Pitfalls and tips of successful classroom partnerships:
1.
COMMUNICATION: It is important that you and your partner teacher(s)
call or e-mail after receiving approval from your Diversity Leader or
SPPS Inter district Classroom Coach Facilitator on a regular basis, as
well as, with your building Principals. Setting up the planning meeting
to discuss your objectives is especially important before conducting a
lesson or the children meeting. If you are partnering with other
teachers in your building or other teachers in the SPPS district, it is
necessary to remember that building a relationship for all teachers is
part of the collaborative effort, and as important as it is to prepare
the students for the partnership(s). Your relationship(s) will serve as
the model for theirs.
2. COOPERATION: It is important that you
and your partner(s) have a discussion and come to an agreement about
special concerns, school conduct code, discipline issues, and
appropriateness issues. In a true partnership collaboration, one
teacher may have the responsibility for another teachers students at
some point and needs to be consistent with your and your districts
response to an issue. Again, communication is the key in these
circumstances. It is important to discuss and express consistent, clear
expectations of students and the role of teachers in the partnership.
Through working together, you will learn from each other, and this will
make the experience for students successful.
3. ORGANIZATION:
Try to coordinate your lessons with each other. If this is not
possible, let your partner know. Things come up and it is important
that you make sure that all students are at the same level of
understanding/instructions so that they come together equally prepared
to participate in the learning experience(s). Not being aware of this
could lead to stereotypes, assumptions, and behavioral issues. Also be
sure to have contact information for your partner (i.e. phone, e-mail,
mailing address), have class lists handy of all participating students,
and agree upon pen pal letter exchange dates.
Suggestions for correspondence:
*LETTERS
*E-MAIL
*VIDEO CONFERENCING
*DIGITAL CAMERA PICTURE EXCHANGES
Suggested writing topics for first letter:
I
AM FROM POEM-often students struggle with what to write in the first
letter. write the I am From poems together as a class and use them to
share information with their pen pals. At the initial meeting, ask them
to use some poems to find their pen pals. these poems also are a great
beginning af the year activity for building community in your classroom.
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