What is Cooperative Development in ELT?

It was not easy for me to find a translation for the concept of cooperative development when we stared our project "Cooperative Development for EFL in Ukraine". Though since the 1950s this concept has been actively used in the organizations in order to involve employees in their own professional development, it can be quite new for English language teachers who far from corporate and business cultures.

In the field of professional development of teachers, this approach emphasizes the need to create an atmosphere of trust and at the same time it rejects an evaluative approach based on critical constructive feedback. Coming from the psychology of humanism (Carl Rogers), the idea of corporate cooperative development exists in a special form of meetings with colleagues which serves as a type of professional support. How does it relate to teachers?

Imagine that after a regular staff meeting of the department, some colleagues go out for a cup of tea and social chat. One of the colleagues asks for advice or shares a certain problem about work. Often in such an informal situation we are in a hurry to give advice, we may reassure our fellow teacher that the problem is in the students, textbooks, system and etc., we may ask about the problem itself. We wonder - what reaction will be the most helpful and effective for a teacher?

A number of scientists who studied the situation of communication in the organization found that a motivating factor for professional development is the opportunity to tell colleagues about a problem and try to explore its causes, trying to find a solution on their own. This format of communication was put in the basis of "development through cooperation" or cooperative development (Julian Edge, Mariam Attia).

When teachers start working within the framework of Cooperative development, they agree to act according to the 3 basic principles of this approach.

1. Honesty and openness - I honestly listen to my colleague, as much as it takes, and ask frankly if I don't understand something.

2. Empathy - I try to understand my colleague and find myself in the place of the story

3. Respect - I respect the professional experience of my colleague and treat his problem with respect

Those who research and practice this approach in their organizations emphasize that such communication is not natural and without prior agreements between the participants it is quite difficult to recreate it. Along with this opportunity to talk about the problem and discuss all the details, the reasons for the application and explain the feeling that a certain problem gives the storyteller to see connections that he had not noticed before, to reveal differences that he had not even guessed about.