Talking About Collaboration; Cogenerative Dialoguing and the

Teacher-Paraeducator Team

Communication(basic definition)

Act of imparting information;

Social intercourse

(Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2004)

How you say it is just as important as what you say

This is where dialogue fits into communication

Dialogue (basic definition)

A written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more

individuals

(Australian Oxford Dictionary, 2004)

An interactive exchange of information, ideas, techniques and knowledge leading to

improved understanding and greater consensus

Dialogue (cooperative dialogue)

(Phillips, 2011)

Activity 2 Yes but… Yes and Game

Step 1. Find a partner

Step 2. Person with shiniest shoes isPerson A

Round 1Step 3. Plan a dream vacation – each

person says only one sentence e.g.Person A “Let’s go to the sea”Person B rejoins “Yes, but …” andfills in the sentence any way theywant.

Step 4. Keep this up for one minute then stop

Round 2

Step 5. Try it again. This time when A makesa suggestion B replies with “Yes, and..”and adds something to A’s suggestion.

Step 6. Keep it up for one minute then stop.

DebriefQuestions for you to think about …

Did you have more fun playing the game in Round 1 or Round 2?

What was the experiential difference between the two rounds?

Compare the two vacations you just ended up with. Which one was more interesting? Which one was more fun to plan?

In real life, how does a “Yes, and” attitude affect thought and interaction? How about a “Yes but” attitude?

Key Point – cooperative dialogue

You will create more momentum (and have more fun!) when you build on your workmate’s ideas instead of tearing them down.

Collaboration in Schools

Current school reform initiatives call for more than cooperation. They call for collaboration.

Individuals working equitably, pooling and sharing expertise, on an ongoing basis to achieve mutually beneficial goals

Elliott, A. (2001). Introduction. In M. Richards, A. Elliott, V. Woloshyn & C. Mitchell (Eds.) Collaboration uncovered: The forgotten, the assumed, and the unexamined in collaborative education (pp 1-15). Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey

A definition of collaboration as it relates to education

Dialogue (collaborative dialogue)

A process of genuine interaction where individuals listen deeply

and respectfully to each other, striving to incorporate the

concerns of other participants into their own perspectives even

when they disagree. Participants do not give up their identity but

recognise the claims of others.

Cuentas, M & Méndez, A. (Compilers) (2013). A practical guide on democratic dialogue. Canada: United Nations Development Program, p. 9.

The Promise of the New Dialogue

Collaboration

Ownership of outcomes

Mutual respect and consideration

Equality between participants

Democratic approach to dialogue

Bohm, Buber and Freire have contributed to the thinking around dialogue and how

we see ourselves within that dialogue

Key theme in this work on dialogue is

the idea of

Equality

Activity 3 Go!Step 1. Form circles of groups of 6 to 12 people

Step 2. Shortest person begins: making eye contact with another member of the group he/she loudly says, “Go!” then quickly walks towards that person, taking their place in the circle.

Step 3. The second person now moves. Looking at someone else in their circle the second person says, “Go!” and walks across to take the next person’s place. And so on.

Step 4. After a while speed it up. Don’t wait for the ‘goer’ to begin walking toward you. With just the word and eye contact immediately look at another player and say, “Go!” and head for them. Get to the point when there is always more than one person moving at a time.

Step 5. (Challenge round!) Finally, eliminate the word ‘Go’ – just make eye contact and move! See how many people can be moving at once while still knowing at every point whose ‘turn’ it is.

Debrief

In what ways did you have to focus outwards to make the game work well?

Could we have moved at optimal speed without those techniques?

Key Point

This game allows you to see how much more quickly we pick up on other people’s signals when we focus out.

Idea of co-generating in dialogue

Eldon and Levin (1991)

Participants in dialogue need to be empowered to actively participate in that dialogue

In the workplace dominance free dialogue cannot be assured

Protocols of behaviour need to be developed to support active and equitable participation by all involved in the dialogue

Empowering participation = cogenerative dialoguing

Eldon, M., & Levin, M. (1991). Cogenerative learning: Bringing participation into action research. In W. F. Whyte (Ed.) Participatory action research (pp. 127-142). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Protocols in Dialoguing

Summary of Gustavsen’s protocols to enhance equality in dialogue

1. Dialogue is a process of exchange of ideas

2. All concerned parties must participate

3. Participation must be active participation

4. All participants are to be considered equal

5. Every participant must be able to develop an understanding of the issues under discussion

Gustavsen, B. (1985). Work place reform and democratic dialogue. Economic and Industrial Democracy 6(4), 461-479.

What the protocols do

• Guarantee a set of procedural rights (ground the discourse/talk)

• Protect the participants and relevant arguments from being left out

• Keep the exchange focused on relevant workplace experiences and issues

• Result in action!

Cogenerative Dialoguing (cogen) in Education

• Cogen is predominantly used in education settings (schools/uni)

• Implemented with as few as two people and as many as a whole classroom (teachers and students)

• Used by experienced and new teachers, preservice teachers, supervising teachers and researchers

Cogen in Education is often associated with the work of Roth and Tobin

New protocols for cogen While based on those of democratic dialoguing, protocols for cogen can vary with

the needs of the cogen participants.

Here are three basic protocols as used by La Van and Beers in their work with students

1) Speaking is voluntary

2) No voices are privileged, including those of adults

3) What is discussed stays in the group, unless the group decides to share the conversation with others

It is usual in cogen sessions, particularly the early ones, for the protocols to be read out at the beginning of the session so that everyone is aware of what is required.

The protocols are also referred to during the session to help keep participants ‘on track’ – maintain equity.

LaVan, S. -K., & Beers, J. (2005). The role of cogenerative dialogue in learning to teach and transforming learning environments. In K. Tobin, R. Elmesky, & G. Seiler Improving urban science education: New roles for teachers, students and researchers (pp. 147-164). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.

All this talking … Who’s listening?Activity 4

Step 1. Think of a time you weren’t listened to (work, home, shopping, doctors, plane!)

Step 2. Partner up with someone you have not partnered up with before

Step 3. Take turns sharing your ‘not listening’ stories

Step 4. Each listener must identify two things in their partner’s story that demonstrated non-listening and identify the impact this had on the speaker

Debrief

What were the things that demonstrated not listening ?

When you weren’t listened to, how did it make you feel?

What are some principals of good listening?

Active ListeningMaintain eye contact with the speaker

Do not interrupt someone when they are speaking to you

Suspend your judgement! – (radical listening!)If you do not suspend that ‘voice in your head’ it can be a block to clear thinking and understanding for instead of listening you expend your energy in forming opinions or working out how to refute the speaker’s ideas

When the speaker has finished speaking paraphrase what he/she has said so they know you have been listening

Get clarification if you do not understand something the speaker said

Provide feedback – verbal such as saying ok, uh huh, yes and physical – positive body language such as nodding your head or smiling

Let’s Practice!

Step 1. Find a partner

Step 2. The person with the longest fingers is person A and goes first

Step 3. Person A tells Person B about some special skill, interest or talent they have. Person A describes how they developed their expertise in this area. Person B Actively Listens

Step 4. When Person A has finished. Person B asks two or three clarifying questions on areas they are not sure about e.g. How old were you when you began to ….? Where do you go to practice ….?

Step 5. Change seats …. Now Person B tells the story and Person A Actively listens and asks the two or three clarifying questions when B has finished speaking

Debrief

When you used the tactics of acknowledging and clarifying did you find you listened heard and understood more i.e. listened better than you usually do?

When you told your story, what did it feel like to have someone actively listen (actively focus on you)?

How often do people in your daily life (work, home) actively listen to you?

Key Point

Other people will feel the same way when you actively listen to them!

Why? …. Edmondson & Rottier …. Because we need to engage in teaming

Remember - school reform initiatives call for collaborationCollaborative practice involves teaming

To succeed in today’s world where expertise is a moving target we must become life-long learners. The shifting nature of work means we often lack the time needed to practice team skills as we could for static teams.

To excel in this new and uncertain environment we need to both work and learn together – this is where teaming comes in

Teaming is about: relating to people, listening to other points of view, making decisions based on the integration of different perspectives ….

It’s about communicating and, through communication, collaboration

To succeed at teaming

and hence collaboration

You need to

Communicate

To successfully communicate you need

a dialoguing technique that supports

your team’s needs

Co-generative dialoguing can do this!

But what of teachers and paraeducators?

Cogen has assisted those who have participated by:

• Building collective agreements for classroom activity

• Building collective responsibility for enacting agreed changes

• Generating productive learning environments

• Reducing classroom management issues

• Providing a way for participants to proactively deal with contradictions and conflict

• Providing the opportunity for participants to design changes that support their work now rather than waiting for rules, policies and recommendations from school authorities (proactive!)

Collaboration!

Improved Relationships and Learning Environments!

Supported a proactive approach to work problems

No published research into cogen and teacher-paraeducator teams!

Problems faced by teacher- teacher aide teams in Queensland

• Not taught to work in teams

• Not taught to work with a teacher/teacher aide

• No time (paid time!) to meet and plan together

• No definitive role structure

• Many titles and roles for teacher aide

• Teacher aide often the forgotten staff member –no place to put their work materials, no pigeon hole for their mail, not included in staff meetings

Benefits of cogen for teacher-paraeducator teams

Activity 4Cogen exercise – Icing on the cake!

Step 1. Form groups of two

Step 2. The problem – your school has decided to ban birthday cakes. The children in your class like birthday cakes. Some parents want to bring cakes – it’s traditional! Others are worried about too much sugar and allergies.

Step 3. Remember your earlier activities Yes and… where you build on your partner’s ideas instead of tearing them down and focus out – look for your turn to speak, look at your partner, focus on what they are saying –Actively Listen!

Step 4. Your job – Using your new skills, come up with a creative way to solve this problem

What solution did your team come up with?

Did you remember to build on your partner’s ideas?

Did you ‘focus out’ ? Did you engage in active listening?

We’ve been talking about collaboration through dialoguing

We have:

Explored the different developments of dialoguing from its most basic meaning to the more complex idea of cogeneration as part of dialogue

Practiced a few equity building activities

Seen how teacher-paraeducator teams might benefit from participation in cogen

Practiced a very basic form of cogen

Cogen is a new concept for teacher-paraeducator teams

It offers a way forward – a way to help solve team problems now – a way to solve them from the ‘ground up’

A way that empowers and supports both team members

A way that promotes a proactive approach to dealing with the many issues that these teams face

Now it is your turn!