Even though most teachers and school administrators agree that teacher collaboration leads to improved outcomes for both teachers and students, many schools are still not providing enough time for teachers to work together during school hours. Of course, there are many challenges in building a master schedule that gives teachers this time, but there is also a growing body of research showing the significant benefits of facilitating effective collaboration.
Teacher collaboration is an important element for school improvement across the nation, and even more important when it comes to implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach, and certainly worth taking a deeper dive.
Benefits of Teacher Collaboration
We know that when teachers work together, great things can happen—Team Work Makes the Dream Work! Some of the benefits include:
Data should always be a part of teacher meetings. When analyzing data as a team, trends can be identified and discussed at a deeper level. Rather than just looking at their individual students’ data, they can be looking at grade-level and school-level data, and even compare their school data to their district and to others using a nationally-normed assessment.
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MTSS Resources to Support Teachers: |
MTSS is an intentional framework that, at its heart, focuses on growth through collaboration and multi-faceted approaches to student support by integrating academic, behavioral, and social-emotional instructions. In the MTSS framework, teachers and support staff are expected to collaborate to analyze student data and make action plans. Those in need of additional support are identified, and interventions are planned, provided, and monitored. Learn more about the MTSS intervention process in this flowchart.
As is often the case, knowing that something works and can have a great impact is not enough to just simply make it happen. There are many models for building teacher collaboration, including professional learning communities (PLCs), grade-level teams, and cross-curricular teams.
The model that is implemented varies greatly depending on individual school needs, such as student enrollment numbers, faculty make-up (seasoned vs. new teachers), and academic factors. Regardless of the model being used, there are common strategies that will lead to successful teacher collaboration.
Ensure there is time built into the master schedule for teachers to meet |
If you do not make time for it, it will not get done. While this can be extremely challenging, building common planning periods into the school’s schedule for content teams or cross-curricular teams is crucial, as well as times for grade teams, school level, and individual student support MTSS teams to meet. |
Assign rotating roles |
Teachers should take turns with different roles for their weekly meetings. These roles should include a facilitator, a time-keeper, and a note-taker. Additionally, someone should be in charge of creating a weekly agenda, though this role may or may not rotate, depending on the team’s structure. |
Always prepare an agenda before the meeting and distribute it to all team members prior to the meeting |
Teachers should know what will be discussed and come prepared for the meeting. Lack of preparation can lead to unfocused meetings, which is one of the biggest reasons teachers report team meetings turn into time-wasting activities. Check out the different meeting structures necessary for MTSS. |
Provide administrator support before, during, and after team meetings |
Administrators should be involved in team collaboration. They should provide assistance to facilitators working on meeting agendas; they should be aware of the challenges that are discussed during team meetings so they can help problem-solve; and, they should follow up with teachers who need support. |
Consistency is key |
As with any new initiative, remaining consistent with expectations is crucial for success. Teacher teams should establish a reasonable cadence for their meetings and stick to it for the school year. |
In general, when educators work together, they form important professional and personal relationships. Teachers often draw support from each other and can delegate tasks in ways that help them collectively be more effective. More specifically, within the work of MTSS, collaboration is a MUST.
Core instruction teachers, interventionists, school staff, and more, need to share information and insights that enable each of them to understand and support their students holistically. If teachers are not able to meet and/or collaborate in a way that allows that flow of information, it's very hard to be true to the MTSS approach.
Collaboration between teachers contributes to school improvement and student success when it’s done right. Thankfully technology has made collaboration easier and much more streamlined.
At Branching Minds, we have created a platform that helps save teachers time and effort, while building their capacity to have collaborative data-driven problem-solving conversations that drive strong student outcomes objectively. To learn more, request a demo.
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Resources for Build & Strengthen Your MTSS Team & MTSS Culture:
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