Promising Practices: Collaboration, It CAN Be Learned: A Recipe for Success
December 4, 2017 @ 3:34 pm - 4:45 pm MST
We want to ensure that our student learners are effective collaborators who can thrive in today’s work force. And yet, how many of us adult learners have received guidance or training in collaborating effectively? What are the key ingredients of exemplary collaboration? And, how can we grow and provide guidance for others in this skill?
Join co-presenters Becky Russell and Tara Laughlin in identifying behaviors of effective collaboration, and strategize ways to work with different learner styles who are at varying levels on the collaboration continuum. Walk away with ideas for more intentional and successful collaborative experiences with your staff and students.
Resources
- Presentation slides (PDF)
- Collaboration Ingredients (google doc)
Facilitators: Becky Russell and Tara Laughlin
Becky Russell is an Instructional Specialist/School Library Consultant at the Colorado Department of Education. Previously, she has taught K-12 students for 24 years in Missouri, Texas, and Colorado. She earned National Board Recognition in addition to an MLIS and Bachelors in Education. Her educational passions include promising practice of instruction, backwards planning/goal setting, leadership, instructional coaching skills, collaboration, a culture of inclusivity, and empowering learners to thrive.
Tara Laughlin spent the first decade of her career as a teacher, helping students at the elementary and middle school levels to discover their personal potential. Tara holds an M.Ed in Divergent Learning, a program which focused on “teaching outside the box” in order to reach at-risk students who learn best through non-traditional methods. She also holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum, Innovation, and Educational Reform from the University of Northern Colorado. As part of her doctoral studies, she spent 18 months engaged in dissertation research on the systematic integration of social emotional learning into classroom content. This passion led her to her current role as a Curriculum Director for PAIRIN. Over the last several years, Tara has led the development of a comprehensive high school and adult SEL curriculum, focused on 54 different social and emotional skills, as well as providing professional development to those using the curriculum. Tara’s educational passions include college and career readiness, innovation in curriculum and instructional practice, authentic assessment, and competency-based education.