Leveraging the Power of Teacher Collaboration

Over the past week, I’ve had the privilege of attending a number of ‘Plus One Learning Cycles’ celebration events in primary and secondary schools across the UK. These events mark the culmination of a two-term professional learning programme designed to harness the power of teacher collaboration in improving student progress and attainment. Most of these programmes began in schools back in August or September.

Celebration event at St Augustine’s High School, Edinburgh

At these after-school events, typically lasting 60-90 minutes, teachers share their ‘plus one’ portfolios of impact with their peers. The term ‘plus one’ refers to the specific change each teacher has implemented and embedded into their teaching practices during the learning cycles.

These portfolios include various sources of feedback—examples of student work, attainment data, test scores, learner survey results, classroom photos, observational notes, and even video footage. The depth of discussion in the room, as, in some cases, over a hundred teachers engage in sharing their learning, is truly inspiring. Teachers articulate their theories of action, reflect on the impact of their ‘plus ones’, and discuss their personal learning journey through the programme.

This collaborative sharing process fosters openness in teaching, allowing educators to gain valuable insights from their peers—insights they can adapt and apply in their own classrooms. Researcher Jenni Donohoo highlights that social persuasion and vicarious experiences are two key factors in strengthening teachers’ belief in their ability to positively impact student outcomes. Both of these factors are in play through this dialogic process.

From the reflections shared at these celebration events, five key themes emerged:

1. The Importance of Resourcing – School leaders play a crucial role in prioritizing time for structured collaboration during the programme. After all, plants cannot grow without a fertile environment of sunlight, water, and nutrients. The same can be said for teacher learning. Setting aside time for teachers to plan, implement, and evaluate changes is essential. As one middle leader noted, “I’ve restructured my team meetings—anything that could be an email becomes an email—so we can dedicate more time to developing our ‘plus ones.’ Staff have really valued this approach, as it allows us to prioritise working collaboratively on refining our craft.”
2. New Teaching Strategies and Research – Exploring innovative, evidence-based teaching methods deepens educators’ understanding of how learning occurs. A solid grasp of the ‘why’ behind these strategies enables teachers to make better informed decisions in both their planning but also the hundreds of in-the-moment classroom decisions made each day.
3. The Competence-Confidence Loop – Effective teaching strategies build student competence, raise expectations, and deepen understanding. Increased competence fosters confidence—not only for learners but also for teachers. As teachers see the impact of their ‘plus ones,’ they become more motivated to apply these strategies across different classes and subjects.
4. Personal Growth as Learners – Change involves risk and uncertainty, but avoiding change carries its own risks—potentially limiting the impact of teaching. In the wake of the post-COVID challenges in education, maintaining a learning mindset and engaging in self-reflection are crucial for enhancing teaching effectiveness.
5. The Importance of Impactful CPD – Research I’ve conducted with thousands of teachers, indicates that one of the key factors in making them feel valued is access to effective professional learning. For professional learning to be effective, a key metric is whether it sustainably develops teacher performance over time. This is where careful, backward planning is key to support performance development within time-poor environment of school. In particular, appreciating that the principles of cognitive science are just as important to teacher learning, as they are to the learning of children/young people in classrooms.

In the coming weeks, I hope to share samples of these portfolios of impact, offering deeper insights into the remarkable dedication and reflective practice of educators. I’ll leave you with the words of a deputy head who summed up the programme’s value in his school: “I just want to thank you for supporting us on our journey this year. It has had such a positive impact on our staff and, more importantly, on our young people.”