Collaboration
Collaboration is a research-based measure from the Tell Them From Me surveys. It is a source of evidence linked to What works best and the School Excellence Framework.
What is it?
Collaboration encourages teachers to grow and develop by engaging with other educators. In schools with high levels of collaboration, teachers share their knowledge and experiences that advance learning for instructional improvement and positively affect student achievement.
The Tell Them From Me surveys ask teachers about their collaborative interactions with other staff at school, including feedback they have received and the sharing of resources and ideas. The results are reported as teachers' average score for collaboration.
Why is it important?
Schools with higher levels of teacher collaboration have higher levels of student achievement and see greater improvements in teaching practice. A professional learning community is developed when teachers discuss frameworks for teaching as they relate to actual experience within the classroom. Such collaboration is most useful for teachers when it is focused on instructional practices.
School improvement links
| School Excellence Framework | What works best theme |
|---|---|
| Learning and development | Collaboration |
Evidence base
Goddard, Y., Goddard, R., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2007). A theoretical and empirical investigation of teacher collaboration for school improvement and student achievement in public elementary schools. Teachers College Record, 109(4), 877-896.
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge.
Horn, I. S., & Little, J. W. (2010). Attending to problems of practice: Routines and resources for professional learning in teachers’ workplace interactions. American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 181-217.
Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S. O., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. A. (2015). Teacher collaboration in instructional teams and student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 52(3), 475-514.
Todaro, J. B. (2005). Community collaborations at work and in practice today: An A to Z overview. Resource Sharing & Information Networks, 18(1-2), 137-156.
Explainers of the Tell Them From Me measures have been produced in collaboration with The Learning Bar. The Tell Them From Me measures are provided by, and remain the intellectual property of, The Learning Bar. The explainers can also be found online within the Tell Them From Me portal. Tell Them From Me and TTFM are trademarks of The Learning Bar.