Start with a Question

This post was first published on the St. John's Prep GOOD to Go blog and was authored by Chad Konecky. It’s a classroom technique that goes by a number of aliases—peer-to-peer, small-group and team-based learning, to name a few—but at its core, the concept is rooted in  cooperation —a classroom priority at St. John’s Prep that’s been proven to work. A synthesis of 168 studies conducted over the course of 73 years by researchers at the University of Minnesota found that  cooperative learning is almost 150-percent more effective than instructor-focused learning in terms of greater academic achievement, increased persistence throughout courses and programs, and more favorable attitudes toward learning in general .  Another Harvard-published study showed that students working in teams ask more questions and are more engaged than non-grouped students.  Kerry Gallagher , St. John’s assistant principal for teaching and learning, knows the research well, but says th...

In a healthy collaborative situation, I know I can create better work and deliver a higher quality product to teachers and students. This might be the reason that my favorite part of the writing process is going through edits, feedback, and revision. If a person I trust can read through a piece with fresh eyes and perspectives, I am eager to consider their ideas, concerns, and even the most minor wordsmithing. Notice, however, that I prefaced that last statement with the caveat that it must be a person a trust. Taking the time to build a relationship of trust must occur before healthy honest collaboration that challenges all individuals and improves the collective results. Without building that trust, we are left with "half-truths" about collaboration. In Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work , Dufour, Dufour, and Eaker explore these half-truths. 1. "First, educators often substitute congeniality for collaboration (Barth, 2006; Segiovanni, 2005)...

Selfie with this week's Snapchat filter. My Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook feeds are full of sweet little graphics that say "Thank You Teachers!!!" (so many exclamation points) thanks to Teacher Appreciation Week. Snapchat even has it's own filter. The outpouring of thoughtful emails, hand-written notes, and parent-hosted lunches are welcomed and energizing at this point in the school year. But teachers should remember to thank one another, too. As a teacher, try co-planning, co-teaching, co-writing, or co-presenting. We all have colleagues, either from the classroom next door or from a school across the country, who have strengths or talents we have learned from. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate gratitude is to offer to collaborate. There are many ways to do this, and everyone will benefit from the effort. Even students. Co-Plan 1. Get Introduced to New Techniques and Tools You and a colleague teach the same course offering, but not in the same cl...