Set Up

Trust, Collaboration, Cooperation and Unity of Effort

In an interview with National Public Radio, retired Coast Guard admiral, Thad Allen, described the collaboration between the United States government and British Petroleum in dealing with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"...you cannot achieve a successful outcome in this event without collaboration, cooperation, and unity of effort. It is an extraordinarily complex matrix that has to be focused on achieving what we're trying to do..."1 (Thad Allen)

Without the context of the Gulf oil spill, Thad Allen could be describing our mission as educators. Teaching is also an extraordinarily complex matrix and we must stay focused on achieving what we are trying to do. Similarly, teaching requires the elements of trust, collaboration, cooperation, and unity of effort to achieve student and team success in the classroom.

Challenge Question

During this session, you and your partner work together to complete the UNITED protocol. This tool guides your team through steps for building a high performance partnership and empowers you to focus on your mission as teachers. Throughout this session, keep the Challenge Question in mind:

Challenge Question: How does a structured protocol help build a strong foundation for high performance teaching and support your partnership with another teacher?

You will construct a meaningful response to this question during the Assessment component of this Online Learning Event.

¹ As heard on All Things Considered, August 5, 2010. Copyright ©2010 National Public Radio®.