Communication and collaboration are essential skills for educational leaders who want to foster innovation and improvement in their schools and communities. In this article, you will learn how to integrate these skills into the curriculum and assessment of students, and how to model them as a leader.
Communication and collaboration are the abilities to exchange information, ideas, and feedback, and to work together towards a common goal. These skills are crucial for educational innovation, as they enable leaders to engage with diverse stakeholders, identify needs and opportunities, and co-create solutions. Communication and collaboration also prepare students for the 21st century, as they are required for academic, professional, and civic success.
I believe, furthermore, that strong collaboration stands on the back of effective communication. Without effective communication skills, beyond the basic level, only faux collaboration will exist.
Communication and collaboration are vital and is foundational to student learning and achievement. It allows the student to receive consistent feedback that supports engagement, builds academic confidence, and steers desired performance on tasks. Students embrace collaboration and can enjoy the benefits of doing so with peers and educators, which lead to future leaders that possess competitive skills.
One way to integrate communication and collaboration into the curriculum is to design learning activities that involve authentic, real-world problems and challenges. These activities can be interdisciplinary, project-based, or inquiry-based, and they can involve collaboration with peers, teachers, experts, or community members. For example, students can work in teams to research and propose solutions for a local or global issue, or to create a product or service that meets a need or demand.
But, it’s important to note that collaboration and communication skills have to be explicitly taught, modeled (as is referenced later in this article), and celebrated. It is also crucial to ensure instructional strategies are implemented to support inclusivity of all students in a risk-free environment.
One of the most powerful strategies to integrate communication and collaboration into student learning is to incorporate academic/student teaming. In doing so students engage in productive struggle, practice employability skills and increase engagement and develop their voice.
One thing I've found helpful is to intentionally plan and assess interdisciplinary activities with teaching partners. This allows instructors from multiple disciplines to brainstorm what the activity will include, what will be addressed in each class, and how each class will assess student work. Students benefit as well since that such an approach closely mimics the modern working environment.
Ensuring that this is the district/school culture is an essential first step in integrating these two items into the curriculum. If the adults in an organization have well-established communication and collaboration, the foundation is set for integration into the curriculum.
Another way to integrate communication and collaboration into the assessment is to use rubrics, portfolios, or performance tasks that measure these skills along with content knowledge and other competencies. These assessment methods can provide feedback on how well students communicate and collaborate with others, and how they apply these skills to complex tasks. For example, students can present their projects to an audience, or reflect on their collaboration process and outcomes in a portfolio.
Instead of assigning grades, teachers could provide feedback on each could assignment.They allow students to revise their work until they are happy with it. At the end of the term, students tell the teacher a grade they think they deserve, and they need to prove that they deserve it using all their past work. Students still get marks at mid-term and at the end of the semester because they must be entered into the system, yet it is essential how they arrive at those numbers.This collaboration can also add peers to the process. This is good for students who do not thrive in traditional competitive environment as it puts the learner at the center and minimizes the competition. It also takes away the anxiety and stress associated with testing!
As an educational leader, you can also model communication and collaboration skills in your own practice. This means that you communicate clearly and respectfully with your staff, students, parents, and partners, and that you listen to their perspectives and feedback. It also means that you collaborate with them to set goals, make decisions, and implement changes. For example, you can involve your staff in developing a shared vision and action plan for your school, or partner with other schools or organizations to share resources and best practices.
Finally, you can support communication and collaboration skills in your school culture by creating a climate of trust, respect, and openness. This means that you encourage and celebrate diversity, creativity, and innovation, and that you address conflicts and challenges constructively. It also means that you provide opportunities and spaces for communication and collaboration among your staff, students, and community. For example, you can create professional learning communities, student clubs, or parent councils that foster dialogue and cooperation.
The last step is to evaluate how communication and collaboration skills contribute to your school improvement and innovation. This means that you collect and analyze data and evidence on how these skills are taught, learned, and practiced in your school, and how they impact student outcomes and school performance. It also means that you use this data and evidence to inform your planning, decision-making, and action. For example, you can use surveys, interviews, or observations to assess the level and quality of communication and collaboration in your school, or use test scores, graduation rates, or satisfaction ratings to measure the effects of communication and collaboration on student achievement and well-being.
As I am in charge of designing and delivering coaching training of staff, my focus is on creating an environment where we support each other. Trust, integrity and co-creating are shared values and we always look towards the future and not the past. Team coaching allows us to eliminate the barriers we and our students face and it is key to our success as a collaborative community. We don't look for faults in each other but for solutions to problems.