Teaching As Inquiry- A Reflection

The Power of Three

Over the past couple of terms in our collaborative classroom we have been using the "Power of Three" with our learners for collaborative group work.

The idea came about initially because we have a few rather low learners who struggle to keep up on occasion, when working with just one other buddy. This therefore, leaves the other buddy within the pair swamped with most of the hard work.

By adding another student into the mix, it enables a weight to be lifted off the one student who would have otherwise been "weighted down" with the majority of the tasks involved in the learning and creates a shift enabling the work load to be shared.

However, as with any way of learning- problems do still occasionally arise. The main problem that my collaborative teaching partner and I have encountered is forming the right combinations. We learnt the hard way.
Initially we let the children choose their combinations- mistake number one. This was just too hard. All our most difficult children seemed to place themselves within the same sets of three. Our effort that went into management seemed to escalate incredibly.
We then tried to choose the groups ourselves but even sometimes this wouldn't work because some children would just not work together. It was like a clash of heads- nobody would co-operate.
Lately we tried letting them choose their groups but giving them guidelines they had to meet e.g. one year 5, one year 6, one girl, one boy, someone you haven't worked with before etc. This tends to work really well because they still have some control over the people that they are working with and everyone is included.
The latest way of forming groups we tried is by using an online random group generator and then moving some children around that wouldn't work in some combinations. We have done this with our most recent writing groups and the combinations are a dream!

The best thing about children working within a group of three is there are more ideas floating around rather than just two heads working together. The work load is shared more equally and there is a broader range of skills that can contribute to the learning. The children also actually seem to be way more on task as well.

I personally find the "Power of Three" to be highly beneficial to children of all learning capabilities and will endeavour to continue using it within our learning space.

Collaborative Teaching

The term "collaborative teaching" is becoming very loosely used as of late- not really having a stand alone term that truly defines it. This is because, I believe, that no two teachers collaboratively teach exactly like another two teachers.

At the school I work at, I teach in a year 5/6 syndicate with 3 other teachers, who are a lot more experienced than myself. We all have different styles of teaching and over the years they have learnt what not to do/what things work better. For me, working alongside them in a collaborative environment is a bonus- I learn so much from them! Instead of being shut inside your single cell classroom awaiting the horrors that are going to occur, I have support- constantly! This is what collaborative teaching is for me, it's all about the underlying support that you have from and for the fellow teachers in your syndicate and within your school.

When people ask my: Is it hard working collaboratively? My response... YES!  It is, but it is so worth it. With the support I have from my collaborative teaching partner, I am able to learn in a more productive way than I would in a single cell class. It doesn't daunt me when I am being observed anymore because, you are being constantly observed anyway! The feedback I receive is daily instead of once every now and again, and my feedback to my collaborative teaching partner is also valued- no matter how different our experience levels are.

I'm still a BT and without the support of my team and teaching partner- I'd be half-way lost, buried in a deepening hole of stress and worry. Not to say, I don't stress and worry now, I do, but I have guidance to get through it everyday.

Teaching collaboratively has been an exhausting, stressful and challenging journey so far. However, I love coming to school everyday- knowing that I don't have to teach these kids on my own, knowing that my co-teacher is there for me, knowing that I will make it out alive.
It won't always be happy smiles and wonderful days, don't get me wrong, we have bad days too. Someone else is just there with you. They can back you up. You're exposed to ways of teaching you never dreamed of. You develop strong rapports with a wider range of children and they learn that "Hey! Working alongside this child and this child isn't really so bad".

You may not accomplish as much as fast in a collaborative environment as you would in a single cell classroom, but we teachers, and the children are going to be better prepared for the future. The skills being developed will take everyone further than before!