Collaborative practice- What does it really mean?

After reading Fullan's account of collaborative cultures and how they are constructed it leaves me feeling somewhat more enthused about this process of change than I have been feeling of late. I have felt that I too have hit a wall in terms of 'real' and meaningful collaboration with colleagues. Whilst I am happy to source information and resources for teachers and their classes, collaborative practice is something of a mystery to this school. Ironically, why do teachers work in a selfish(individualised) manner when they expect their students to share and collaborate on research and investigative projects. Why are teachers as a whole inflexible with their own learning practices and teaching resources. Is this because they are working without a united vision and not as a professional learning community; rather they are steering their own ship in waters they know very little about?? I am beginning to see that the same can be applied to TL's. Like teachers we to must be part of the professional learning community- clear purpose, collaborative activity and collaborative responsibility to achieve optimum student learning. Essentially for me this has opened my eyes as to why I am witnessing such a fragmented approach to my implementation of a whole school approach to info literacy. My vision needs to align with the whole school's understanding. How this translates to real practice will depend upon the natural resistance and anxiety others will demonstrate. Teachers on the whole are open to discussion and new ideas but can also be territorial with their resources. Does this help to explain their reticence to collaborate? Organisational change is easier to understand when thought of in terms of what Earl and Lee (1998) believe; urgency and agency generate more momentum which leads to consolidation, reflection, celebration and the capacity to push the boundaries of change. Therefore, I need to be able to state/use evidence based data to inform and then propose the framework for change; this is akin to showing leadership to drive a connected vision. Principals are instinctively aware of how vital good staff are to the school particularly staff who can engage and drive organisational change. Fragmentation is divisive, time consuming and does no one any favours. Coherence is a process, it is not static and as this develops with all its synergy so should the collaborative efforts of the school community.