)?
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True. The exercise would be null if the teacher went to great effort and time designing "the perfect lesson" in advance for his/her colleague's sake. We have to be willing to learn and feel safe asking for help and advice. #edchatie
In reply to
@richardmillwood, @CuffeL, @daire_lambert
#edchatie most teachers I work with have open door policy either to visitors or physically the door is open during the whole lesson. It was a bit strange when I arrived first.
No pressure. When you are ready you should also check out his Five Farming Bridges model on rebuilding Mosul. Collaboration is central to his work and I use him as a model for teachers https://t.co/OR1KwJDRfW Brilliant for #Science learning. #edchatie
Challenging to truly put the learner at the centre and collaborate across subjects at second level, but surely appreciated and exciting for students? #edchatie
We are all just developing our practice, we have to be comfortable to make mistakes to ask for help to learn from others. I always think about how I learned to cook at my mothers hip, my children learned at my hip, I still learn from trying new things, I share #edchatie
We're into the famous final five minutes of tonight's #edchatie
Any last thoughts, ideas, solutions on tonight's subject of "Can teachers truly collaborate?"
We did whereby tchrs went to different subject teacher, great experience, we had prefilled questions to answer with the purpose of gathering learning of visiting tchr. everyone liked it. 2 teachers abstained #edchatie
Yes teachers can truly collaborate; it takes time, patience and much effort; for some it requires a change of mind-set and an admittance that they are not perfect, they make mistakes and sometimes they even get it wrong! #edchatie
