Pasi Sahlberg, in his TED talk, “What If Finland’s Great Teachers Taught In Your Schools?”,
compares teachers in a school to players on a football team. Do you currently feel like you’re a part of a team? In what ways? [Or why not?]
Does this make a difference in student performance? Explain your reasoning.
Does this make a difference in student performance? Explain your reasoning.
I do feel like I am part of a team. There are 4 kindergarten teachers, one junior kindergarten teacher, and a kindergarten interventionist on our team. We work together to plan and implement lessons. We meet weekly to discuss how things are going in our individual classrooms. We listen to each other and problem-solve if someone is having difficulty with a lesson or with a student. We also have a great administrator who meets with us as a team. He wants to know what is going on in our classrooms and how he can help. I do believe that working as a team does help student achievement. We do meet to discuss students who are struggling, and come up with ways to help them. Our interventionist is a crucial part of the team. She is critical to the success of those students who are struggling. She works with students who have been identified as needing extra assistance. She works closely with the classroom teacher to develop a plan to help each student show academic growth.
ReplyDeleteWhen teams have a great coach, the "team" aspect grows significantly. Same in teaching - with great principal/admin the team aspect grows significantly. I do feel for the most part we have a solid team, but the bigger a school gets the harder it is to keep that "team" aspect. When teachers are divided up and dont share kids, you kind of are split up into "position groups". That's a difficult job for the coach, but overall I do feel I am part of a good team with a good coach. The more we are able to connect with our team, the better the outcome is for students when we are able to share successes and failures, what strategies work with different kids, and what doesnt work.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel like I am part of a team. Our PLC time is so important in making decisions and working together to meet students where they are in their learning journey. I would say that student performance is affected by how well a teacher works with their peers. We have to trust one another. And more importantly, we have to listen to one another. I have been teaching for 21 years, and I learn something from the new teachers to the veterans. We, as teachers, should NEVER stop learning. Students who have just graduated really add value and life to the profession. Their excitement is contagious, so I breathe it in. With that said, I actually found the process of how students are accepted in the master school for teaching in Finland fascinating. I think the States need to do this. I have seen so many people get accepted who have no right to set foot in a classroom. A better screening process would have a great affect on the profession. I cannot believe that out of 8,500, only 750 were accepted. In the States, it would 100%.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways I feel like I am part of a team and in other ways, I do not. I feel like I am part of my 8th grade team. We have a common planning time and a team time scheduled into each day. Many days we will miss this team time, since our team time is at the end of the day, the 8th grade teachers will often get pulled to sub for coaches or activities that leave early. I feel that this time is so important to student performance when it is used wisely. We are able to problem solve, come up with ideas for student engagement, work through scheduling logistics and plan for upcoming events. It is so helpful when you have students in common. Others have great insight to what works and what doesn't work and it always helps to be on the same page.
ReplyDeleteI do not always feel like I am part of the middle school team as a whole. Our middle school is separated into 3 different PODS, 1 for 6th, 1 for 7th, and 1 for 8th. This often leads to not seeing other teachers in the building until our once a month PD time. The three different pods will often run things differently, but sometimes this means that we are disjointed and it would be nice to have a more cohesive unit. I believe that we are working toward that, but we definitely have a way to go before I feel that we will be functioning as a middle school team.
I feel like I am apart of my grade level and content team. Even though we all teach different subject matter on our grade level team, we are constantly working with each other, helping each other, and planning with each other. The same goes for when I plan with my content coworker. I think the fact that we are all supporting each other make a huge impact on students. Everything we discuss is how to support one another and what we need to do that is best for the kids. We have the same expectations so when students rotate from one classroom to another, nothing well come as a shock to them. I think it is great for the students to observe our team work so well with one another and it can also make it more enjoyable for them when they see us not only support one another but have fun with each other and do things like team competitions or just joking in the hallway.
ReplyDeleteAgain, as a grade level I feel apart of the team. It's when we branch out more towards administrative, district, and state level that feeling apart of the team is not the case. I think that is also important to recognize when Pasi was discussing what change would occur if teachers in Finland swapped with teachers of other nations - not much would change because of the policies in place.
I do feel like I’m part of a team. My grade level team we collaborate every Tuesday during specials time, but we are constantly collaborating before or after school whenever something comes up. We are constantly looking out for each other by reminding each other of things that we need to do or if we have any questions, we can lean on each other.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this does impact student performance in a positive way because with collaboration, we are able to talk about our students strengths and areas of growth. With talking about that, we are able to brainstorm ideas together to fill in the gaps that our students have. When we collaborate, we are thinking about what is best for our students and how can we support them.
I do feel that I'm part of a team in my role. I have a duel role as instructional coach and facilitator for our elementary gifted send out program. As an instructional coach I definitely feel like I'm part of a team. My role isn't the same as the teachers in our program, but I am part of the team in a support role. Although my schedule doesn't always allow it, I try to be at as many planning meetings for our teams as possible. I also support in the classroom when I push in to help or pull out learners as needed. In my position as the gifted send-out teacher, I'm the only person in that role for our district. Although I plan alone and travel to all the schools to teach, the position is still part of the "team" idea because at each building my role is part of meeting the needs of those learners alongside their classroom teachers, specials teachers and administration.
ReplyDeleteCollaboration, building chemistry/trust, learning from one another, pushing yourself to "keep up" are all essential to a football team as well as to teachers working as a together. I have experienced all of these qualities teaching. I am currently a stay at home, but I can speak to my experience as a kindergarten teacher and having team meetings with the other kindergarten teachers. We were constantly sharing what we were doing in our classrooms, bouncing ideas of each other and looking for feedback how to solve various classroom situations. Having been on an athletic team, you also have a sense of belonging. I would say that by having our team meetings, that too, gave me a sense of belonging. Pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteIn many ways I feel like I am part of a team, however, I do not feel all the high school teachers I work with are part of the team. We have 13 general education teachers in our high school and I think only about five or six of them work together as a team. Others seem to work as individual islands. This was different pre covid when the entire high school staff seemed to work as a team. The teachers who work primarily with upper classmen meet and discuss the students and work to identify needs of struggling students. We discuss with the students their future stories and path to graduating. We brainstorm ways to engage the students and support one another regardless of content taught. I feel some of the current disconnect with staff has to do with the amount of turnover we have. Currently we have three teachers who will not be back because their visas are expiring and they need to return to their home country. We live in a rural area, so I imagine they will be replaced with other teachers from out of our area, maybe even another country. That would mean these teachers will only be at our school for three to five years at most.
ReplyDeleteIn one of my last teaching positions (I'm a SAHM & subbing at the moment) I felt like good efforts were being made to build up the culture of being on a team, and I always felt like I had individual teammates to help support me. I think we had some room to grow working as a cohesive team unit.
ReplyDeleteGeographically within the building, the school was divided into different teams, and I was able to ask questions and receive some support from other members of that team. But often we were all just mainly working as individuals, only coming together to plan field trips, large group lessons, and ask occasional questions. This team was designed with the intention that we could eventually support our students better by having them rotate into other classrooms during different subjects to better address each learner's individual needs. We often weren't given, or didn't choose to allot adequate time to meet for reviewing data and planning/designing these collaborations, so they never came to fruition. I definitely had students who would have benefited from this level of teamwork and would have had more success with this model, because they would have received more targeted instruction at the level and in the areas they needed.
When I was teaching, I definitely felt part of a team. My coworkers were extremely welcoming and kind. They would give me advice and encouragement. I had several teachers who shared resources with me to help supplement my curriculum as well. I found that the team aspect was there, but I had to make an effort and seek it out - not sit back and expect things to fall into my lap. I had many conversations with experienced teachers about how to handle different behaviors and situations. They all helped shape my own approach to teaching.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like I am part of a team. I am currently a part of our school's "Guiding Coalition." On this team, our effort is to make sure our school is focused on collective efficacy. According to John Hattie's Barometer of Influence in Education, collective teacher efficacy has the largest impact on student learning. Collective Teacher Efficacy is described as the shared belief among staff that their collective actions can positively impact student outcomes. Being a part of a team and having a shared belief among students is very important and can make such a large impact on student learning.
ReplyDeleteIn most ways I feel like a team. We all want the best for our students and frequently work together to help each other out. The reason I wouldn't feel like part of the team is that I am the only band teacher in the district. There is a choir teacher, so I am not the only music teacher, but it does separate me from classroom teachers.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am part of a team with some of the teachers and our building but not all of them. The teachers I feel like I am a team with are the ones that I collaborate together with to bounce off ideas and learn new teaching styles and techniques. Teachers that work as a team have a better outcome with their students I believe because students need the supports from more than one adult. I am the Title I teacher and I feel those teachers that do not work as a team don't get the best benefits for their students who are in Title. Updates on students progress is important for students success but some teachers don't find the information relevant.
ReplyDeleteThe school I teach in is located in a rural area. It is the only school in the district. We host grades Kindergarten through 12th in one building. This somewhat unique situation doesn't lend itself well to teacher teams. Since I am the only 7th through 12th grade math teacher, there are no other members on my team. However, our staff, especially the teachers in my wing, are very close. We make a great team, always checking in on each other and offering support. We don't collaborate about our specific curriculums, but we do collaborate about teaching strategies and how best to meet the needs of our students. Our special education department brings us together to devise and implement accommodations and goals for students who need extra support. The administration allows us the freedom to operate our classrooms in a manner that suits each individual teacher's style, and, at the same time, is available and supportive. Having a cohesive team of educators, support staff, and administrators is definitely impactful on student success. When the kids can see that we all have their best interests at heart and are striving to work together in all subjects and at all grade levels to provide the best education possible, it creates a positive learning environment where they feel safe and comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate to work in a school where most of us were on the same page. We shared similar values about education, supported one another, and communicated regularly about student progress. Decisions were made collectively, and no one felt like they were in it alone. That teamwork made a noticeable difference—not just in teacher morale, but also in how students performed. When teachers are working together, student's definitely get that vibe. They see that their teachers are concerned in them as a collective group, not just as individuals managing separate classrooms.
ReplyDeleteFeeling like part of a team also encourages innovation and professional growth. In a supportive environment, teachers are more willing to try new methods because they know their colleagues will back them up. That openness translates into richer learning experiences for students. When educators learn from each other, students benefit from a broader range of ideas, strategies, and insights. I have always believed that students NEED positive teacher role models.
So, yes—feeling like part of a team absolutely makes a difference in student performance. When teachers work together, they model collaboration for their students. They create a community where everyone—educators and learners alike—strives toward shared success. Much like on a well-coached team, every player knows their role matters, and together, they can achieve far more than any of them could alone.
I am blessed to work with many amazing teachers in my building. I do feel like our 7th grade teachers and our English teachers specifically are a team. We will gather every day and eat lunch together, we will stop into each other's rooms and ask if there are ways that we can help each other. I do think this makes a difference in student performance because they know that we communicate with each other about behavior and work completion. If there is a student in my study hall who is missing an assignment for Science, they know that the Science teacher and I will communicate with each other and make sure that the assignment is actually completed. Working as a team can also benefit our students in English because we share ideas and activities that can make our classroom environments more engaging and productive.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching, I did feel like I was a part of a team at times, but other times I felt on an island. In special education, I created almost all of my curriculum by finding resources and creating content that aligned with the goal(s) my caseload were working towards. Every student had different goal(s) that were created specifically for them, but an overarching pillar at times. This is how I created groups of students for my periods I taught during the school day. For example, one of my ELA groups had me as their teacher as they were not grade-level and I would come up with content that grade-level teachers were teaching, but I would re-create to match the grade-level my students were at as well as incorporating instruction for the goals my students had. This was definitely overwhelming at times, but I am so thankful for an instructional coach, who happened to be my volleyball coach back in middle school, that met with me weekly my first year of teaching to build my confidence in my instruction. Every week I would have some sort of special education meeting whether it was per building, as a district, etc. When it was per building, I felt that I could share resources with my colleagues so we could make sure our assessments were similar. This is the part where I believe made a difference in student performance because they would be moving to the next grade the following year and we want to be on the same page about assessments, benchmarks, goals, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn my current position I do feel like I am part of a team: my collaboration group with the other 3 art teachers. We meet weekly, formally, but within the week we are each other's support. Whether getting help with a technical issue, or brainstorming on a lesson, or gathering insight to help reach certain students. I rely on my three co-workers for educational resource support, but also as adults in a sea of children:) As educators, we spend 40+ hours with direct content with students/instruction. It is important to have time with our peers, as we see students do have time with their peers all day. Previous teaching jobs, I was a single parent AND a solo art teacher in the school with no job alikes. I would go for weeks without talking to another adult and that is not healthy. I appreciate my particular team of art teachers at this time as great educators and also humans I respect and trust.
ReplyDeleteI realized it posted as anonymous so posting again: In my current position I do feel like I am part of a team: my collaboration group with the other 3 art teachers. We meet weekly, formally, but within the week we are each other's support. Whether getting help with a technical issue, or brainstorming on a lesson, or gathering insight to help reach certain students. I rely on my three co-workers for educational resource support, but also as adults in a sea of children:) As educators, we spend 40+ hours with direct content with students/instruction. It is important to have time with our peers, as we see students do have time with their peers all day. Previous teaching jobs, I was a single parent AND a solo art teacher in the school with no job alikes. I would go for weeks without talking to another adult and that is not healthy. I appreciate my particular team of art teachers at this time as great educators and also humans I respect and trust.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important to be part of a team in the building. We should all be working together to develop students. We unfortunately do not have the collaboration and group effort as we do not have time to meet together to help support each other. We only meet when a student has issues. Most of the time we are on our own. Collaboration would help students who struggle. Those can then be addressed by all teachers.
ReplyDeleteI definitely feel like I am part of a team. In Sioux Falls, middle school is set up in teams where there are about 105 kids per team that share the same core teachers. Us teachers are able to meet three times a week and discuss students academics, behaviors, and any issues that need addressed. I definitely feel that this helps because we are given the time to talk in depth about the students instead of having a quick ten minute conversation before/after school or between classes. We also have two other teachers that teach the same content as us and we get two days a week to meet with them. We are able to discuss student performance, standards, and share materials that we have created/found. I think in both cases it is extremely beneficial. On our core teams, it definitely helps students because they know the expectations are same throughout all the classrooms and they are aware the teachers are observing their scores. On the job a like side, it is also very beneficial because it saves a ton of time sharing resources and not having to make everything from scratch which means we can spend more time focused on actually teaching.
ReplyDeleteTeaching in a small school setting, I think it is important to work as a team and to collaborate with your peers. I believe we all have the same values in working hard to help each of our students achieve success. I do my best to work with others throughout the school building, but I feel that there could be an improvement in the area of communication, which plays a vital role in teamwork. In addition, finding the time to collaborate with peers is something I would like to see improve. Overall, I do feel being a team is important when it comes to student learning.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, I don’t always feel like I’m part of a true team. I am surrounded by many amazing professionals, but it often feels like we are working in our own silos rather than collaboratively. Without strong leadership or a shared philosophy guiding our work, it can be difficult to feel like we are moving in the same direction as a team. I do believe this affects student performance. When teachers work together with shared goals, consistent expectations, and open communication, students benefit from a more cohesive and supportive learning environment. Without that teamwork, it can feel more fragmented for both teachers and students. Building stronger collaboration and a clear vision could help create a more unified approach that better supports student success.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach high school online in an open office setting. We are all in one big room together without cubicles. Each staff member has their own desk, books, computers. We often find ourselves discussing student progress, different methods of instruction and ways to improve our program. We have bi-weekly meeting to address student needs, course improvement, and barriers that are part of on-line teaching. I feel our staff is very supportive of each other and always has the best in mind for our students. I feel very fortunate to have this educational setting and I believe with the amount of time staff has to work together, that it is beneficial to student achievement because we discuss "best practices" normally on a weekly basis. Another benefit I feel our students have from this set-up, is the students only work on two courses at a time, but not the same courses for each student. When a student gets done with a course and starts another, the teacher of the first course is able to visit with the next teacher to provide information about that students strength and weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteThere are times this year I do feel like I am part of a team and there are times that I don't. We have three elementary buildings in LeMars, so once a week the 2nd grade team hops on a Zoom and we collaborate. We also meet in person once a month during district inservice. My teaching partner and I talk daily to vent, share celebrations, and bounce ideas off of each other. This year, I find myself feeling more like I'm on my own island. My teaching partner and I are both piloting different reading curriculums. While we talk every day, we don't get to plan and collaborate like we usually do. I don't like the feeling of doing it alone. I can't help her subs when she's gone, she can't help mine, and we can't share kids like we normally do because we are teaching two different things. I look forward to getting back to 100% team work when we are both teaching the same thing again.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel like I / we belong to a team. The advantage of teaching in a small school is that we all share the same students in one fashion or another and we are all invested in the success of our students. We share all of our failures and successes with our students (individual and group) and we learn from our failures, success and each other. When our students do better, we do better and I feel like our teachers are all in when it comes to finding success for each of our students and staff. I believe this team attitude makes a huge difference in student success as it allows us to change from day to day, week to week and month to month to find success. What worked a week ago, may no longer work today or what worked a year ago, may not work now as students and their needs are constantly changing. The great thing about being on a team that is relatively the same every year is that it is so easy for us to keep the same goals in mind, but we are able to change relatively quickly on how to achieve those goals.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel like I belong to a team. I have one other grade level team member and we collaborate every day whether it be in the morning, afterschool, during our team time or lunch time. Our school also follows a MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) model, so we work together as teams with our literacy and math specialists by us sharing and working with groups of students during guided reading time and MTSS reading and math time. We also meet on a regularly scheduled basis to discuss the progress and concerns of our students within the groups as well as movement and change needed within the groups. We have a Guided Coalition team that meets as well as us being involved on other committees/teams. Notes are sent out to keep us all informed. Our principal does a fantastic job of keeping staff informed through a newsletter to staff, staff meetings, and by being present and stopping into classrooms to visit and keep teachers informed. It feels as though we are all working as a school team for a common goal, which follows our school mission. We have integrated our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) model within the MTSS umbrella as well.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE my team and feel very connected to those I work with. We have a synergy and synchronization between all of us that just makes things flow. Standards are well known for each student as each of their teachers have very similar standards and hold students to those. We all have the same beliefs that we are raising up whole, wise students to become ready for whatever life throws their way. I love my team
ReplyDeleteIt is tough for me to compare coaching with teaching. The idea about creating a team does have merit. Our small school's administration affords teachers a great deal of autonomy. As long as teachers are, as Sahlberg puts it, invested in professionalism (capital) that type of system works. I believe we have a good team that arises to situations as they occur and at times can be pre-emptive with some issues. I think we have been more cohesive as a team in the past, but have been separated more due to situations, personalities, and motivations. Students do notice these departures and do not get the full benefits of a cohesive staff. I would say we function as a average school because of the human professional capital investment or the care to be a quality educational system that most teachers display. Getting back to becoming more centered and acting together would again create even more opportunities for students.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching 5th Grade (currently not teaching) I felt very much like part of a team with my wing of teachers. Physically the building had the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classrooms in one wing. The 3 of us would often gather after school to bounce ideas off of each other. We shared our thoughts and helped support each other. We also had projects that we would team up together on or organize across the 3 different grade levels. This teamwork made for a great learning environment as we had the same goals and consistency of expectations.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, when I first starting teaching I really felt like I was part of a team. As the years went by and more and more experiences presented themselves in the public school system, it definitely felt more and more less like a team. Some of the teachers I interacted with were the superstars, and the students that learned from them were lucky. Others just went through the motions and collected the paycheck. The system stayed together regardless and graduations continued to happen every spring. However I KNEW that things could be better, much better. But as I tried to affect change and try to rally with other teachers, nearly always barriers got in the way. One major barrier I feel, the coach, who in this scenario, would be the principal. Principals, and all administration, do not any longer seem to be coaches, or true leaders of the teachers at the school. Admin has created an US versus THEM environment, and that is a losing situation for the students.
ReplyDeleteOur school very much operates as part of a team. Our leadership tells us all the time that we are only as strong as our weakest link. We work together to all be on the same page and try to give our students the best education possible. There is not a mentality of “that’s not my kid” - they are all our students whether they are on our class roster or not. I have been under different administration before where there was a rift between core v. encore teachers due to a lack of respect for what the other group was being asked to do each day. I think that teachers being on the same page and operating as a team makes a huge difference in student performance throughout the building. Consistency, and routine are valuable to a students educational experience and students perform better when they know what is expected of them throughout the day.
ReplyDeleteI have taught in several schools in my career. They were very different experiences. In the one I was supported and was able to grow as an educator. Another I taught in I did not feel part of a team. Instead I felt like I was on a island searching for a lifeboat to take me home. In both I was able to do my job and teach kids and make a difference. But, the district that supported me and made me feel connected was so much easier. I was not as worn down at the end of the day. I am currently not in the classroom full time and my biggest hesitation to go back full time is the worry about what if a school doesn't have a great "team." Support makes teaching enjoyable because you can actually do your job.
ReplyDeleteI do feel like I am apart of a team. I am extremely blessed to be working with three other fabulous women that make up my Personalized Learning CoHort. We have worked together for almost 7 years now. We took a personality/color quiz before we started. This was to prepare us for how closely we have to work as we all share students all the time for math and reading. The four of us blend and work together so well and you can see it with our groups of kids. We all support each other in times of need, bounce ideas of each other, care for the kids in ALL four classes no matter if they have yet to get to us or if they've already been in our classrooms. The kids all know this and feel comfortable to give hugs, high fives or just tease and joke with all four of us. I am very lucky to be a part of such a great group who love and support each other as this profession is hard and you need those who are in your corner.
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