Creating A Culture of

Collaboration Sarah Garr B.A. B.Ed. M.A.

Email garr_s@surreyschools.ca

Twitter @garr_s #sd36learn #LearningPartnersSarah Garr

Mom

Educator

Learning Partners

Department Leader

Unwitting Innovator

“Risk Taker”

My Story

Sarah Garr

Teacher Isolation

Agenda

Making

Global

& Local

Connections

Taking Risks

&

Innovation

Student

Learning

&

Achievement

Sarah Garr

“Schools and systems that foster highly

collaborative practices and purposely

build social capital are places where

new pedagogies thrive. In particular;

teacher isolation is the enemy here.”

-A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies

Find Deep Learning

Michael Fullan and Maria Langworthy

2014

Teacher Isolation

Sarah Garr

Do we have a responsibility as

educators to connect and

collaborate with our colleagues?

Teacher Isolation

Sarah Garr

Teacher Isolation

Detachment

Dissatisfaction

Stagnation

Teacher Isolation

Sarah Garr

Establishing Global and Local Connections:

Digital and Face to Face

Global & Local Connections

It’s about relationships.Sarah Garr

Global

Connections

--Dr. Alec Couros

There are

numerous

“tools that

mediate

connections

…The

people

behind

those tools

are the

most

important.”

Sarah Garr

“We often complain about the isolation

that is evident in education, but it is no

longer a foregone conclusion.

Isolation is now a choice educators

make.” -- George Couros

http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4156

Global Connections

Sarah Garr

Twitter: Professional Learning Network#sd36learn #cpchat #bced #aussied

Global Connections

Sarah Garr

Self-Reflection & Sharing: Making Learning Visible

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Global Connections

“There’s a

natural

transparency

that emerges.”

How To Make

Better Teachers

--Dean Shareski

Writing My Way Into Understanding

Sarah Garr

Global Connections

Global Audience via Twitter-

But still about relationships.

Sarah Garr

Twitter: School Community & Culture#1000awesomethingsaboutsulli #sullirocks #sullilearns

Local Connections

Sarah Garr

Local Connections

Time is a valuable commodity.

Sarah Garr

Sullivan Heights

Learning Partners Program http://sullilearningpartners.blogspot.ca

Local Connections

Sarah Garr

Local Connections

Learning Partners Program:

Decreases teacher isolation by

providing opportunities to connect with

colleagues.

Provides release time to teachers to

facilitate inter-departmental

collaboration and teacher inquiry.

Facilitates and supports reciprocal,

non-hierarchical peer-mentoring

partnerships (both beginner and

experienced teachers). Sarah Garr

Local Connections

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

http://youtu.be/9bxZ3HK3iiUSarah Garr

The Importance of Disrupting Routines

Taking Risks & Innovation

Sarah Garr

Digitization of Binders

Open Source, Open Access

Binder Digital

Taking Risks & Innovation

Sarah Garr

iTunes U: What is it?

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/itunes-u/

Taking Risks & Innovation

Sarah Garr

Surrey School District #36

iTunes U Course Development Project

Taking Risks & Innovation

Yup, definitely out of my comfort zone.Sarah Garr

iTunes U Course Manager:

Course Creation

https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/coursemanager/

Taking Risks & Innovation

Sarah Garr

iTunes U English 8 Course

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/course/english-8/id733901584

Taking Risks & Innovation

Sarah Garr

Student Learning

& Achievement

“The powerful collaboration that characterizes

professional learning communities is a

systemic process in which teachers work

together to analyze and improve their

classroom practice…[which] in turn, leads to

higher levels of student achievement”.

–Richard DuFour, Schools As Learning Communities

Sarah Garr

Student Learning

& Achievement

Supporting Teacher

Collaboration

Supports Integration of

Innovative Instructional

and Assessment

Practices

Supports Student

Learning & Achievement

Supported Teachers = Supported Students

Makes sense to me.Sarah Garr

Picture Credits

Slide 1 Ripples: http://opsafeintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/79c29.jpg

Slide 5 Open Door:

http://healthewound.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/closed-door.jpg

Slide 7 Connections:

http://www.activeendurance.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Connection.jpg

Slide 13 Alarm Clock:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b2010-07-

20_Black_windup_alarm_clock_face.jpg

Slide 19 Clock:

http://img.ksl.com/slc/2498/249813/24981301.jpg

Slide 28 Question

mark:http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/agents/kutchuk/files/Man-With-

Question-05.png

Sarah Garr