Connect-ed+Issue+46+January+2019

Big Reading Challenge for January 2019
'Moving From Teacher Isolation to
Collaboration : enhancing professionalism and
school quality',
by Sharon C. Conley & Bruce S. Cooper
If you want to find out how to access the
book through NAU visit our Big Read area
(which also includes links to all of our other
Big Reads for the year).
You can also visit the library on NAU to find
thousands of journals, articles and e-books
on a range of education topics all of which
are free to use for all NAE staff.
Educational pedagogy isn?t static and it is likely
that we can all see major differences within our
lifetimes. The idea of students sat in silence,
listening to the ?all-knowing? teacher dictate
Shakespeare or mathematical formulae is slowly
being replaced with interactive technology, group
debates and a much wider curriculum. Computer
technology is ubiquitous, and there?s no denying
that it plays a vital role in the education process,
but how did we get to where we are in terms of its
implementation in the classroom? The answer,
according to Conley and Cooper, is simple:
collaboration.
Over a number of years, we have turned
technology from what was once primarily a
research tool into a collaborative means of
teaching our students ? but have we come far
enough, or is more work still required? To prepare
our students for the future we must continually
work together to share knowledge; collaboration
is, after all, one of the prime factors in our
on-going personal and professional development.
You can read the full book on NAU to understand
the diverse range of forces that influence teachers?
decisions to shape learning.
Advances in technology are only one example of
why we need to collaborate to better ourselves as
teachers; the concept of collaboration extends to
all aspects of life. The ability to share knowledge is
what defines us as species, and we can not only
learn from each other but expand on that
knowledge to explore new and innovative ideas
which can be passed onto future generations.
Don't have time for this month's Big Read?
Why not have a look at our Quick Read:
'Implications of Collaboration in Education',
by Stephanie Renee Laymon. Here you can
learn about the lesser acknowledged
collaborations that exist in education, and
the requirement for effective leadership in
facilitating these collaborations.
David Docherty
Programme Officer
Education Team