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Collegiality

Hertzog, H. S., Pensavalle, M. T., & Lemlech, J. K. (2000). Collegial relationships: What does it mean to be a colleague? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, April 24-28.

Hertzog, Pensavalle and Lemlech (2000) ask the following questions.

Are all teachers who work in the same school colleagues?
Does membership of a professional group certify that members are colleagues?

The authors refer to Hargreave's work, where a distinction was made between 'contrived' and 'authentic' collegiality. Institutional and bureaucratic procedures that require joint efforts from teachers are seen as contrived because of the formal and imposed nature of interpersonal interactions. In contrast, authentic collegiality is characterised by interdependent instructional skills and professional behaviours. Authentic collegiality may need to be explicitly taught and nurtured, especially for teachers, who for many hours of each day may find themselves working in relative isolation from other adults. Appropriate experiences for the development of collegiality are considered to be:

participation in collaborative decision making
pedagogical reflection
talking about teaching.

Hertzog et al. conducted a study which paired pre-service teachers for their practicum experience with required activities, including joint curriculum planning and feedback about lessons. The goal was to investigate the development of collegiality between pre-service teachers, before perceptions of teacher isolation had the opportunity to take effect. From questionnaires, journals, interviews, conferences and observations, the authors arrived at the following definition of collegiality: 'the establishment of a professional relationship for the purpose of service and accommodation through the mutual exchange of perceptions and expertise' (p. 5).

Stages of collegial development were identified.

Peer interaction - emotional comfort and supportive feedback.
Partnering - providing assistance, sharing ideas and enacting helping behaviours.
Competition - envy for each other's abilities; comprising strengths and weaknesses.
Study of teaching - overcoming competition, participating in reflective problem-solving that acknowledges strengths and weaknesses.
Integration of skills - confident readiness for teaching, demonstrating competence, insight and skill refinement.
Collegiality - regularly enacting peer coaching, consulting, demonstrating expertise for others, experimenting, and a sense of commitment and responsibility.

Hertzog et al. propose that certain factors can enhance or inhibit the development of collegiality, including:

partnership communications - sensitivity, proactive and non-confrontational versus personal biases and insecurities
sharing responsibilities - working collaboratively versus avoiding responsibility
overdependence on one person - developing independence versus maintaining dependence
inappropriate choice of partners - honest feedback versus maintaining personal relationships
developing expertise at different rates - collaboration versus competition
relationships with supervisors - differentially successful relationships
overconfidence in ability - ongoing reflection versus complacency.

The authors suggest that skills of collegiality can be taught and practised, and that such skills have the potential to positively affect schools' professional climates and structures. This will in turn affect student learning.