Running Head: COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION 1

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Allie Yowell

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2017

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Introduction

All effective teachers have mastered the art of communication and collaboration, as it is

critical to perform any task. Throughout the first four weeks of this first placement I have quickly

learned that everything a teacher does requires efficient communication and the ability to work

collaboratively. The idea that a teacher can work in isolation and still be successful is unrealistic

in todays world. Being a teacher in a public school requires consistent communication and

collaboration with students, parents, administration, school specialists, and other teachers. It is

almost overwhelming to see the amount of meetings and collaborative planning my cooperating

teacher is a part of. Nevertheless, it is evident that these efforts ensure that she is always on track,

meeting performance goals, promoting student growth, working with parents to help students,

and using resources outside of her own experience. It is extremely beneficial for me to see how

much more efficient my cooperating teacher is when she works with her grade level team and

school specialists to plan lessons and assessments.

Rationale

As a result of my schools effort to promote collaboration and team planning, I have had

the opportunity to take part in many meetings and planning sessions. I have worked with other

grade level teachers, the reading specialist, the math specialist, the gifted specialist and the web

resources specialists in different settings to align lessons with the schools goals. In one of the

meetings, we had to plan the next quarterly writing piece. As set by the schools standards, it

needed to be an expository piece that focused on some aspect of the science curriculum.

For my first artifact, I chose the RAFT writing assignment that we developed during this

planning time. The whole grade level and the specialist teams worked together to develop a
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writing prompt that would be appropriate for this time. I was able to give my input and share

ideas that I thought would work for this assignment. Together, we created a RAFT that focuses

on content that I will be teaching in science for the next four weeks. As I would be responsible

for teaching half of the grade the science content, I ensured that we developed a writing

assignment that would align with the standards and accurately assessed the content. The RAFT

we developed lets the students play the role of a zoologist that will be describing, to the zoo

board, a new animal exhibit they want to add to the zoo. We later created a research guide that

students would use during science to prepare for the writing aspect of the assignment. This was

largely a collaborative effort that required input from each teacher so that the differing levels of

students could be taken in to account.

For my second artifact, I chose a letter that I sent home to my students parents at the

beginning of my placement. I know that many parents want to be updated on everything that is

going on in the classroom, and I wanted parents to be aware that a student teacher would be

working with their kids. In the letter, I introduced myself by telling the parents a little bit of my

background. I let them know what my role was and that I would be teaching the class in its

entirety by the fourth week. Additionally, I told them how I enjoyed getting to know each of their

students and was excited to continue develop relationships with them. I encouraged them to

contact me if they had any questions and thanked them for their cooperation. I truly believe it is

important, even as a student teacher, to reach out to parents and involve them in their students

learning.

Reflection

When done well, communication and collaboration can go a long way to making an

efficient classroom and an effective teacher. Both are key skills that will enhance the teachers
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ability to provide the best learning experience for his/her class. I have been able to observe

effective communication and collaboration take place between the teacher and students, parents,

co-workers, and administration. When teachers put in place these skills, they are creating a team

that can work together to form the best education for their students. Dr. Richard Curwin stated

that, setting up effective communication and forming a team are very powerful tools in helping

children be successful in school.

From Regent I have learned that we are ambassadors of Christ. Every time we

communicate anything, we have the opportunity to represent Gods Kingdom. Therefore, I

believe that we should always be in open communication with parents and faculty, and always be

willing to work with them. I personally often have the idea that I can do things on my own.

When I hold that attitude, I lose the opportunity to share my ideas, learn from others, and

ultimately show Christs love. As a teacher, it is best for the students when we work with parents

and collaborate with other teachers. This literally creates a team whose sole purpose is to do what

is best for the students. Additionally, when we collaborate and communicate effectively and

gracefully, we can be Christs representative to this team; just as 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, We

are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us (NIV).

Being in communication with others as teachers gives God the opportunity to make His appeal

through us.
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References

Curwin, R. (2012). Parents and Teachers: The Possibility of a Dream Team. Edutopia. Retrieved

from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/parent-teacher-collaboration-richard-curwin