What sign do you think is most compelling?
One might think that fear of dying would be most compelling. Yet, research proves that not to be true. Fear of not conforming causes conformance, even over fear of death.
We are who we say we are because we become who we say we are.
This is good news and bad news. The good news is that we can transform who we are through shared beliefs and actions. The bad news is that we can transform who we are through shared beliefs and actions. This power can be used for the benefit of our students and staff, or to their detriment. It all depends on the story we choose to tell.
An abundance of research indicates that people tend to adhere to social norms even when it is restrictive or uncomfortable. Social Norms Theory teaches us that “Overestimations of problem behavior in our peers will cause us to increase our own problem behaviors; underestimations of problem behavior in our peers will discourage us from engaging in the problematic behavior.” 1 So, what could this mean for school environments, especially in relation to the all-important topic of teacher collaboration?
While we ponder that question, let’s revisit John Hattie’s compelling findings around Collective Teacher Efficacy. In his research, he found that, “A shared language about learning and impact is more critical than a shared way of teaching.” Specifically, Hattie was talking about a shared language about WHO we are, “We are evaluators. We are change agents. We collaborate.” 2
Back to the question at hand—how can we harness the power of social norming to support effective teacher collaboration? We start with creating norms for our work together. We collectively define what effective collaboration means for our teams, and then we make those norms come alive at every meeting. A powerful way to start this process is to make it personal by asking teams these two questions:
- What are the characteristics of the best team you have ever been on or witnessed?
- What do you need from your team in order to do your best work?
The answers to the questions will create a list of possible norms for the team to consider. The team can then group similar norms to create a concise list of no more than 6 norms that will define how the team will collaborate throughout the year. In order to keep the norms alive, they need to be revisited at the beginning of every meeting. After reviewing the norms, each team member selects a norm to focus on for the meeting, given where they are in that space and time.
Some important ground rules for norms:
- All norms are stated positively.
- Norms are unique to each group and need to be recreated each school year.
- Psychological safety is crucial for authentic collaboration, and norms support psychological safety.
- Mutual accountability can also be supported by norms.
- Norms support the idea that no one wins unless we all win.
If your teachers are new to the idea of norms and you would like to provide a resource to get them started, consider the Seven Norms of Collaboration in Garmston and Wellman’s book, The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups.3
- Pausing
- Paraphrasing
- Posing questions
- Placing ideas on the table
- Providing data
- Paying attention to self and others
- Presuming positive intentions
The ultimate goal of norms is to define who you are as a team to capitalize on the most valuable commodity in a school–the collective wisdom of all the professionals. Creating norms tells a story about how your team collaborates and supports each other. The best way to move the needle of student achievement is to effectively collaborate around evidence of student learning and instruction, and norms create the conditions for that to happen.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
-Andrew Carnegie
- Boston University School of Public Health. November 3, 2022. https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/BehavioralChangeTheories7.html ↩︎
- Hattie, J. (2023). Visible Learning: The Sequel. Routledge. ↩︎
- Garmston, R. J., & Wellman, B. M. (2016). The Adaptive School: A Sourcebook for Developing Collaborative Groups. Third Edition. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ↩︎
