I enjoy TED talks, Story Slams, PechaKuchas, and most gatherings where people share ideas and stories. Each individual has taken the time to think deeply, conduct formal and/or informal research, and explore ideas of interest or a social or political need, not to mention honed their presentation skills. I know that each presenter has collaborated, some for years, to achieve the polished level of their performance.

Recently I’ve been reflecting on my long career in education and am grateful for the many and varied opportunities. I’ve always been intrigued by collaboration in education, and if I had to select something that has the greatest influence on my work, intertwined with every job, it has been collaboration. In early November, I participated in the HundrED Innovation Summit in Helsinki, Finland where every innovative project includes some type of collaboration.

My career started as an elementary art teacher with no set schedule. Every two weeks I collaborated with classroom teachers to inform the lessons/unit. It was an early iteration of arts integration with so much openness I was continuously learning through practice. From there I moved to a middle school art teaching position that was based on connection with other content. This required collaborative planning with two grade level teams of educators. Documentation of the work successfully led to full time art instruction for the 7th and 8th grade students.

During this time period, I was recognized as the 1995 Maine Teacher of the Year, which provided opportunities to meet and learn from teachers throughout the state and across the country. In 1998, I was granted a sabbatical and traveled across the US for three months by travel trailer with my two sons and husband. In between hands-on learning about our country, I visited middle schools as part of my graduate research. Accompanying me was a “culture kit” which contained items that represented Maine, put together by students in the district where I taught. In turn, each middle school I visited in Indiana, North Dakota, Arizona, and North Carolina put together “culture kits” from their state to send back to my students in Maine. I learned that collaboration could take place long distance when individuals are interested and committed.

From 2006 to 2019, my work included positions at state agencies. It was driven by what I understood most—being a teacher and how that revolved around collaboration. Every move was driven by the question: what is in the best interest of all learners? Inviting colleagues to collaborate and establish a statewide initiative that supported teachers and teaching artists, which in turn made a difference for students, became my largest focus. This sustainable work involves 108 teachers and artists.

Presently, I am excited to be at Sweetland School, an independent school in a rural part of Maine where learning takes place with arts integration at the heart of the education provided. Thirty learners, ages 5-13, two full-time staff, 10 part-time staff, and many volunteers contribute in multiple ways to teaching and learning. The school and community center were created thanks to an innovative educator who believes that collaboration is critical in the student-centered learning environment.

About 10 years ago, I realized how much focus is put on collaboration and how little intentional action/planning/understanding is put into it. We expect adults and students to collaborate, but we don’t unpack that as a group or individually to make a greater impact on the success of the work. Collaboration is expected at every level in education; school boards expect principals to collaborate in leading a school, administrators expect teachers to collaborate with colleagues in curriculum work, teachers expect students to collaborate on projects, and in communities artists are expected to collaborate with organizations. One guide for preparing students for the world is most often directed today by “the 4C’s” which includes critical thinking & problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, and collaboration.

I think it’s time to put some effort into unpacking collaboration before jumping into a partnership or expecting students to work in a group. I believe if those interested in arts education are willing to establish a common understanding of collaboration, enormous strides could take place at local, state, and national levels that would truly benefit all learners. At this point, as we progress in arts education, conversations should be around excellence and innovation in arts education!

So, how do we create a movement, change a direction, move the ball forward? And, where do we start? Collaborate! Below is my list for how to start collaborating more effectively.

• Invite people to collaborate who are different from each other and ask them to:
  • Be humble and leave your ego at the door
  • Communicate: “A process of transmitting and sharing ideas, opinions, facts, values, etc. from one person to another or one organization to another”
  • Recognize individual differences, skill sets, and interests and be curious about what others offer
  • Consider what you can do together more effectively than working alone
  • Be willing to take risks and think differently to allow learning to come more rapidly

• Start with a common read and respond to what is read through the creation of artwork. Share the artifacts so each person can ask questions and learn. Not everyone will process by reading, thinking, and talking. I suggest starting with a book or TED Talk on “growth mindset.”
• Identify the challenge the group wishes to take on to change a direction and create a movement.
• Collectively determine goals, steps, and outcomes.
• Determine the plan in reaching the outcomes for a scalable movement.

Successful collaboration is essential today and for the future. It’s a useful tool for arts educators, artists, and others committed to excellent arts education as they lead the work in schools and communities in our country and world.