Initially I thought collaborative and cooperative meant the same thing, I also suspected that curriculum was meant in a broader term. So I felt it was necessary to define each of these terms.

Collaborative – produced by or involving two or more parties working together

Cooperative – involving mutual assistance in working towards a common goal

Curriculum – is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process

After pondering the definitions I feel cooperation is essential for collaboration to occur. If participants aren’t cooperating, collaboration becomes very difficult.

As teachers we have a set curriculum as a framework to guide us and ensure our students are meetings the objectives of that document. It is up to us to deliver that content in ways that facilitate learning for our students; this then widens the scope of curriculum and can promote incidental learning about life skills, relationships, equity, etc. A much broader curriculum or learning sequence.

Working with colleagues to create and implement engaging ways to deliver curriculum content requires collaboration and cooperation. The support, ideas and shared workload gained from collaboration is a norm in my experience, and a true high point of being a teacher for me. I have learned so much and my classes have benefited as a result of this collaboration.

Being a part of this learning space is essential for teachers as this is what we do, where we draw inspiration and how we facilitate learning for our students.