Teachers Network and Share

Collaborating with Other Teachers to Build Curriculum and Resources

May 8, 2008

Has working with other teachers become too stressful? Here's how to collaborate.

Working with other more seasoned teachers can be a motivating experience for a new teacher, and some of the best teachers are those who have found a way to motivate their learners while networking and sharing ideas with other teachers. All teachers are overworked and underpaid and many find the stress of teaching too unbearable to manage. Here are some strategies for lowering the pressure and creating a friendlier system for working together.

Plan Lesson Plans Together

The truth is, you don't need to prepare lesson plans all on your own, but unfortunately, many first year teachers think it is one of the ways to survive in a new school. Consider finding the teacher with whom you feel most comfortable and suggest planning lessons together. Perhaps you teach the same grades and use the same textbook. Two heads work much better than one; in fact, it can even be a lifesaver during your first year of teaching.

Share Classroom Management Issues

The hardest experience for any new teacher is managing a classroom. Even in a school where there are minimal discipline problems, there are still classroom management issues that pertain to classroom organization and management styles. So, share your positive reinforcement tips or how you dealt with a difficult group of students.

Believe in Your Teaching Skills

It is easy for a new teacher to feel in the minority. Sharing your ideas with other teachers, especially in your first year, can be intimidating, but if you never share your ideas, resources, activities, other teachers won't know your shining light. Sharing is the most important element when collaborating with other teachers.

During the teachers' meetings, always have something to share such as handy worksheet, a good classroom experience or discussion that worked well. Let other, more seasoned teachers share their ideas first, but never underestimate your potential.

You'll want to avoid going into too many specifics all at once, such as sharing the details about a confrontation with a parent. Those are relevant issues, which you can discuss with your teacher mentor or even write about in your reflective journal.

Teamwork or collaboration has become a very significant quality that teachers and administrators perceive as most favorable. Teachers should use collaborative methods as they strive to reach more challenges.

The copyright of the article Teachers Network and Share in New Teacher Support is owned by Dorit Sasson. Permission to republish Teachers Network and Share in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.