Collaboration increases value adding

Professional learning that takes place in a highly collaborative culture has the capacity to significantly increase the value of the professional learning. The 'community of practice' means that important knowledge and experience are well situated to support professional learning, that is, close to practices & learners. 

The close link between action and learning means that in a collaborative culture learning and action are supported by members of the culture. Thus learning that is matched to shared purposes is readily translated in to new or improved shared practices. In addition collaboration enhances the rapid and extended deployment of the improved or new practices (through action learning) into the life and work of the group. Thus the learning becomes part of the culture and is readily available to its members. 

Sustainability

Most things are sustainable with enough power and/or resources. However this is not practical for most educational endeavours. Rather the way to achieve sustainability of new or improved practices is to ensure that they become part of the culture. This is useful definition of implementation: 'something has been implemented when it has become part of the culture' - IW.

Part of the culture

Where professional learning is part of the culture value is added because everyone can be a contributor and everyone can be a beneficiary.  Individual members can initiate professional learning for themselves and for others. Knowledge of available resources is more widely shared. And there is ongoing value adding from the professional experiences (action learning) in the field. 

In such situations collaboration is unlikely to be limited to professional learning. Rather collaboration also enhances school system development through

• better informed governance
• more extensive and well focused and supported professional learning
• a better matching infrastructure
• astute application of the new and improved practices, leading to...
• improved core practices and supporting activities
• ...

Collaboration also decreases costs

Professional learning takes the time and effort of the learners, the providers, those responsible for managing and arrangements.  It can also effect others indirectly in a multitude of ways. There are several ways in which collaboration reduces waste in professional learning. 

Learning into practice

Perhaps the most important contribution of collaboration is that it reduces likelihood of failure to complete the transfer of learning into practice. Thus there is 

• less waste 
  • professional learning that does not result in new or improved practices is waste)
  • more in line with the needs of learner at all stages of the 'program' since learning process can be refined & refocused in real time
  • of value to the provider who is likely to be less than an 'expert' and hence learns from the experience of being a co-learner, tutor, mentor
  • less disruption since opportunities can be  arranged as required between learner/helper
  • less unnecessary provision - provision is in response to actual needs of actual learner and the capacity of other participants to contribute
• less rework -  the successful transfer of learning into real practice and experience internalises the learning, matures the concepts involved and reduces the need to re-learn
• less management is required because collaboration includes more natural organization by arrangement between learner and helper, and even more self managed learning

In summary 

Collaboration clearly makes professional learning

• more efficient and effective
• sustainable
• closer to JIT (time) delivery and improved (in process) follow up
• closer to JIP (place) delivery
• and faster: fewer hold-ups in the learning process since the required knowledge, experience, products more readily available from co-learners, on-site tutors, mentors...