Making time for collaboration

Abstract

Teachers in countries that are doing well in international tests such as PISA also dedicate a lot of time collaborating with each other. Teaching is still to a large extent a lonely profession. Teachers, particularly those teaching in primary school, spend most of their time with pupils in their classrooms doing countless things – from planning and giving lessons to correcting work and entering data in their assessment log books. The situation might seem less startling for secondary school teachers who usually also spend time with colleagues in staffrooms. Yet, surprisingly, we still tend to hear these teachers say they feel isolated from their colleagues.