Effective Collaboration in Schools

When you work in an educational environment, a big part of the job is effective collaboration in schools.  There is collaboration between many different stakeholders such as students, parents, classroom teachers, physical educators, art teachers, music teachers, computer lab, administration, teaching assistants, school-based therapists and probably a few more!  At times this can be very difficult due to packed schedules or multiple schools.

5 Things to Try Today for Effective Collaboration in Schools

Here are a few tips for successful collaboration in education. Work on the suggestions daily and your school staff will start to work better together.

Build relationships.

Take the time to get to know all the people that will interact with the students who you work with. First and foremost build a relationship with the student.  Find out about their likes/dislikes, goals, aspirations and dreams.  Tell them a little bit about yourself so they will feel connected.  For staff members, it could be as simple as always saying hello or taking some time to schedule lunch with someone.  Once you build relationships, you will be able to inspire each other to do better.

Ask questions.

Learn from others.  Ask questions.  What worked in the past for a student? What has worked with other students?  We are not in the classrooms all the time gaining valuable observational experiences.  Tap into everyone else’s knowledge to get a clearer picture.

Be prepared.

When you do find time to meet, be prepared.  Have a list of questions or suggestions of what you would like to accomplish.  Bring visual examples of what is working with the student. Communicate effectively and try not to use any jargon that other team members will not understand.

Establish general guidelines for Effective Collaboration in Schools.

When you are able to meet, try and establish roles, goals and responsibilities for each person. Maybe even make a list of who will be doing what.  This creates accountability and teamwork. Success in completing your role will establish trust that you can get the job done.  Action speaks louder than words.

Be flexible and respectful.

Remember you are one part of a large team that can help the students.  Exchange ideas.  You may think you have the best idea/suggestion ever but if the team does not agree that it will work you may need to rethink the idea.  Take the time to listen to other ideas and if you do not agree speak your opinion but with respect.

When these ideas are put into practice, effective collaboration in schools and education will emerge helping your students to succeed.

Need More Help for Effective Collaboration in Schools?

One way to improve collaboration in education is to be productive with the limited time that you do have each day. If you struggle to complete tasks in an efficient manner or feel like you waste hours of your time, then teachers, students, therapists, and parents can potentially reach their goals faster by using the Productivity and Time Management Planner because it teaches how to improve the quantity and quality of work you complete each day. If you are looking to accomplish your goals in a shorter amount of time, then start following this step by step process today from the Productivity and Time Management Planner.

If you are in search of methods and strategies to help structure, guide, and support students in the areas of organization, time management, collaboration, and planning (executive functioning skills), check out this individualized planner/agenda that suits the needs of all learners. The Planning, Time Management, and Organization Skills bundle, created by Dr. Erica Warren, a learning specialist and educational therapist, will help students master executive functioning skills.