Team work makes the DREAM work

Collaboration is an educational key word right now.  Wether you are discussing Professional Learning Communities (PLC's), Standards Referenced Reporting (SRR), Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS), or Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) collaboration with team mates and colleagues is present.  Besides helping us manage the alphabet soup of initiatives, collaboration builds relationships and groups that develop into a positive work environment.  All of the collaboration we do within our schools and districts is no doubt beneficial to students and teachers.  Global Collaboration is a tool that teachers rarely use but can be advantageous to teacher and student learning as well as the betterment or society as a whole.

This week, I have embarked on a global collaboration project with some students from the University of Massachusetts.  Technology is a huge component of making this collaboration successful.  We are fortunate to live in a day and age where we can meet through Zoom.  The Google Drive has also been helpful for keeping track of notes and contact information.  I have been named the scheduler of the group so I will use Doodle a great deal.  Our end result will be a professional learning opportunity that can be shared with individuals anywhere in the world.  I am excited to learn more about the gender gap in STEM.  I am also excited to work on this project with students with different life experiences and perspectives.

After a few weeks of collaborating, we have come across some great success and some obstacle as a group.  It has been wonderful to see our team members use their strengths to help the production of the video move forward.  It has also been helpful having 2 professors that we can ask questions or bounce ideas off of.  The UMASS students seem to have a good relationship with their instructor, which has been helpful.  They see her twice a week (face-to-face), so they are able to get real time feedback and clarification for our group.  This is helpful because we only meet once a week in a Zoom setting.  Although I see all of these items as positives, they each have a flip side, as well.

Each professor went into this global collaboration project with the best intentions.  Each of them had their own expectations for the project.  Unfortunately, the expectations that have been passed on to the students has also been a little scattered.  When feedback is coming from two places, the message gets a little fuzzy.  That has resulted in some confusion amongst the groups.  We have found that by letting the UMASS students take the lead, they feel more comfortable with meeting the expectations of Dr. Trust.  This creates some mixed feelings for the UNI Grad students.  I know that personally, I feel like I am sitting back and doing very little to complete this project.  My cohort members have expressed similar frustrations, going so far as to contemplate dropping the course of study.

I appreciate the opportunity to struggle a bit as a student.  It has definitely been a challenge when it comes to scheduling meetings, and understanding expectations.  This project has encouraged me to be flexible, understanding, and open-minded.  So far, I have also developed my skills as a problem-solver.  It would be easy to just quit.  I would be able to throw my hat in with little to no consequences.  But I am persevering.... just like I ask my students to do.