What it Takes

The Collaboratory is an intensive learning experience that requires a serious commitment from participating teachers, team leaders, and administrators. Participating in the full year of activities is the equivalent of a 6-credit graduate course. In teams that participate successfully, teachers and team leaders devote about three hours per week during the school year to completing Collaboratory activities, and administrators adjust staff responsibilities to compensate for this time. Characteristics of a successful Collaboratory team are:

Readiness

• You have a five-person team consisting of a math, science, social studies, and English/language arts teacher and a team leader. Ideal teams teach at least one common class of students for the full school year.
• The team leader has agreed to coordinate and attend all team meetings; support the team's learning as necessary, both face-to-face and online; collaborate online with other team leaders to share challenges and strategies; and serve as liaison between team members and Collaboratory staff.
• Your team is comfortable working together, planning together, and sharing their learning with non-participating faculty members.
• Your team has common planning time and/or negotiated after-school time for team meetings (3 two-hour meetings required between September and May; more frequent meetings advised).
• Your team members have access to networked computers and are comfortable reading and posting comments online.
• Your team members have access to a video recorder (and blank media) and are comfortable having their lessons videotaped and discussed in team meetings.

Commitment

• Your team has identified literacy as a key focus of its school improvement work for one entire school year.
• During the school year, each teacher team member is willing to spend approximately 3 hours each week thoughtfully completing Collaboratory activities directly related to his/her teaching.
• The team leader is willing to spend approximately 3 hours each week on Collaboratory activities to support his/her own learning and the learning of fellow team members.
• All team members are willing to observe one another in the classroom and provide constructive feedback.

Administrative Support

• The principal meets with the team before the initial registration form is submitted to review Collaboratory logistics and team commitment and to share a vision for how the team's participation will enhance teaching and learning at the school.
• The principal or assistant principal supports the team's Collaboratory work, stays abreast of team progress, and provides extra resources or perks for participants (e.g., professional publications, Continuing Education Units, coverage time, common planning time).
• If your school's and/or district's literacy specialist or professional development coordinator is not the designated team leader, he/she still supports the team's Collaboratory work and attends Collaboratory team meetings when possible.
• Team members are relieved of roughly three hours of non-teaching responsibilities per week (e.g. curriculum/school improvement committee work, lunch and study-hall monitoring, other professional development work) to free up sufficient time for Collaboratory participation.
• Collaboratory team members are provided with class coverage for one period during each cycle to observe one another's classes (three total observations per school year) and one full day in May or June to complete sustainability planning.
• The school is willing to fund travel and lodging for Collaboratory team members to attend the Orientation Institute in Providence, RI unless the institute is held at a local site. (Contact loomalliance.brown.edu for more information about arranging an Orientation Institute at your site.).

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