The role of a senior management member in facilitating collaboration between a group of secondary school teachers

Abstract

Studies have shown that collaboration within and between schools is not only beneficial for teachers but will have an effect on student learning. This collaboration can take place in many different ways and at many different levels within the school. A review of the literature has shown that great benefits are to be gained by introducing a culture of collaboration into a school. Reviewing the literature has also served to outline the difficulties both teachers and school leaders will face along the way. The research was carried out in the form of a Research Project involving a group of teachers and the researcher trying out some simple forms of collaboration within the limited time available. The participants were also given the chance to read some examples of literature on the subject of collaboration and reflect on them. Feedback on their experience was collected and discussed. A number of conclusions were reached including: (a) the importance of collaboration to provide support to teachers; (b) the knowledge to be gained from any collaboration within the school; (c) the important role of the school leadership in fostering and encouraging this collaboration and the style of leadership needed for this collaboration to occur. The results lead to a number of recommendations to be extended to the whole school and ideas for further research in the area of collaboration. Collaboration is a 21st Century skill which is a valuable tool in today’s society both within the school context and the modern workplace.