Teacher Collaboration
Activity timeframe
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Summary: This article talks about the importance of emotional intelligence in building effective school teams. The article talks about indicators of both high EQ and low EQ in the group setting and also notes the benefits of attending to the EQ of the group as a whole. Source: Elena Aguilar, Edutopia, June 29, 2015 Description: "A team’s emotional intelligence might be the most important predictor of what it wi Read more
Summary: This article suggests some strategies that can be used by school counselors to help students acquire SEL skills. The article notes three key ways counselors, school psychologists, and other student support professionals can promote and strengthen SEL at the middle or high school where they work. Source: Maurice Elias, Edutopia, February 12, 2019 Description: Teachers need not be the only ones responsible for Read more
Summary: This article summarizes the results of a RAND Corporation survey asking principals and teachers about teacher influence in making school decisions. The principals felt that teachers had significant input in school decisions while the teachers responding felt they had much less influence. Source: Madeline Will, Education Week, December 13, 2018 Description: "Almost all school leaders think that teachers are i Read more
Summary: This article talks about building staff culture along three spaces - the physical, the interpersonal, and the historical. By attending to these spaces, school leaders can nourish organizational harmony that can keep teachers and staff engaged for the long haul. Source: Eric Saibel, Edutopia, November 6, 2018 Description: "A school can have all the best structures in place – flexible bell schedules with Read more
Summary: This article points to the importance of professional development in helping teachers implement SEL in their classrooms. The article cites three important points - addressing SEL as part of a coherent learning plan, engaging adults in SEL, using a continuous improvement approach in setting goals and monitoring progress. Source: Stephanie Hirsch, Education Week, October 16, 2018 Description: "As more practiti Read more
Summary: This article provides some ideas on how to build staff culture in your school. Ideas include social-emotional PD sessions, public acknowledgements, celebrations and gatherings, and food, Building relationships and using classroom observations to identify teacher strengths are additional ways to build that positive culture. Source: Mary Davenport, Edutopia, May 7, 2018 Description: ?The most important element Read more
Summary: If schools want a strong collegial atmosphere, they need to foster it intentionally — both across the school and on smaller scales. This article suggests several strategies for building a strong adult culture in the school. Source: Mary Davenport, Edutopia, May 7, 2018 Description: "The most important element of a strong adult culture is that staff never feel like things are being done to them, but rat Read more
Summary: This article presents various perspectives on the proposal to have states include a non-academic measure in grading school performance. The resulting discussion concerns how to measure social-emotional skills and even what skills should be measured. Some believe that testing these non-academic skills is contradictory. Others look for SEL test results to provide justification for funding SEL programs. Source: Read more
Summary: This article underscores the importance of teacher engagement and teacher collaboration through collaborative learning structures. "These learning structures are the most important opportunity we have for fulfilling a vision of excellent teaching and learning for every student every day." Source: Stephanie Hirsch, Education Week, March 29, 2018 Description: "When a school district prioritizes a culture of co Read more
Summary: This article reports on a program at an elementary school near Richmond, VA where teachers participated in service learning projects as part of a professional development day in anticipation of implementing similar projects with their students in their own classrooms. Source: Linda Jacobson, Education DIVE, March 27, 2019 Description: "While professional learning for many teachers has moved to a virtual envi Read more