Collaboration is Key

According to Rick DuFour, “A principal’s most significant contribution to developing others is creating an appropriate context for adult learning.” The structures, procedures, beliefs, expectations, and habits that exist in a school, rather than the quality of the training, determine the impact of professional development. Emphasis needs to shift from finding programs and trainers to building a collaborative culture in which colleagues challenge and learn from one another.

DuFour offers the following suggestions for developing professional learning communities.
1. Provide time for collaboration in the school day and school year.
2. Identify critical questions to guide the work of collaborative teams.
3. Ask teams to create products as a result of their collaboration.
4. Insist that teams identify and pursue specific achievement goals.
5. Provide teams with relevant data and information.

Teachers need to know that they have colleagues they can turn to as they address the ever-changing needs of their students. They flourish in cultures that support collaborative efforts and continuous professional growth.

Source: Rick DuFour, “Collaboration is the key to unlocking potential,” The Learning Principal, November 2006.