Why School Collaboration Beats Solo Work
Why genuinely structured teamwork – including multidisciplinary collaboration – contributes to workload relief and improves the quality of education.
Björn Schriewer8 min read
Leon is having difficulty following lessons. The math teacher observes that he cannot concentrate. The extended-day worker sees his creativity during free play. The school social worker knows the family situation. Three perspectives on the same child – but the information stays in each person's head. Nobody has the full picture.
This is not an isolated case. In many schools, professionals work alongside one another rather than together. Yet it is becoming increasingly clear: the challenges of everyday school life – diverse classrooms, inclusion, extended-day operation – are barely manageable for those working alone. Studies show that the demands on the school system have long since exceeded the capacity of individual teachers.
The solution? Genuine teamwork. Not the kind that is often called teamwork – a quick exchange in the corridor – but structured collaboration in which different professions pool their knowledge.
Why Germany Needs More School Teamwork
Cooperation has little tradition in the German education system. In Germany, education policy is set by the federal states, and systematic cross-professional teamwork has only recently begun to be promoted at policy level. While internationally successful school systems have long relied on structured collaboration, many German teachers still work largely in isolation. Systematic knowledge management within a staff? Almost non-existent.
The problem: knowledge disappears. Successful teaching concepts, clever solutions to behavioral challenges, tried-and-tested materials – all of these stay in the classroom rather than being made available to the whole staff. Everyone reinvents the wheel instead of benefiting from each other's experience.
And yet research shows clearly: schools in which teachers systematically learn from one another and work together on improvements perform better. Both the quality of teaching and job satisfaction among teachers increase. This is not soft sentimentality, but a hard success factor.
Multidisciplinary Teams Combine Different Expertise
Things get particularly interesting when not only teachers cooperate with one another, but different professions work together: teachers, school social workers, special education teachers, school psychologists. These multidisciplinary teams are considered decisive for inclusion and extended-day provision.
The idea is straightforward: each profession brings its specific expertise. Teachers know subject-matter instruction, special education teachers know individualized support, social workers know family backgrounds. Cooperation produces a more complete picture.
In practice: it actually works. A recent study with 222 primary school teachers confirms that multidisciplinary cooperation leads to greater job satisfaction and workload relief. It is not only students who benefit, but teachers themselves. The exchange stimulates reflection and leads to mutual learning.
The challenges
But: multidisciplinary teamwork is not automatic. There are structural obstacles that cannot be ignored.
Problem 1: Time
Without fixed time slots for team meetings, cooperation usually fails before it starts. Successful schools plan weekly team meetings as fixed components of the timetable – not as a "nice to have," but as a firm fixture.
Problem 2: Unclear roles
If it is not clear who is responsible for what, friction arises. Should the special education teacher or the school social worker look after the child with social-emotional support needs? Such questions must be clarified in advance, otherwise there will be duplication or gaps.
Problem 3: Hierarchies
This is where it gets sensitive. Historically, schools were viewed as a "mono-professional system" in which teachers set the tone. Other professional groups were often seen as mere support. The problem: teachers are usually permanently employed and better paid, while additional staff are often on fixed-term contracts and lower salaries. These structural differences reinforce hierarchies and undermine working "as equals."
Added to this: teachers have long not seen cross-professional teamwork as part of their core mandate. Social education workers, by contrast, regard multidisciplinary collaboration as an integral part of their work. These different dispositions lead to tensions.
Problem 4: Initial investment
Building good cooperation initially requires extra effort – time for shared understanding, for communication, for building trust. But this investment pays off. Once clear structures are established, working together actually becomes a source of relief.
What Schools Can Learn From Business
As someone with a background in computer science, I often think: much of what has been studied in business about effective teamwork could also help schools. Of course, schools are not companies. But some success factors for teams transcend industry boundaries.
Shared vision and goals
Successful teams have a clear, shared goal. In software development it is the product we are building. In schools it could be improving reading competency or implementing an inclusive concept. This shared goal creates alignment and cohesion.
Psychological safety
Google found in its famous Project Aristotle study: the most important success factor for teams is psychological safety. Teams in which members can admit mistakes and ask questions without fearing negative consequences are more productive and more innovative.
The same applies to schools. If in the staffroom nobody fears being seen as incompetent just for asking for advice, knowledge flows more freely. People support each other and develop new ideas together. Studies show that psychological safety has measurable effects on engagement, absenteeism, and creativity.
Open communication
In software teams we use tools like Slack, Notion, or Confluence to share and document information. Not all of this translates directly to schools, but the underlying idea does: knowledge must flow. Many successful schools already establish structures for regular exchange – through weekly meetings, digital platforms, or shared material pools.
Knowledge management as a strategic resource
In business, knowledge is managed strategically – knowledge bases, documentation, mentoring programs. In schools, knowledge exchange often happens informally and by chance. That is wasted potential. Proven teaching ideas, solutions to discipline problems, successful projects – all of this could be systematically collected and made available in a structured way to new colleagues.
Leadership support
In organizations, teamwork stands or falls with management support. Leaders allocate resources, remove obstacles, and recognize team achievements. The same applies to schools: school leadership must make teamwork a priority – through timetabling arrangements, continuing professional development, and recognition of successful cooperation.
From exchange to co-construction
Not all collaboration is equal. There are different levels of cooperation:
Level 1: Exchange
The basic level. Teachers share experiences, materials, and tips. "How do you handle disruptions in class?" Sounds basic, but even simple exchange reduces perceived workload, because people feel understood.
Level 2: Task-based cooperation
Joint planning, division of tasks on projects. "You take the group work, I take the presentation." More efficient than solo work, but still no true synergy.
Level 3: Co-construction
The highest level. Teachers jointly develop new teaching concepts or solutions. This requires the highest degree of trust and commitment to shared goals, but it also produces the greatest synergy effects.
Every level has its value. What matters: you don't have to start at level 3 straight away. But you should know where the journey can lead.
What research shows: international role models
It is worth looking beyond Germany. In Japan there is "Lesson Study" – teachers plan lessons together, observe one another teach, and debrief afterward. In Canada, schools work with "Spirals of Inquiry" – systematic, data-driven instructional development within teams.
Education researchers such as Anne Sliwka and Britta Klopsch highlight that such co-constructive approaches can provide valuable impulses for Germany. The underlying idea is always the same: teachers learn together and continuously reflect on their practice in order to create better learning experiences.
The biggest question: integration into everyday life
The biggest question when introducing new ways of working is often not technical feasibility, but integration: how can teamwork be embedded in everyday school life in such a way that it is not experienced as an additional burden?
A few practical approaches:
1. Fixed team time slots in the timetable
Regular grade-level meetings and extended meetings involving all professions.
2. Clear roles and responsibilities
Clarify at the outset: who does what? Who brings what expertise? Oriented toward strengths, not titles.
3. Digital tools for knowledge sharing
A central place where observations, materials, and ideas are collected. Searchable, accessible, not scattered across a hundred notes.
4. Establishing a culture of openness
Mistakes are learning opportunities, not weaknesses. Asking questions is professional, not embarrassing. This culture must be modeled by school leadership.
5. Evaluation and adjustment
Regularly reflect: what is going well? Where are the sticking points? Teams develop dynamically. What works today may need to be adjusted in six months.
The role of digital tools
If teamwork is to function, structures for knowledge sharing are needed. Not all information needs to be discussed in meetings. Some should simply be documented and findable.
An example: the observation about Leon. The math teacher notes: "Leon can't concentrate today, seems tired." The extended-day worker adds: "Leon was noticeably irritable while building today, knocked his whole construction over." The school social worker adds: "Conversation with the mother – Leon is sleeping poorly at the moment."
Suddenly a picture emerges. Not through a long meeting, but through structured documentation available to all those involved. That is precisely why we developed Kipti – to stop knowledge from disappearing and to support multidisciplinary teams.
Conclusion: from solo work to team
Teamwork in schools is no longer a "nice to have" – it is a necessity. The challenges are too complex for teachers working in isolation. Multidisciplinary teams and genuine cooperation within the staff are the key to better education.
The good news: it works. Schools that take teamwork seriously report tangible workload relief and quality gains. The bad news: it doesn't happen by itself. It requires structural changes, time resources, and a culture of trust.
But the work is worth it. For teachers, who no longer have to fight alone. For the school, which continues to develop. And above all for the students, who benefit the most: they experience a consistent, supportive learning environment in which the adults are pulling together.
Leon will appreciate it.
Sources
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