Principles of Effective Collaboration

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Principles of Effective Collaboration
Co-Teaching
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Why collaborate?

• Collaboration
• Increases instructional options
• Increases grouping flexibility in order to
  provide student with individualized instruction
  and diverse learning experiences
• Reduces stigma for children
• Increases professional support
• Meets the mandates of IDEA Least Restrictive
  Environment

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Based on your experiences

• What are the essential elements for implementing
  collaboration that effectively supports student
  learning?

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Four Principles that Promote Effective
Collaboration

1. Respect of Knowledge and Skill
2. Established Communication System
3. Common Understanding of the Classroom Environment
4. Co-Accountability

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1. Respect of Knowledge/Skill

• Recognition that each educator brings a set of
  knowledge and skills
• Both educators take an active role in supporting
  student learning
• Mutual trust in abilities

How is this illustrated? What does a
collaborative partnership look like when both
educators mutually respect each others knowledge
and skills?
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2. Established Communication System

• Designated time to discuss student learning
  goals, accommodations, and instructional tools
  and strategies
• Communication about teacher roles and
  responsibilities
• Interpersonal awareness and comfort with
  discussing the professional relationship
• Active listening to understand the perspectives
  of collaboration partner

What examples of an effective communication
system have you seen in action? What tools can
teachers use to facilitate communication?
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3. Common Understanding of the Classroom
Environment

• Shared understanding about classroom management,
  grading, the physical arrangement, familiarity
  with the curriculum, and implementing
  accommodations
• Mutual ownership and expectations for student
  learning
• High acceptance for all students

Describe an instance when a common understanding
of the classroom environment was not established?
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4. Co-Accountability

• Shared sense of responsibility to ensure access,
  involvement, and progress in the general
  education curriculum
• Joint implementation of accommodations
• Co-planning, co-preparation, co-evaluation

Classroom Scenario Frederick (see Snapshot IEP)
receives instruction in a general education
setting. Currently, he is not earning a passing
grade in his science class. His parents are
concerned that he is not receiving the
appropriate services.
How would a team demonstrating co-accountability
respond to this situation? How would their
response differ from a team that does not
practice co-accountability?
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Typical Role of the Special Educator

• Learning strategist for all students
• Motivational techniques
• Curriculum accommodations and modifications
• Knowledge of IEPs and student disabilities

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Typical Role of the General Educator

• Content knowledge
• District and state curriculum
• Indicators and objectives
• Pacing
• Content development
• Classroom management for a standard class size

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Typical Role of Paraprofessionals

• Check the students progress
• Provide individual or small-group tutorial
  assistance
• Facilitate social interactions between students
• Receive guidance and instruction from the
  classroom teacher and assist during the lesson
• Report back to the special education teacher

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Venn Diagram Activity

• Where do the roles of the general educator and
  the special educator overlap?

General Educator
Special Educator
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Consultation Model

• Students are grouped heterogeneously.
• General Educator presents instruction and makes
  accommodations.
• Special Educator adapts instructional materials
  as needed according to students needs. Other
  services include assessment, observation, and
  planning meetings.
• Special Educators and General Educators make time
  to discuss students needs, services, and
  progress.

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Consultation Model

• Strengths
• Advance planning of instructional accommodations
• Flexibility in student scheduling

• Challenges
• Requires frequent communication
• Isolation and sense of separateness if this is
  the only model used

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Collaborative Teaching

• Students are grouped heterogeneously.
• General Educator and Special Educator
  collaborate in the same classroom setting.

• Collaborative Teaching Models
• One Teaching, One Assisting
• Station Teaching
• Parallel Teaching
• Alternative Teaching
• Team Teaching

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One Teaching, One Assisting

• Both educators are present with one taking a
  clear lead in the classroom while other observes
  and assists students.

Click the icon to view the video
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One Teaching, One Assisting

• Strengths
• Limited teacher planning
• Provides basic support to students with diverse
  needs

• Challenges
• The assist teacher may feel like a glorified
  teachers assistant
• Students may question the assist teachers
  authority

Consider having the general educator and special
educator alternate roles between support teacher
and lead teacher.
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Station Teaching

• Teachers divide instructional content into
  several segments and present the content in
  separate stations around the classroom.
• With two stations, the General Educator and
  Special Educator each teach their half of the
  content and then switch groups. Alternatively,
  both teachers may move between groups in order to
  provide support.
• If students are able to work independently with
  content, a third station may be established.

Click the icon to view the video
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Station Teaching

• Strengths
• General Educator and Special Educator maintain
  equal status
• Co planning allows for both the General Educator
  and the Special Educator to provide input in
  their area of expertise

• Challenges
• This approach requires significant pre-planning
  in order to divide up the content
• The content in Station Teaching lessons cannot be
  dependent on the order in which content is being
  presented due to the student rotation

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Parallel Teaching

• General Educator and Special Educator plan
  instruction jointly, but each delivers
  instruction to a heterogeneous group consisting
  of approximately half the class.

Click the icon to view the video
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Parallel Teaching

• Strengths
• Lowers student to teacher ratio
• Allows for increased student interaction and/or
  student to student interaction
• Allows the teacher to monitor individual student
  progress and understanding more closely

• Challenges
• General Educator and Special Educator need to
  coordinate teaching so that students receive
  essentially the same instruction within the same
  amount of time
• Noise levels may be high

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Alternative Teaching

• One teacher works with a small group while the
  other teacher interacts with the larger group.
• Small groups can be pulled for pre-teaching,
  re-teaching, enrichment, interest groups, special
  projects, make-up work or assessment groups.

Click the icon to view the video
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Alternative Teaching

• Strengths
• All students, including students with
  disabilities, benefit from small group
  instruction.
• If the General Educator and Special Educator
  alternate roles, equal status is maintained.

• Challenges
• Be careful to pull small learning groups that
  span various purposes. The small learning groups
  should not always be your students with special
  needs.

Consider having the general educator and special
educator alternate roles between support teacher
and lead teacher.
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Team Teaching

• Both the General Educator and the Special
  Educator share the instruction of students.
• One teacher may lead discussion while the other
  models or demonstrates.
• Team teaching affords the ability to model
  quality team and interpersonal interactions.

Click the icon to view the video
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Team Teaching

• Strengths
• Allows both teachers to blend their teachings
  styles and expertise

• Challenges
• Requires more planning
• Requires high levels of trust and commitment

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How do teachers decide which model to implement?

• Consider
• Lesson objectives
• Students needs
• Available resources
• Educator expertise

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How is each Principle of Effective Collaboration
demonstrated in the consultation and co-teaching
models?

• Principles of Effective Collaboration

• Consultation Co-Teaching Models

• One Teaching One Assisting
• Station Teaching
• Parallel Teaching
• Alternative Teaching
• Team Teaching

• Respect of Knowledge and Skill
• Established Communication System
• Common Understanding of the Classroom Environment
• Co-Accountability

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• Much like the effective doubles team in tennis,
  when one teacher moves to the left of the room,
  the other moves more to the middle of the room
  so that the classroom is always effectively
  covered.
• Understanding Co -Teaching Components, CEC,
  2001

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Additional Resources on Co-Teaching

• Common Co-Teaching Issues. Retrieved from
  http//www.ttac.odu.edu/articles/comcotch.html
• Co-Teaching. Retrieved from http//coe.jmu.edu/es
  c/Consortium_Co-Teaching.shtml
• Carroll (2001). Considering Paraeducator
  Training, Roles, and Responsibilities. Teaching
  Exceptional Children 34(2), 60-64.
• Elliot McKenney (March/April 1998). Four
  Inclusion Models that Work. Teaching Exceptional
  Children 30(4), 54-58.
• Erin (1998). The Teacher-consultant. Education
  of the Visually Handicapped 20(2), 57-63.
• Gately Gately (March/April2001). Understanding
  Coteaching Components. The Council for
  Exceptional Children. Retrieved from
  http//journals.cec.sped.org/EC/Archive_Articles/V
  OL.33NO.4MARAPR2001_TEC_Article6.pdf
• Klingner Vaughn (Winter 2002). The Changing
  Roles and Responsibilities of an LD Specialist.
  Learning Disability Quarterly 25(1), 19-31.