Collaboration in Co-Teaching

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Fundamentals of Collaboration

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Definition of Terms
 Collaborating---assisting or cooperating with others

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

9. Consultation, Collaboration, and Teamwork
Students
Teachers
CONTENT PROCESS
CONTEXT

10. Context
 Student
 Home
 School
 Community
 Nation
 World

11. Process
 Formal--meetings, structured problem solving
sessions, training activities, scheduled
communications, planned innovations
 Informal--conversations, shared responsibilities,
idea swapping, spontaneous innovation

12. 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

13. Activity
 Discuss how the context, process, and content affect
learning.
 What affect do they have on teachers and students?

14. Key Elements for Effective School
Consultation
 Role
 Structure
 Role Expectations
 Role Parity
 Role Clarification
 Framework
 Structure
 Resources
 Management
 Assessment

15. 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

16. Continuum of Services
Self-
contained
classroom
Team
Teaching
Supportive
Learning
Activities
Material
Modification
Instructional
Modification
Consultation

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. Group Time-Discuss the Roles and
Responsibilities of Each
General
Education
Teacher
Special
Education
Teacher

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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.”

25. 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