Running head: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Effective Communication and Collaboration

Colleen Rowan
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2016

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Introduction
The best teachers are not soloists who are able to do everything by themselves, but rather
are team players who communicate and collaborate with others to work toward the unified goal
of student achievement. Collaboration is one of a teachers greatest resources and should never
be overlooked. Several minds working together can achieve so much more than a lone mind.
Communication is a vital component of collaboration, without which collaboration cannot exist.
An effective teacher must be able to successfully communicate not only with her students but
also with parents and other educators. When a teacher is able to utilize collaboration and
communication to its full potential, the result is invaluable.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
My first artifact is my notes from a collaboration session I participated in concerning the
quarterly assessment results and the upcoming math unit. Those present at this collaboration
session included all of the fourth grade teachers, the math specialist, and myself. This artifact
demonstrates that I am able to effectively communicate and collaborate with fellow educators to
further student achievement. The typed notes that were used for the collaboration session also
contain some hand written notes of areas we discussed in more depth. I used some of the
information gathered in this session to guide my instruction in the upcoming math unit on
measurement.
My second artifact is a letter that I wrote to introduce myself to the students and parents
of my second placement. I sent this letter to my cooperating teacher to send out to all of the
families of her students. This letter opened the line of communication between myself and the
parents, which promotes future communication by informing the parents that I am available and
willing to take the time to discuss their childs progress.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Reflection on Theory and Practice

The benefits of effective communication and collaboration are tremendous. One of the
greatest benefits of effective communication and collaboration is increased student achievement.
In her recent article, The Missing Link in School Reform, Carrie R. Lennon (2011) argues that
in addition to human capital, social capital, that is the pattern of how teacher interact others,
must be improved in order to accomplish greater student achievement. When teachers are able to
more effectively communicate and collaborate, the students perform better. Laurel Killough
(2011) discusses this link between student achievement and social capital in her recent article
Research Shows Teacher Collaboration Helps Raise Student Achievement. Killough writes,
When teachers work together with their colleagues to look at student learning data, use it to
determine student learning needs, and then determine their own learning needs based on what
students need, they design programs that really help improve instruction. Thats social capital at
its finest (2011). A teachers main focus should always be on what is best for her students, and
because effective communication and collaboration are linked to student success, a teacher
should constantly strive to improve in these areas.
In addition to the student benefits of effective communication and collaboration, teachers
themselves also have much to gain by increasing their social capital. Studies have shown that
schools with increased communication and collaboration tend to have greater teacher retention
and personal satisfaction among both new and veteran teachers (McClure, 2008). Teachers who
communicate and collaborate with their colleagues feel a greater sense of responsibility for all of
the students in their school and generally enjoy teaching more. I experienced this myself when I
participated in collaboration sessions with the other fourth grade teachers.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

Alongside being able to communicate well with other teachers, a teacher must also be
able to communicate well with students and parents. Teachers need to be able to effectively
communicate instruction, behavior management, and expectations to students. This can be
achieved by minimizing barriers to communication. According to Detlef R Prozesky (2000), in
his article, Communication and Effective Teaching, a teacher can reduce communication
barriers by making sure that the room is quiet and well lit; by speaking slowly and clearly; and
by only using words which the students should be able to understand. He later went on to state
the greatest way to overcome communication barriers is through two way communication in
which students can give regular feedback to the teacher (Prozesky, 2000). Teachers must also be
willing to open a line of communication with parents who can be one of the greatest assets to
teachers. That is exactly why I sent the letter introducing myself to parents. Teachers and parents
both want what is best for the student and can work together to achieve the mutual goal of
student success.
My own experience in the classroom has revealed the great value of effective
communication and collaboration. When planning and executing my lessons, I always asked for
advice and often received guidance that I used to alter my teaching for the better. My cooperating
teacher and I often worked on lesson planning together and each brought our own perspective
and knowledge to the table. When we used teamwork, the planning process was more enjoyable
and the end results were more effective. I am always open to suggestions from those more
experienced than I and am always willing to work with others to achieve something greater than
I could achieve on my own.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

References
Killough, L. (2011). Research Shows Teacher Collaboration Helps Raise Student Achievement.
Connecticut Education Association, http://blogcea.org/2011/09/30/collaboration-raisesachievement/.
Leana, C. R. (2011). The Missing Link in School Reform. Stanford Social Inovation Review,
http://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_missing_link_in_school_reform.
McClure, C. T. (2008). The Benefits of Teacher Collaboration: Essentials on Education Data and
Research Analysis. Research Center,
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/benefits-teacher-collaboration.
Prozesky, D. R. (2000). Communication and Effective Teaching. Community Eye Health,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1705977/.