When you apply for any teaching position, it is expected by your employer that you demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills.
Assignment One and Reading the ETL401 Forum provided me with an insight into the collaboration that goes on within our schools.
It amazes me the lack of collaboration that goes on between teachers. Excuse after excuse is provided such as 'I'm too busy', lack of encouragement from the school executive or sheer laziness is behind it.
I was impressed to read the role that staff collaboration have in the enhancement of student learning. Herring (2007) found that collaboration between classroom teachers and the teacher librarian resulted in improvements in student learning outcomes. Even though the teachers expressed reluctance to apply the strategies proposed by the teacher librarian, they were able to effectively apply strategies in the classroom. Students demonstrated increased confidence in their learning and improved information literacy skills as demonstrated in improvements to their written work. Ideas can be transferred and can be applied. It also provides scope for professional development, important to improving professional practice.
To be an effective teacher, you need to demonstrate interpersonal skills and engage in a collaborative role in planning units of work and assessing student learning . It is simply a matter of being proactive. Otherwise, students lose out as they miss out on meaningful learning experiences.
