Teamwork for Success! The Parent-Professional Relationship

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Teamwork for Success! The Parent-Professional
Relationship
presented by Linda Carmona-Bell Diana Neri
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Goals and Expectations

• To understand what is collaboration and a
  collaborative team environment
• To understand the components of working
  effectively in a collaborative team
• To increase collaboration skills that will foster
  positive family-school communication

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What is Collaboration?

• Think about a few words that you associate with
  collaboration.

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Activity

• DIRECTIONS
• Think about a situation when you had to
  collaborate. What did you do right or what did
  you do that you thought was wrong?
• Think about your actions.
• Hold onto this memory for later in the training.

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Why Collaborate?
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Why Collaborate?

• It is through the work of collaborative teams
  that students with disabilities are fully
  included in typical activities and routines and
  beyond to extracurricular activities.
• It is not always easy.
• Working through differences and finding areas of
  agreement and compromise are necessary to meet
  the ultimate goal of inclusion and meaningful
  participation for the student.

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Effective Inclusion involves good collaboration
and communication among teachers, family members,
administrators, paraeducators, and community
resources.
The Collaborative Team
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So What is a Collaborative Team?

• For the Birdswww.youtube.com/watch?vyJzQiemCIu
  Y

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What is a Collaborative Team?

• A collaborative team has a common language
• Sometimes collaboration can be mean-spirited and
  ineffective. We want our teams to be positive
  and supportive.

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Finish this sentence A Collaborative Team is
not

• Jot down your thoughtsin the CHAT area!

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A Collaboratve Team is not

• A bully pulpit
• A dictatorship-monopolizing conversation
• A close-minded forum without hearing and
  listening to one another
• Where multiple people speak at the same time

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Guided Viewing

• As you view the video, make note of specific
  examples of collaboration.
• Also, note ways you have used these skills in
  working with your team.

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• Everyone on the team has a valuable contribution
  to make to the team and to support your child.
• The collaborative team is often the IEP team, and
  should include teachers, family members,
  administrators, related service and support
  personnel, paraeducators, community resources,
  and, of course, the student.

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The Importance of Team Composition

• Who should be on the team?
• How many members are there on the team?
• Is anyone missing from the team?

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What is my roleon this team?

• Team Specific Roles should
• Reflect the strengths and talents of the
  individual member
• Vary to share responsibilities
• Be identified and filled
• Be voluntary

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Think about

• What strengths do youbring to the team?

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Collaborative Teaming is atransdisciplinary
approach toteam functioning that is. . .

• based on mutual goals within a framework of
  similar beliefs
• requires parity among participants
• depends on shared responsibility for
  participation and decision making
• requires shared responsibility for outcomes
• requires that participants share their resources
• reflects voluntary relationships

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Characteristics of Collaboration
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CollaborativeTeaming

• The most important feature of a collaborative
  team is shared decision-making as they work
  toward a common goal.
• Establishing a common goal is central to
  successfully meeting the needs of a student.
• People working together to achieve a common goal
  or goals.

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Some Team Conflictis to be Expected
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Conflict

• The struggle that occurs when individuals,
  interdependent withothers, perceive that those
  othersare interfering with their goal
  attainment.
• (Friend
  Cook)

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How Do You Collaborate?
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How Do You Collaborate?

• Acknowledge differences
• Open discussion of each persons positions
• Compromise

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One Strategy to Collaborate

1. Clarify the purpose of all gathering together.
2. What does the student need (academic,
   environmental, etc)? Just focus on the facts.
3. Identify the current options.
4. Brainstorm (no judgment on suggestions).
5. Review all options to see what meets the
   students needs (see 2).
6. Choose the best fit for the student and family.

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What CanGo Wrong?

• Alternatives are not considered carefully.
• Minority opinions are silenced.
• Disagreements among members.

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What CanGo Right?

• An effective team can...
• Stimulate team interest in the student
• Allow for new instructional ideas.
• Lead to creative problem solving.
• Improve decision making skills.
• Build stronger team bonds.
• Create ownership and commitment for decisions.

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Collaboration

• Its all aboutcommunication

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Keys to Effective Communication

• Active Listening
• Getting beyond egos
• Empathizing
• and

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Ongoing Communication

• If families are to be involved as true partners
  in their children's education, it is important to
  provide on-going opportunities to hear their
  concerns and comments as well as providing them
  information.
  
  Moles, 1996

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Effective communications builds TRUST amongTeam
Members.
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Think about how your team has established trust.
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Activity

• Step 1 Recall the personal situationfrom the
  beginning of this session.
• Step 2 Determine what you likeabout what you
  did.
• Step 3 Determine what you couldhave done
  differently.

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We will surely get to our destination if we join
hands.

• Kyi, Aung San Suu Human Rights
  Activist

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ANY QUESTIONS
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