Building a Culture of Professionalism through Collaboration

By Robert Q. Berry III
October 24, 2016

Much of my most recent work is at the intersection between the Professionalism Principle and the Access and Equity Principle described in Principles to Actions (PtA; NCTM 2014). The intersection between Professionalism and Equity is important to me because collaboration supports critically examining data and teaching practices to positively impact students’ mathematics experiences. Achieving the Access and Equity principle, as described in PtA, requires collaboration such that teachers and schools know the promises and challenges of the students whom they serve, how to deal with potential obstacles that may limit access to high-quality mathematics teaching, and how to address differences that may exist, such as inequitable access to human and material resources. A primary component of collaboration is the building of a culture of professionalism that is resistant to professional isolation and norms of privacy. Professional isolation or closing oneself off from working with others in the field restricts opportunities for professional growth and produces norms of privacy that prohibit teachers from moving into one another’s professional spaces and are described as an unproductive belief in PtA. Isolation and privacy norms allow “good” and “bad” teaching to go unnoticed—or noticed “silently.” Conversely, teachers who collaborate with other teachers inside and outside of their school work together to unpack aspects of effective teaching, share a collective responsibility for student learning, and work to ensure equitable distribution of resources.

Collaboration creates an ethos in which “All mathematics teachers are collectively responsible for student learning, the improvement of the professional knowledge base, and everyone’s effectiveness” (NCTM 2014, p. 102). This means that rather than merely exchanging materials—e.g., lessons, tests and worksheets—mathematics teachers are “collaborating to design detailed mathematics lessons and materials and then reflecting on the effectiveness of those plans for student learning” (NCTM 2014, p. 103). Collaboration requires building relationships, establishing networks, and a common ground for joint enterprise in which teachers are not only co-planning lessons, but are engaged in efforts to improve instructional practices and recognize practices that increase access to mathematics for each and every student.

Collaboration among teachers contributes to a career-long process for developing expertise and having a positive impact on teacher effectiveness (NCTM 2014). I would like to invite you to my session at NCTM San Antonio 2017. In this session we will use vignettes to highlight critical aspects of collaborations by unpacking the range of productive and unproductive beliefs that affect professionalism.  We will connect research to practice by examining research focused on effective models of collaboration. Additionally, we will explore resources, discuss next steps, and develop plans for critical actions.

Be sure not to miss Robert's session at the 2017 NCTM Annual Meeting in San Antonio:

Professionalism: Building a Culture by Creating Time and Space
In this session, we will make connections across the grade bands where appropriate to discuss professionalism. We use vignettes as descriptions highlighting critical aspects of the areas and embedding the range of productive and unproductive beliefs that affect professionalism. We will discuss next steps and critical actions.