Collaboration
Collaboration is a concept that we all know about but is not always a concept that is greeted with open arms. Teachers who have had success working in isolation may view this process as an invasion of their pedagogy and a waste of time.
Fortunately, the Boys’ Preparatory staff do not view collaboration as a waste of time instead, we view collaboration as further testimony to our school having an effective learning and varied culture, where all teachers take responsibility for the learning of all students. The key to strong collaboration at our Prep is recognising that a boy shouldn’t be the responsibility of only one teacher, but of all teachers.
An appealing theme was selected as part of our values program and to initiate some collaboration between the boys and staff. Various teachers from the values curriculum, IT, class teachers and our Ed Tech coach collaborated to offer a rich, engaging and enjoyable learning experience.
The theme “What if the words we spoke were tattooed on our bodies,” was used to connect our Grade 7 and Grade 4 boys with their respective "Brotherhood" group. The lesson content and planned outcome was first taught to the Grade 7 boys.
Further to the personal connection and authentic interaction, we were able to incorporate MeLT as the boys made use of their devices. (Pages, Pdf Expert or Keynote programmes)
The Grade 7 boys and their Grade 4 “brother” came together with a sense of excitement and anticipation. The boys began to learn about each other, while the Grade 7 boys directed the learning around the theme.
The final product was a photo of the boys with the type of positive speak we would love to see “Tattooed on our bodies”.
The collaboration took place in our tree quad, the boys made use of the beautiful autumn morning and within a short period of time, rewarded staff by producing some fantastic selfies or photos with varied spoken words – furthermore, the gift of fallen autumn leaves added to the enjoyment of the time outside of the formal class and within the company of brothers.
