Time for a check-up

Effective teamwork cannot be taken for granted. Kath Murdoch offers some advice for teachers about how to assess and improve the health of their teams.

It is 11 am in a Melbourne primary school and I have just finished an hour-long meeting with a team of five year 3/4 teachers. Satisfied, we lean back in our chairs to examine the planning document displayed on the screen in front of us. "It's going to be a great term!" says Jenny, the team leader. 'I am really excited about the plans we have made. Thanks for your hard work everyone.' Gail, who has been using her laptop and data projector to record and display our discussion, explains that she will email the notes to each of us by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Gary pours us another cup of brewed coffee and distributes slices of cake. Student work samples are strewn across the table. They have been referred to throughout the meeting to inform our plans and sharpen our collective assessment of the students' understandings. The whiteboard is covered in diagrams and ideas—testament to a particularly challenging part of the meeting where we 'nutted out' a teaching strategy.

This has been an active, energetic and reflective hour during which we have attended to core business—planning for learning. Such meetings are pivotal to the success of the work done by these classroom teachers. As Jenny points out, "It is at this time each week that we really stop and think about why we do what we do. We challenge and support each other. We don't always agree but we do see these kids as our collective responsibility, which actually relieves a lot of pressure and isolation you can feel in an unhealthy team."

As I drive away from the school, the term 'unhealthy teams' reverberates in my head. I realise how much I enjoy and look forward to working with this particular team and how much they achieve in a relatively short time. What is it that makes this team 'work' where others clearly do not? What is the secret of their 'good health'? Of course, there are many factors that combine to make a successful team (and some of these are at whole school level), but one that stands out is the explicit way that Jenny and her colleagues continually reflect on the work of the team itself. They don't take the health of their team for granted.

It is increasingly rare for a teacher to make curriculum decisions for their students in isolation. We now understand the enormous potential value of collaborative planning. Teamwork can ensure greater accountability for the individual; it invites critique and a more discerning approach to the decisions we make for student learning. Good teams provide greater coherence and connectedness across the curriculum and from year level to year level. And when they work well, teams are a great vehicle for professional learning.

Yet, for all its benefits, effective teamwork does not just 'happen'. Just as students need continual, explicit teaching about cooperative learning, teachers can benefit from a regular check-up to assess the state of their teamwork—and their individual contributions to the health of their team. As Mike Shmoker (2001) remarks in his research on school improvement, "True collaboration is a discipline—a fragile, high maintenance set of practices and attitudes that need constant care and attention. We can never presume that productive collaboration is a forgone conclusion."

So, you might consider it timely to engage in some assessment of your own team. The following questions will help guide a discussion or more formal survey.

What is our purpose?

In other words, what is it that this group of people is meeting to achieve? What is the nature and scope of your work? Purposes will change from group to group and time to time, but a shared, explicit understanding of it is vital. The more connected the team's purpose is with the learning outcomes for students, the more effective their work. Clear purposes should be discussed and agreed upon with both long- and short-term goals in mind.

How well do we use our time?

Sustained, face-to-face time with colleagues is precious and needs to be focused on teaching and learning, not 'administrivia'. The most effective teams I work with plan the way they will use their time, whether it is an hour's meeting or a whole planning day. And they don't squander it—they know that time spent well here will benefit them back in the classroom.

How do we relate to each other?

Much has been written about the dynamics of staff relationships and its connection to school improvement. For example, Neville Johnson (2003) identifies the distinction between 'personal' and 'professional' care. In some teams, staff clearly like each other and enjoy each other's company. Team meetings are warm and friendly but without a high level of professional care there may be very little forward movement. Conversely, some teams have a high level of professional commitment to curriculum, teaching and learning but have very 'thin' relationships with each other. These teams can be efficient but soulless. Trust is low and individuals are less likely to raise questions or express feelings. The job gets done but much remains unexposed and stifled, eventually leading to crisis.

Do we attend to the environment?

Where and when the group meets can have a significant impact on its success. The most convenient location is not always the best. Classrooms and staff rooms are inevitably interrupted and distracting (turn those darn dishwashers off!). Consider devoting one room in the school to team meetings. This can minimise interruptions and ensure that once gathered there, everyone is focused. Many meeting rooms also house professional resources, and display student work samples and planning documents.

Are our meetings learner and learning centred?

Whether the purpose of the meeting is to make plans for students, collectively analyse work samples or evaluate a unit, student learning outcomes must remain pivotal to the conversation. Team meeting time should also be viewed as a professional learning context for teachers. In many schools and clusters, this notion has been formalised by the creation of 'project teams' and/or 'professional learning teams' in which staff members come together to work on particular innovations or problems. Even without the project team structure, time together can always be seen through a professional learning lens if team members value the professional conversations they share.

What routines and procedures do we have in place?

While protocols are often developed and used for staff meetings and other larger groups, smaller teams can suffer from a lack of direction and shared, understood routines. Even if there are only two or three teachers in the team, it is worth developing some basic protocol for 'how you do things'—whether it is in relation to basic things like note taking, developing an agenda, providing refreshments or more challenging tasks such as moderating student work samples. Clear protocols enable more efficient and productive use of time and ensure there is greater equity and participation.

How well do we communicate?

Teams consist of individuals, often with very different personalities, perceptions and ways of operating. The diversity of views and talents within a group can be enriching or destructive, depending on how it is handled. By viewing our meeting times as a 'learning conversation' rather than a 'battle of messages' (Johnson 2003), we can acknowledge and value our differences rather than submerge them under a sea of resentment. Productive teams create in a climate of healthy critique. Individuals question themselves and each other, they express uncertainty, they offer opinions and invite opinions of others and they do so within a spirit of professional inquiry. All voices are heard—quieter members are encouraged and expected to participate, while dominant members recognise this tendency and work to 'hold back'. Importantly, each team member knows how to listen—to really listen to and respect others' points of view. This can take some practice!

Do we take time to reflect on how we operate as a team?

Effective, functioning teams don't take their success for granted. They regularly make time for a check-up, asking what is working well and what needs attention or improvement. Before you find your team suffering from a severe case of mid-winter malfunctioning, it might be worth having a check-up. After all, when it comes to healthy teamwork prevent-ion is much easier than a cure.

References

Schmoker, M (2001). The Results Handbook: Practical Strategies from Dramatically Improved Schools, ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

Johnson, N (2003). Working in Teams, Department of Education & Training, Melbourne.

Kath Murdoch is a fellow of the Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University of Melbourne.

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