Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

Collaborate With Your Colleagues. You’ll Prosper and So Will Your Students

By Larry Ferlazzo — September 12, 2022 4 min read
A team of people work together to build a block structure.
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During the summer, I am sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past 11 years. You can see all those collections from the first 10 years here.

Today’s theme is Professional Collaboration.

You can see the list following this excerpt from one of the posts:

colleaguesmatterdecker

1. Boost the Power of the Teaching Team by Enlisting Other School Staff

Show respect to classified staff members. Asking them to mentor students goes a long way toward that. Read more.

2. Everyone’s a Teacher in Schools. Take Advantage of It

Secretaries, custodians—all staff members—can help students. Teachers would be wise to treat them as partners. Read more.

3. A Good Colleague Can Make or Break Any Teacher

At the heart of learning for teachers is the support, wisdom, and inspiration of colleagues—whether in Year I or during crises. Read more.

4. The Lessons Educators Have Learned From Colleagues

Take risks is one of the valuable lessons teachers can learn from their peers. Risks after all lead to growth. Read more.

5. What the Teacher and Classified-Staff Strike in Sacramento Means for the Country

If school district leaders changed their mindset about the concept of sharing power, students would be among the beneficiaries. Read more.

6. ‘Teachers & Aides Need to Work as a Team’

Three educators share advice on working with instructional aides/paraprofessionals, including having a “team” mindset and demonstrating empathy. Read more.

7. A ‘Communication, Action, Reflection’ Cycle Makes a Teacher-Paraprofessional Relationship Work

Three educators share ideas on how to make a teacher-paraprofessional relationship work, including through constant communication, planning, and reflection. Read more.

8. Tips for Working With Classroom Aides

Four educators share tips on how teachers and paraprofessionals can work effectively together, including by maintaining regular daily communication and providing professional-development opportunities. Read more.

9. ‘School Library Programs Should Be the Heart of School’

Rita Platt, Penny Sweeney, and Ann Neary provide their thoughts on collaboration ideas for teachers and school librarians. Read more.

10. ‘Just as School Libraries Have Changed, So Have School Librarians’

Teresa Diaz, Bud Hunt, Marci K. Harvey, Jennifer Orr, and Jen Schwanke offer their suggestions about how teachers and librarians can work best together. Read more.

11. Ways to Help ‘Student-Athletes Achieve Academic and Athletic Success’

Miray Seward, Stephanie Wormington, Chris Hulleman, Rob Weil, Rita Platt, Douglas Reeves, and Carol Salva contribute their ideas on sports coaches and teachers working as teams. Read more.

12. How Teachers and Sports Coaches Can Help Ensure That ‘Everyone Wins’

Jill Henry, Jen Schwanke, Brian Preece, Pamela Broussard, and Amy Okimoto share their ideas on how teachers and athletic coaches can effectively work together. Read more.

13. The Best Co-Teaching Advice Is to ‘Be Resilient’

Elizabeth Stein, Jenny Vo, Becky Corr, Andrea Honigsfeld, and Maria Dove share their commentaries on effective co-teaching arrangements. Read more.

14. Strategies for Effective Co-Teaching Arrangements

Tan Huynh, Abby Shink, Gloria Lodato Wilson, Joan Blednick, Heather Stinson, Catherine Beck, and Heidi Pace talk about the “do’s and don’ts” of co-teaching. Read more.

15. Ways to Be a Successful Co-Teacher

Amber Chandler, Margaret Searle, Bradley Witzel, and Wendy W. Murawski wrap up a three-part series on how to be successful co-teachers. Read more.


Explore other thematic posts:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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