On Friday the 2nd of July 2021 Across School Leaders (Lisa Murphy, Sue Spencer, Suzanne Parkinson, Ajita Goh and Alix Osbaldiston) attended the Growth Culture, Collaborative Leadership Day at Ellerslie Events Centre. This was a valuable day and timely reminder of some important messages that can help us make collaborations across the ACCoS positive and productive.
The first presenter Marshall Diggs challenged us from the outset about our definition of collaboration. Real collaboration involves thinking and doing together, as opposed to individuals contributing separate elements to a combined project. In this view, collaboration is when people combine their brain power and actions to create something more powerful than any individual contribution. Creating quality collaboration is something that takes time and real commitment. There is no ‘silver bullet’ in collaboration. Rather, humility and a slow, steady approach is what is needed to build the trust that leads to great collaborative practice. Humility, the importance of time and playing the ‘long’ game was emphasised as more valuable than rushing decisions without true consensus from those involved in the process.
The important messages that came from the first session are the importance of these five principles in collaborative work.
- Trust (your main currency)
- Humility
- Emotional Intelligence
- Positive Intent
- Communication
“The most valuable resource that teachers have is each other. Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.” - Robert John Meehan. No one of us is smarter than all of us.
The second session focused on culturally responsive collaboration with presenter Sue Baker. She engaged the audience with her humour, stories, and warm compassionate approach, so much so that we were all captivated and forgot to take notes!
Sue’s main messages were:
- The importance of Whānau-type relationships that demonstrate we care for our learners and have high expectations for their learning (if you don’t know the heart of the child, you can’t teach the child)
- Understanding whakapapa and knowing who our learners are; their cultural experiences and prior knowledge are foundational to their identity as learners. Engage in Ako.
- Promoting a common vision or kaupapa that is focused on the potential of ‘all’ learners to thrive in the education system without compromising who they are.
I found the sessions from trained counsellor Aaron Ironside highly valuable. His first session was about how to communicate with colleagues to build the trust relationships that are needed for good quality collaboration. Listening, reflection and empathy are key.
He provided two frameworks for building trust in difficult conversations with colleagues:
Three aspects of empathy
- Naming: Name the feeling. Which shows the listener understands. E.g. “I can see how frustrating it is that we have had to cancel some things due to lockdown”
- Validating: “I can see a connection between your feeling and the issue/problem.”
- Normalising: Showing understanding, i.e. “Your feeling is human and it is okay to feel that way”
A framework for addressing difficulties: Using trust building language...e.g.
- I appreciate…
- I don’t appreciate (I’m struggling with)
- I would appreciate.(make a suggestion about how things could be better)
Aaron’s second session was about looking after our wellbeing as individuals, so that we have the mindset and energy to collaborate well with others. This session was a timely reminder after a very busy term two!
He explained the how the parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve systems work. When we are too busy and stressed for too long, we move from the balance of our parasympathetic system into our sympathetic system (stressed – symptomatic, in flight/fight/freeze/’fawn’ mode). We literally have a ‘tank’ of adrenaline and energy and when this gets low over time, negative thoughts can set in, and emotional regulation can fail leading to stressed outbursts or withdrawal or others – all of which are human, but neither of which are conducive to positive collaboration!
The important thing is remembering to ‘add to our rivers’ as educators by prioritising time to do the things that make us feel happy, calm, balanced. Laughing and having a positive attitude, exercise, meditation, hobbies, friends, family. The reminder is that the time you make to look after yourself will be worth it for you and everyone else in the long run, even if it means less speed in the short term.
https://www.growthculture.co.nz/collaborative-practice
