Collaborative and Noncollaborative Partnership Structures in Teacher Education

Abstract

Partnerships take many forms in education. Two partnerships are described in this paper: noncollaborative and collaborative. Relationships between colleges or schools within the university or between school districts and those responsible for teacher education are often noncollaborative. Each partner acts independently until the exigencies of the moment necessitate communication and planning. Collaborative partnerships are more difficult to structure and maintain because they demand more dialogue and collective goal setting; they also require more institutional compromise, but their potential for strengthening educational programming is substantial.

Internship: interpreting micropolitical contexts

“…The dialogues within internships therefore must be fostered within an agreed power base. This point fits with Lasley et al (1992), who believed that in collaborative partnerships, vested interests must be sublimated to the broader purposes of the partnership. In internship, the critical purpose would be the enhancement of intern/mentor learning.…”

Implementing an authentic research project on eastern coyotes at an urban high school

“…Hence, modeling pedagogical content knowledge is an important goal of science partnerships as this may positively affect student learning and interest in science (Doster et al1997;Shulman 1987). In order to address improving student learning, a number of partnerships have emerged recently in science related issues (Clark 1996;Fradd et al 1997;Hay et al 2000;Lasley et al 1992;Sterling and Olkin 1997;Tallman and Taylor 1997). Providing students with authentic experiences has been a common theme and a critical component for these partnerships to succeed.…”

The Role of Teacher Callaboration in School Reform

“…Notwithstanding the weight of other reform initiatives (e.g., authentic assessment, whole language instruction, mastery learning, integrated curriculum, site-based management), some authorities assert that the teacher collaboration P opular forms of teacher therefore, each party feels equally responsible for ensuring a positive outcome (Brookhart & Loadman, 1990). Collaboration encourages individuals to share goals and objectives, and to sublimate their own interests for the greater good (e.g., Lasley, Matczynski & Williams, 1992). Second, collaboration allows participants to learn from one another and to establish longlasting and trusting professional relationships (e.g., Lieberman, 1992).…”

“…Collaboration emphasizes team decision-making (Bauwens et al, 1989) and requires participants to share i n the process of setting goals and implementing plans (Bauwens et al, 1989;Brookhart & Loadman, 1990;Cook & Friend, 1991;Lasley, Matczynski & Williams, 1992). Teacher collaboration is predicated on voluntary participation, mutual respect, parity among participants, a shared sense of responsibility and accountability, and an equitable distribution of available resources (Cook & Friend, 1991).…”