As I was waiting to catch a flight home, I had the opportunity to stand near the pilots of my flight who were waiting to board the plane as it was being unloaded. They were having idle chitchat talking about their day until the off-boarding pilot crew exited the plane. When the two groups of pilot teams came together, I witnessed a powerful lesson on collaboration.
After quick and polite introductions of the teams, they had a focused and targeted conversation about the flight and then about the plane. The off-boarding team shared important information with the onboarding crew and then the onboarding crew asked follow up questions to ensure they had all the information they needed to be prepared for their flight.
The collaboration took less than 5 minutes.
Here’s the ‘plane’ truth about collaboration.
When it comes to vertical teams how well are you discussing the flight (or instructional delivery) with your vertical colleagues.
When do you make time to talk about the plane (or students) with the grade levels or subjects above and below you?
What are you doing to help the above grade level team with your experience with the students and instruction from last year?
What could you be asking last year’s team about their students that you now teach and how to best meet their instructional needs?
The Plane Truth ✈️
Collaboration is not a place and it’s definitely not a dedicated block of time. True collaboration elicits and strengthens purpose, and the goal is simple, to make other educators better. When you encounter other teachers who share kids with you vertically over time, you owe it to them and more specifically the students to help each educator and yourself learn, grow, and ultimately excel.
How can you help your colleagues take collaboration to higher heights? ✈️
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