There are always questions on how to improve the school system. I recently watched a TED talk by an educational specialist from Australia named John Hattie. His research concluded that teachers working together to evaluate their impact had, by far, the greatest influence on student learning. It was not standardized testing or advanced technology, it was teachers talking to each other about their craft and how to improve it.
I began to ponder this topic and I realized that it is true. In recent years, my school district implemented a policy that built collaboration time for teachers into the schedule. Here we discuss what we are doing, what is working, what isn't working, what we can improve and how we can improve it. We discuss books we've read, seminars we've attended, courses we've taken, and so on. As I look back on my experience over the last several years, I realize that I have learned a great deal, I have implemented new ideas, and my teaching has improved.
In his classic Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill also discusses the importance of collaboration. Hill's title suggests that his primary focus is making money, but it is actually much broader. His book, now in the public domain, is simply a philosophy of success. One of the thirteen concepts discussed is the Power of the Mastermind. In other words, in achieving success, it is important to get together with people who have similar goals. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone, for example, were good friends who often collaborated. In sharing ideas, each of them achieved more than he would have as an individual.
What happens when we discuss our goals with like-minded individuals? The air becomes electric, ideas begin to generate, it is as if our brains combine and become more powerful. We listen to each other, make plans and watch our goals take form. We each leave with a "to do" or a "to think about" list, and then come back to the group, and the process repeats itself.
John Hattie is right. Mastermind groups in schools are exciting and cannot help but improve student achievement. Teachers are trained professionals, but too often we are isolated from each other. Our classrooms may be wonderful places, but they become even more wonderful when we share our ideas with each other. I love talking to those who teach similar subjects, but I've come to the realization that talking to those who teach a completely different curriculum is also exciting. They are able to get me to think "outside the box" of my usual practices, and talking to a professional who is excited about their work is always infectious.
Though the current BC teachers' strike has been challenging, it has provided for amazing collaboration. It has gotten me out of my classroom, out of my department, out of my school and masterminding with marvelous professionals. As is often the case when facing difficulties together, it has made us better, stronger and more unified. I don't think that this is the type of collaborating that Dr. Hattie was suggesting, but I have to admit that I feel incredibly blessed to be part of such a prodigious Mastermind group, and I know that the benefits will enrich our students as they continue to move our world forward.
