09/04/2012

Fundamentals of Collaboration

Quote of the Day

“So I’m co-teaching this year! It’s kind of funny to watch all the different teachers I work with. You know, it’s the beginning of the year. I just stand in the back of the room and watch.”

• Clark County Special Education Teacher, September 2011

Definition of Terms

Consult--advise, confer, confab, huddle, parley, counsel, deliberate, consider, examine, review, apply information, take counsel, discuss, seek the opinion of

Consultation--a council, conference, or formal deliberation

Consulting--deliberating together, asking advice or opinion of, conferring

Consultant--one who gives professional advice or services in a field of special knowledge and training

Definition of Terms

Consulting teacher--one with major teaching responsibilities who also works with other school personnel in order to serve the needs of students with disabilities

Client--individual, group, agency, community that benefits from the services of a consultant

Collaborate--labor together or work jointly

Communication--the act of transmitting, giving, or exchanging information

Cooperation--the act of uniting, banding, combining, or working together

Coordination--bringing elements into action

Teamwork/teaming--joining forces or efforts, with each individual contributing a clearly defined portion of the effort

Definition of Terms

School Consultation---an activity in which professional educators and parents collaborate within the school context by communicating, cooperating, and coordinating their efforts as a team to serve the learning and behavioral needs of students with disabilities.

Definition of Terms

A school consultant--a facilitator of communication, cooperation, and coordination who consults, collaborates, and engages in teamwork with other educators to identify learning and behavioral needs of students with disabilities, and plans, implements, and evaluates educational programs to meet those needs.

Definition of Terms

Collaborating---assisting or cooperating with others

Discussion

Please discuss with your neighbor what it means to consult or to be a consultant. How does that differ from collaboration?

Consultation, Collaboration, and Teamwork

Students

Teachers

CONTENT PROCESS

CONTEXT

Context

Student

Home

School

Community

Nation

World

Process

Formal--meetings, structured problem solving sessions, training activities, scheduled communications, planned innovations

Informal--conversations, shared responsibilities, idea swapping, spontaneous innovation

Content

Materials--books, worksheets, programmed instruction, kits, study aids, technology, tests

Methods--cooperative learning, peer tutoring, grouping arrangements, direct instruction, independent study, technology

Strategies--test taking, behavior management, reinforcement, pacing

Alternatives--course options, testing alternatives, revisions of requirements, modifications of materials, learning accommodations

Activity

Discuss how the context, process, and content affect learning.

What affect do they have on teachers and students?

Key Elements for Effective School Consultation

Role

Structure

Role Expectations

Role Parity

Role Clarification

Framework

Structure

Resources

Management

Assessment

Key Elements for Effective School Consultation

Preparation

Role Clarification

Teacher Education

In-service and staff development

Pre-service training

Evaluation

Assessment

Involvement

Acceptance

Pre-service training

Continuum of Services

Self-

contained

classroom

Team

Teaching

Supportive

Learning

Activities

Material

Modification

Instructional

Modification

Consultation

Principle Components of Consultation (Idol-Maestas, 2006)

Team Ownership

Equality: demonstrated by listening, respecting, and learning from each other

Parity: demonstrated when the general education teacher’s skills and knowledge are blended with the skills and knowledge of the special education consultant's skills and knowledge

Principle Components of Consultation (Idol-Maestas, 2006)

Recognition of Individual Differences

Remember that change can be uncomfortable

Special education consultant must be sensitive to general education teacher’s feelings

Principle Components of Consultation (Idol-Maestas, 2006)

Application of Reinforcement

New behaviors are learned when their occurrence is followed by reinforcement

Consultant must use liberal amounts of reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is the key

Principle Components of Consultation (Idol-Maestas, 2006)

Data-based Evaluation

Measure the extent to which the special educator and general educator learn from each other

Measure the extent to which the student succeeds academically and socially

Lots of data must be collected

Group Time-Discuss the Roles and Responsibilities of Each

General Education

Teacher

Special Education

Teacher

Roles and Responsibilities of All Involved in the Collaborative Process

General Education Teachers View student as a regular member of the class, not as a visitor

Modify teaching techniques, course content, evaluation and grading procedures to accommodate student’s special learning needs

See and use the expertise of others

Incorporate IEP goals in typical classroom activities

Understand that the special education consultant may be responsible for a large number of students in a variety of settings and has a limited amount of time to devote to each student

Realize that it is unlikely a new intervention or strategy will have an immediate effect

Acknowledge that all students differ in the extent of adaptations or modifications they will need

Roles and Responsibilities of All Involved in the Collaborative Process

Special Educators Provide consultation and collaboration

Suggest and or make adaptations in curriculum, materials, or equipment

Incorporate IEP goals in typical activities

Recognize that the general educator has effective academic and behavioral interventions that will work

Understand that the general educator must respond to many students in a rapid fashion

Acknowledge that placing a student with a disability in the general education classroom does not relieve the teacher of responsibility to the other students

Recognize that some techniques may work in the Resource Room and not in the general education classroom

Stop and Jot

Why is it important to define the roles of general education teacher and special education teacher?

What advice would you give the special education teacher from the quote of the day?

“So I’m co-teaching this year! It’s kind of funny to watch all the different teachers I work with. You know, it’s the beginning of the year. I just stand in the back of the room and watch.”

Three Outcomes in Collaborative Situations

Win / lose Some group members win, while others feel they have lost

Lose / lose Both groups are disappointed with the outcome

Win / win All members are satisfied with the outcome