Andy Hargreaves says “In collaborative professionalism, there are fewer initiatives, but there is more initiative. Teachers step forward, and the system encourages it or, at the very least, does not impede it.”
For us, our system was MastermindED, and our initiative was a greater understanding of LGBTQI+ Inclusion in our schools. We enrolled as a group of eight teachers from five campuses and the system of weekly asynchronous tasks kept us working together, moving us forward, but without the barrier of time and location. The weekly tasks, the guided conversations with Tricia, and the ongoing forum discussions developed common meaning and purpose and the work continuously pushed and challenged our dialogue.
Too often we send teachers out alone to professional learning workshops and expect them to return to campus with the time, space, and energy to impact on the teaching and learning but this rarely results in any significant change.
As we become increasingly open to online learning experiences it is the perfect time to enroll a team of teachers in a MastermindED course. A team approach creates an opportunity for collective efficacy and autonomy. For us, we may have finished the MastermindED course but it’s really just the beginning of the work that we need to do in our schools. We now all have the tools, resources, and a collective vision to have an impact for our students.