"Getting Along" in PLCs and Co-Teaching, Emma Dalton

Like in any relationship, co-teachers or professionals in PLCs do not always agree. This does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, according to Michael Bayewitz, writing for All Things PLC. Healthy debate and compromise can benefit all involved, including students. Teachers and other education professionals who collaborate through professional learning communities and co-teaching will inevitably have different points of view, and it is possible to use these conflicts to everyone’s benefit, including students. In a blog post, Bayewitz explains that PLCs with “strong cultures built on the pillars of shared mission, vision, values, and goals” can engage in lively debate to agree upon what is best for students. Some appropriate behavior for co-teaching and PLC relationships include open-minded approaches, respectful body language, openness to healthy deliberation, and Q-TIP: quit taking it personally. This resource would be useful in the classroom by giving teachers support for fruitful and collaborative professional relationships, which result in student achievement.

Also similar to most relationships, PLCs and co-teachers need to have agreed upon missions, goals, and parameters. The following video is of a real world professional learning community of teachers discussing best practice for co-teaching. They agree that co-teachers must be flexible and ready for change, accept each other, and build on one another’s strengths. It is important to meet before a co-teaching session and “try to agree on a common vision,” as one teacher said, and decide together how teaching the lesson together should go. With these agreements in place, teachers are ready to work together because they have common goals and visions. This resource can be applied in the classroom by giving teachers a baseline to work together to create lessons based on mutual respect and common goals. Students will be taught by professionals that build on their strengths to provide quality content and activities. The goal for both co-teachers and PLCs is collaborating to promote student achievement, and respectful professional relationships will ultimately lead to that. 

References

Bayewitz, M. (October 28, 2015). Dealing With Conflict on Collaborative Teams. All Things PLC. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from http://www.allthingsplc.info/blog/view/315/dealing-with-conflict-on-collaborative-teams

(August 1, 2015) Co Teaching PLC 6^th Grade Team Relationships. Retrieved February 15, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow6u0I-BJLw