The Benefits of Teacher Collaboration

By Janet Pinto, Chief Academic Officer, Curriki

Do you regularly collaborate with teachers in your own school – or beyond your district – to brainstorm new ideas or exchange best practices?

Bill Joy, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, once said, “innovation happens elsewhere.” The idea is that no matter how smart you are, there are always smarter people elsewhere. Today, communities like Curriki allow millions of people around the world to collaborate on a network whose strength is in its diversity of intellectual backgrounds.

Increased teacher collaboration has the potential to improve school climate and teacher career satisfaction, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for Student Success (2010). Two-thirds of teachers who responded to the annual survey believe that increased collaboration among teachers and school leaders would greatly improve student achievement.

Joseph Estephan

“I find it helpful to build relationships with other teachers and collaborate and share ideas, whether it be face-to-face or through technology – sharing best practices is critical when it comes to being a life-long learner.” –Joseph Estephan, Math Consultant and Curriki member

 

I am principal of a primary division at an international school in India. Curriki is a most wonderful tool to help teachers who don’t have access to professional development, who have been trained with provincial resources, to open their world, and the world of their students. –Sarah C., a teacher working in India

Are you a collaborative educator or learner? There are more than 650 groups you can join on Curriki, ranging from New Teachers and Indian Educators, to STEM and Technology Integration.  Join a Curriki group today.

Student-Safe, Collaborative Online Workspace

Curriki is partnering with ePals, a social network optimized for K-12 learning, to empower educators and students around the world. Over half a million classrooms in 200 countries and territories have joined the ePals Global Community, where you can collaborate with more than 800,000 classrooms around the world. Join here.