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Instructions for Completing the Collaboration Project - Broken Arm SEGC 5140.docx

Instructions for Completing the Collaboration Project

 

This project is an individual project that requires you to synthesize the information on collaborative approaches and methods as presented and discussed in class. Please make sure the work you submit is your own – this is not a collaborative project between you and your peers. Please read and follow the instructions carefully. Save the project answer sheet to your computer and respond directly on the answer sheet. Please do not remove any of the instructions, prompts, or point information from the answer sheet – simply fill in your responses, expanding the space as needed. Failure to respond on the project answer sheet will result in a reduction of 8 points from the total earned.

 

 

Read the  Strategies for Implementing, Consultation Information, Consultation and Resistance, and the  Question Asking Guidelines posted in the organizer.  Read the case study,  A Broken Arm

to learn about the current situation with Mary, Helen, and their student, Jim. 

You have been selected to provide “collaborative consultation” to Helen and Mary for their student, Jim. As you read  The Broken Arm Case Study, your job as the consultant is to assist Helen and Mary in coming to a consensus on ways to work together so that Jim is successful in the classroom. Using the information gained in these readings as well as from the textbook, notes, case studies, and class discussions, please provide the following, remembering to use professional, error-free, and grammatically correct writing and  supporting your responses:

1. Identify and write down two statements made by Helen that represent “communication barriers” to a collaborative team process. Explain why each statement represents a barrier to communication.

1.  Describe, in a paragraph, how you would start an interview with Helen. The focus of the interview should be on gaining information that will assist in the collaboration process. State what you would say first, second, etc. Provide a list of 5 questions you would ask Helen in the order that you would ask them and how you would close the interview. When developing and ordering your questions, provide a logical sequence to your questions.

 

1. Review the list of the 12 conflict resolution skills we previously covered: Conflict Resolution Skills. Descriptions of each of the 12 skills as well as information about how each skill can be used to facilitate collaboration are available in the list at this link. Then, identify and list three conflict resolution skills that might be of benefit to Helen. Describe (1) why you selected each of these skills, referencing information provided in the case study about Helen, and (2) how the skills you selected might improve Helen’s ability to collaborate. Elaborate and provide examples to illustrate how these skills will facilitate collaboration.

1. Describe, in a paragraph, how you would start an interview with Mary. The focus of the interview should be on gaining information that will assist in the collaboration process. State what you would say first, second, etc. Provide a list of 5 questions you would ask Mary in the order that you would ask them and how you would close the interview. When developing and ordering your questions, provide a logical sequence to your questions.

1. Review the list of the 12 conflict resolution skills. Identify and list three conflict resolution skills that might be of benefit to Mary. Describe (1) why you selected each of these skills, referencing information provided in the case study about Mary, and (2) how the skills you selected might improve Mary’s ability to collaborate. Elaborate and provide examples to illustrate how these skills will facilitate collaboration.

Your Collaboration Project must be submitted to the Assignment Box no later than the due date posted in the Assignment Box. Late submissions will result in a 50% reduction in available points to be earned and projects submitted more than two days after the due date will not be graded and will earn 0 points. Attach the project as an artifact on the 5140 page in your Livetext portfolio, and complete the description, impact, and reflection information on that page.

Broken Arm Collaboration Project Answer Sheet.docx

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Collaboration Project Answer Sheet

Remember: Please save this answer sheet and respond directly on it - do not remove any of the instructions, prompts, or point information from the answer sheet – simply fill in your responses, expanding the space as needed.

Name:

Remember to use professional, error-free, and grammatically correct writing and clearly support your responses:

1. (20 pts.)

A. Two statements made by Helen that represent “communication barriers” to a collaborative team process and an explanation for why these statements represent barriers to communication:

Statement 1:

Statement 2:

2. (10 pts.)

A. Interview with Helen, including opening, five questions, and closing:

3. (30 pts.)

A. Three conflict resolution skills that might be of benefit to Helen:

Skill 1:

Skill 2:

Skill 3:

B. Descriptions of (1) why you selected each of these skills, referencing specific statements made by Helen, and (2) how the skills you selected might improve her ability to collaborate. Elaborate and provide examples to illustrate how these skills will facilitate collaboration:

Skill 1:

Skill 2:

Skill 3:

4. (10 pts.)

Interview with Mary, including opening, five questions, and closing:

5. (30 pts.)

A. Three conflict resolution skills that might be of benefit to Mary:

Skill 1:

Skill 2:

Skill 3:

B. Descriptions of (1) why you selected each of these skills, referencing specific statements made by Mary, and (2) how the skills you selected might improve Mary’s ability to collaborate. Elaborate and provide examples to illustrate how these skills will facilitate collaboration:

Skill 1:

Skill 2:

Skill 3:

Total points: ___/100

A Broken Arm.pdf

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325E120002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officers, Sarah Allen and Tracie Dickson.

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Objective Learn about and discuss some of the issues surrounding instructional accommodations and modifications and co-teaching.

Scenario Spelling was impossible for Jim, despite the accommodations made by his resource teacher. He was doing well in all his subjects, but a new teacher this year––one who considered spelling a necessary life skill––insisted that he perform as well as the other students. Jim’s embarrassment over the weekly posting of spelling grades was jeopardizing his successes. For a number of years, Crossroads High School has had a successful co-teaching program for students with mild to moderate disabilities who are seeking regular diplomas. Under the school’s model, students who are assigned to a subject area teacher and students who are assigned to a special education teacher are placed in the same class, and the two teachers co-teach. Instruction is then organized in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish the general education students from those in special education. At Crossroads, this system has worked so well that some parents move to the school district in order to enroll their children in the program.

Mary King has taught in this program for five years. A fifteen-year veteran, she considers her time at Crossroads to be the most rewarding of her career––that is, she did until this year. Just before the beginning of the school year, her teammate in her English classes resigned, and Helen Williams, a twenty-year veteran, was assigned to take her place. Last-minute shifts in the programs at Helen’s former school had led her to transfer to Crossroads, which had one of the few openings in English in the district. Helen had not done so without some apprehension. She had never co-taught and was not sure what she thought about the school’s co-teaching model.

Helen took pride in her efficiency and high standards. For years, students had complained about how much work she assigned and how “hard” she was, but later those same students came back to tell her how much they had learned and how much they appreciated her standards. In contrast, Mary was soft-spoken and sensitive, a teacher who valued the relationships she formed with her students and the fact that her classroom was a safe and welcoming place for students with disabilities.

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

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Scenario [Cont.] Her students and their families spoke about how wonderful it was to have someone in their district whom they could trust and count on. Her colleagues praised her calm and collaborative style of work.

Though Helen knew about her assignment when she accepted the position, Mary did not know who she was co-teaching with until the first day of school. Disappointed that she had not been involved in the interview process, Mary nonetheless approached Helen with an invitation to start planning. Helen seemed a bit surprised. She had already been planning what she needed to do, but graciously agreed to the meeting.

Mary started the meeting with the statement, “Well, I guess the place to start is a discussion of our roles and who will do what. I understand that you’ve never co-taught before?”

Helen replied, “No, I haven’t but I don’t foresee any problems. There is so much content to cover in the English curriculum, and my students have always done well on the district-wide semester exam at the end of the term. I don’t see this year being any different, so I would prefer to be the one who presents the content. That way, you can do your job and focus on helping the ones having trouble.”

It seemed to Mary that Helen had made up her mind and that discussion would be futile so she said nothing, hoping that in the future they could develop a more collaborative, shared teaching arrangement. Hearing no disagreement, Helen continued, “This semester we will start by reading Julius Caesar. Students will have daily writing assignments and a spelling test each Friday. It’s important that they be able to express themselves clearly and spell correctly. These mechanics will constitute one half of the grade.” Knowing that some of the students in the class had difficulty with spelling, Mary questioned, “Do you think that might be too much of the grade for some students? What about the ones who have spelling problems?” Helen replied, “Spelling is an essential skill required for the high-stakes testing that is mandatory for graduation. If you have to, take the students having trouble into the common area and give them some extra help, but I think they all should have to learn to spell correctly.”

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

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Scenario [Cont.] Mary decided not to make a big issue of the spelling but rather to accept Helen’s approach to teaching the class. For her part, Helen thought the conversation had gone well, but she wished her colleague would speak up more. Once school started, however, Mary’s concerns began to grow. One of the students assigned to the co-taught class was Jim O’Hara, a six-foot tall, 200-pound, seventeen-year-old athlete who had language learning delays and auditory processing deficits. Beginning in the second grade, Jim had received both direct and indirect special education services. He had been in a small, directed reading group all during his elementary years. By the time he had reached middle school, he was included in general education classes with consultation provided to his teachers from the special education teacher. With this support and the instructional modifications that were made, he had managed to successfully keep up with his classmates. He was a motivated student who wanted to go to college on an athletic scholarship. His parents were proud of his academic accomplishments and strong advocates for the special education program.

The first week of school, as planned, Helen gave the students twelve spelling words to study and told them they would be tested on Friday. The words were well below the reading level of most of the students in the class, and Helen felt it was reasonable to expect tenth-grade students to spell seventh- or eighth-grade words. But on Friday, as Mary graded the spelling tests, she was dismayed to see that Jim had gotten every word wrong. “I better get busy,” she thought and made a mental note to catch Jim early next week to plan some new spelling strategies. The following week she gave Jim six words on Monday and six words on Tuesday. She helped him make flash cards and showed him how to use them to study at home, but again he missed all twelve words on Friday’s test. When she looked at Jim’s records that afternoon, Mary found that he had earned a grade equivalent score of 4.6 in language arts and 1.8 in spelling. “No wonder he is having so much trouble on these tests,” she said to herself. Jim was doing adequate work on the literature section of the course because all of the stories were being read out loud in class. “Spelling could definitely keep this student from making a passing grade in the class. I wonder how he’s doing in his other classes,” Mary thought. She double-checked his writing and found that it was okay. He had a computer at home and used spell-check and the grammar guides to help him, and he was making A’s and B’s in math and science and C’s in history. Because she knew Jim was a motivated student, she was optimistic that she could find a way to adapt the spelling requirement so that he could be successful.

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

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Scenario [Cont.] In the following weeks, Mary tried a number of strategies. She gave Jim even fewer words each day, spreading the required words out over the week; she taught him rules about the structure of the words (e.g., “i before e except after c”); she asked Jim to write the words over and over. Nothing seemed to work. Each Friday, when he took the test, as he explained, “I can’t remember. It looks right to me when I write it.” He was still failing each test.

Mary hadn’t said anything to Helen about her concerns about Jim because Helen seemed satisfied with his performance. After all, he participated quite appropriately in class. As the end of the grading period neared, Mary could wait no longer. She approached Helen during their planning time.

“Helen, we need to modify Jim’s spelling test in some way, or he is not going to get a passing grade in this class. He’ll lose his scholarship opportunities. It just won’t work. How about allowing him to pick the correct spelling word out of a choice of three, or perhaps match the word in a sentence?” she suggested hopefully.

“That will not work because those skills do not test spelling!” Helen replied. “It’s really not in his best interest. He won’t do well on the high-stakes testing, which is mandatory for graduation, or later in college if he can’t spell. Spelling is something everyone must be able to do! I don’t think it would be fair to lower that standard or my expectations for him or anyone else.”

“Helen, I don’t think spelling is a skill that Jim will ever be able to master. It is simply part of his disability. If he had a broken arm would you still expect him to write, or read printed material if he were blind?” “Educated people must be able to spell! I know I have high standards, but I want the best for my students!” Helen replied. Helen was trying to build a professional relationship with Mary, but she was beginning to wonder if they would ever see eye-to-eye. With the new legislation, she was feeling a great deal of pressure for all of her students to attain high test scores. She thought, “These students have to learn to spell; otherwise, I have to answer for it!” She was also concerned about the way the other students would react. She wondered, “If I make modifications for one student, won’t the other students expect the same? Am I going to have to come up with individualized tests?”

Mary, however, was not satisfied. Jim was facing a failing grade in English, with no solution in sight. And, worse, he was becoming frustrated and had begun to skip class. Mary called Jim’s home later in the week to talk with Mrs. O’Hara about Jim’s problems with spelling, as well as

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

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his numerous absences from class. Scenario [Cont.]

“He is so frustrated and embarrassed,” Mrs. O’Hara confided. “The spelling grades are posted in the class, and everyone knows that Jim is the one making the zero grade every week.”

“I don’t blame him for not wanting to come to class,” Mary thought as she hung up the phone. “We have got to do better for Jim, but how can I convince Helen to make accommodations in spelling for him?”

This issue had already put a strain on the two teachers’ relationship, and Mary was hesitant to confront Helen about Jim again. It would not be good for them to become adversaries, especially so early in the year. Mary believed, however, that it was their shared responsibility to help Jim succeed in this class. Questions/Discussion Topics 1. List what you learned about each of the characters in the case. What do you think is

motivating the thoughts and actions of each of the characters? 2. What are the issues and problems in the case? Discuss the common problems and

issues faced in co-teaching. What steps are required to establish successful co-teaching relationships?

3. When is it appropriate to make instructional accommodations? Modifications? Discuss techniques for modifying instructional methods and materials. What instructional accommodations and modifications in spelling did Mary make for Jim? Were they effective? Why or why not?

4. Discuss the importance and benefits of communication and collaboration that promotes interaction with students, parents, and school and community personnel.

Instructional Accommodations & Co-Teaching: A Broken Arm Est. Time: 1 Hour

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HSTAR Sheet

H What a STAR Sheet Is A STAR (STrategies And Resources) Sheet provides you with a description of a well- researched strategy that can help you solve the case studies in this unit. Discussion Points • Common problems and issues faced in co- teaching • Requirements to establishing successful co-teaching relationships • When to make instructional modifications • Techniques for modifying instructional methods and materials • Benefits of collaboration and communication between students, parents, school, and

community personnel

What the Research and Resources Say • Some common concerns expressed by teachers regarding co-teaching include

concerns about adequate planning, support from administration, resources, professional development, and willingness of teachers to be involved in co-teaching. High school general education teachers expressed particular concern about grading (Keefe, Moore, & Duff, 2004).

• Key areas that need to be addressed in order to facilitate successful co-teaching relationships are: – Deciding who is responsible for students in the classroom and when those responsibilities change – Establishing grading guidelines – Setting classroom management expectations – Creating specific physical space (i.e. desk and chair) for each teacher – Informing students that they have two teachers and that they have the same authority – Involving parents when planning and establishing a collaborative teaching arrangement – Setting aside time to co-plan (at least 45 minutes per week) (Vaughn, Schumm, & Argyles, 1997)

• Instructional modifications and accommodations should be made when a student is not able to participate and/or be successful in the general education curriculum. Possible modifications and accommodations to instructional methods include shortening assignments to focus on mastery of key concepts, substituting alternatives for written assignments, allowing students to use computers to complete written work, and specifying exactly what students will need to know in order to pass.

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What the Research and Resources Say [Cont.] Possible modifications and modifications to materials include providing alternative books at an easier reading level, allowing students to listen to audiotapes of books, giving page numbers to help find answers, and providing summaries of chapters (School Accommodations and Modifications, 2003).

• Teaching students learning strategies is another instructional practice that has shown positive results. Researchers at the University of Kansas have developed a three-strand curriculum consisting of teaching students how to acquire information, store information, and express and demonstrate understanding of information. Strategies taught include paraphrasing, mnemonics, and test-taking (Boudah, & O’Neill, 1999).

• Important teaching strategies to use in an inclusion setting include: – Making necessary accommodations and modifications for students – Using different instructional delivery systems (audio, visuals) – Using various grouping variations – Teaching students to understand how they learn as an individual – Teaching students to use both cognitive and metacognitive strategies (Beckman, 2001).

• Finding ways to engage families and communities in the education of their children carries definite benefits. Research shows such students perform better academically, stay in school longer, and are more likely to pursue higher education (Henderson, & Mapp, 2002).

Keep in Mind • Positive rapport and open communication are key in a co-teaching relationship. • Developing successful co-teaching relationships takes time. • Modifications and accommodations need to allow access to the curriculum. They do not

necessarily guarantee success. • Students often need to be explicitly taught on how and when to use specific

accommodations and modifications.

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Resources

Beckman, P. (2001). Access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. (ERIC EC Digest #E615). ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from http://ericec.org/digests/e615.html Boudah, D. J., & O’Neill, K. J. (1999). Learning strategies. (ERIC/OSEP Digest #E577). ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from http://www.ericdigests.org/2000-2/learning.htm

Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools. Retrieved June 28, 2004, from http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf

Keefe, E. B., Moore, V., & Duff, F. (2004). The four “knows” of collaborative teaching. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36(5), 36–42.

School Accommodations and Modifications. (2003, October 7). Collaborative teaching. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36(5), 36–42.

Vaughn, S., Schumm, J. S., & Argyles, M. E. (1997). The ABCDEs of co-teaching. Teaching Exceptional Children, 30(2), 4–10.

Question Asking Guidelines.htm

 

Question Asking is an art that can be used to gather information that will assist you in supporting students with disabilities and in supporting the teachers that interact with them.

 

Information:

Purposes of Asking Questions

n  Seeking information

n  Provide clarification

n  Providing information

 

Types of Questions:

n  Open/Closed

n  Use open questions to encourage people to share ideas, beliefs, perceptions, opinions

n  �How do you feel about the IEP meeting?�

n  Use closed questions to focus discussion on a particular response

n  �You appear uneasy about the IEP meeting, are you?�

 

n  Direct/Indirect Questions

n  Indirect: Inquiring without seeming to do so.���

n  � I wonder how?� � I am confused about� � My guess is that�

n  Direct : Straight question, question mark at end and voices go up indicating a question was asked and a response expected.

 

Planning an Interview:

n  Introduction

n  Establish a relaxed atmosphere

n  Indicate the purpose and amount of time it will take

n  Thank them for their time & effort

n  Discuss note-taking, recording, confidentiality

 

n  Body of the interview

n  Pay attention to the sequence of your questions

�  You want people to talk openly, so don�t begin with questions that are �loaded�, or that imply that they have a problem

�  Seek to understand their point of view

�  May want to start with questions that they can easily answer, such as �how long have you been teaching?�, etc.

�  Proceed to more beliefs/attitude questions (how do you feel about co-teaching?, etc.

 

Cluster questions by topics/logical flow (once you have written your basic questions between 5 and 10, not more, read through them and think about whether they flow from one to the other and are connected, think about the type of information you can get from them, try to be efficient�ask fewer questions and get more information)

n  Use silence, pauses and minimal encouragers

n  Monitor time

 

n  Closing

n  Defuse any emotional content that may have surfaced by returning to neutral ground (if the person has gotten emotional, angry, frustrated as he/she answers your questions, make sure that you ask a few �neutral� questions,� or encouraging questions < �you mentioned that you have had success with�.could you tell me more about that?�)

n  Review major topics, highlight perspectives discussed

n  Check for accuracy of your perceptions

n  Ask whether additional topics should be addressed

n  Indicate what you will do with the information

n  Express affection for their time

 

 

Consultation and Resistance1.htm

RESISTANCE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKING WITH RESISTANCE BEHAVIOR

In your work with students with special needs you will find that people (parents, students, other teachers, administrators) may demonstrate resistance behaviors when you make suggestions for supporting a student or teacher.

Resistance:

Types of Resistance

The Direct Block-refusing to participate

Yes, but

I did it, but it didn't work

Reverse (agrees to intervention but does not follow through

Projected threat (identifies someone who will not like it)

Guilt trip (excessive burden)

Tradition (its always been done this way)

 THINK ABOUT: An example from your life when someone used one of the types of resistance and what happened when they did.

 

 Behaviors that are Indicators of Resistance:

Refusing to participate

Supporting without substance-when saying "yes" means "no"

Displacing responsibility

"Parents will complain"

"Principal will not support it"

Deferring until future time or procrastinating implementation, meetings, etc.

 

Causes of Resistance:

Habit strength (concerns about personal impact of change)

Threat to Role Image or Security

Too Much Work

Philosophical Belief Conflicts

Poor Planning/Delivery

Psychological (theme interference) the person thinks about things that have happened in their life that are similar and resists based on "baggage"

Lack of skills

Inadequate support system

Administrative restraints

 

Think About This

Think about how you would need to respond to a person very differently to reduce their resistance if the cause was a lack of skills. If you were consulting and asking someone to observe your student and keep data on their behavior, you may get resistance because the person does not feel skilled in observing and keeping data. In this case you would have to find a way to change your expectations and/or find a way to increase that person's skills.

If the person was resisting because they genuinely had too much work and not enough support, then increasing their skills would not change their resistance.

When you respond to Resistance you need to first ask the following three questions:

Is resistance appropriate? Sometimes resistance is an appropriate response to a change because the change is detrimental or not well thought out.

Should it be addressed? Sometimes the resistance is NOT appropriate, but you will decide to ignore it and pick your battles!

How committed are others to changing? As a consultant supporting students with disabilities, you need to determine how committed others are to making the change you have suggested. If no one (principal, other teachers, parents,) will support you, you may need to rethink your idea.

 

Getting people to change and overcoming their resistance can be accomplished using some of the following:

Reducing threat - find a way to assure the person through your actions as well as your words, that this change will not be harmful to their status or role or self image.

Developing positive expectations (make it clear that you expect success and are willing to support someone to achieve it

Incentives

Contracts

Reduction of Effort (help them see what they do not have to do as well as what they need to add, or find a way for them to do the work more efficiently)

Interpersonal tools

 

Approaches to Resistance

Behavioral

Provide incentives

Provide ways others can become familiar with change through observation

Consistency

Point out discrepancies in others' thinking that may create dissonance

Create discrepancies and bring to attention

Link proposed changes with resolution of discrepancy

Perceptual

Relate change to others knowledge /expertise,

Propose changes within others value system

Gain public commitment

Functional

Consider change as it relates to others' needs, persuade by addressing those needs

Conflict - Any situation in which one person or group perceives that another person/group is interfering with his/her/their goal attainment

 

Causes of Conflict

Conflict between individuals with different goals

Conflict between individuals with the same goals

Conflict within individuals

Negotiation

Focus on issues not people

Reduce emotional component of conflict

Respond positively to others negative comments

Do not respond to "hot button" comments

Acknowledge others feelings

Seek third party assistance

Adapt/exit

 

Negotiation tools

Understand your own motivation and that of others (value difference, limited resources, differing opinions about interventions)

Clarify issues

Set expectations (what will happen if we are successful?)

Discuss each issue separately

Make and respond to solutions

 

THINK ABOUT: Think about a time when you had a conflict with someone. How did you react and what was the result? Now think about what you have just read about resistance, conflict and negotiation. How might you act differently and get a different result if you were to use some of the ideas from your readings?

Collaborative Consultation Information.htm

Collaborative Consultation Information:

There are times when you may be asked or it may be your role to provide assistance to another teacher or a team of teachers. In this instance, you are acting as a consultant and the teacher or teachers are the consultees.

 

Caplan and Caplan (1993) point out four "lacks" that may explain why a person in a consultative relationship may have difficulty in dealing with a student.

 

  1. Knowledge: The consultee may not have enough knowledge about the student and / or the intervention strategy that you are expecting them to use or adapt.
  2. Skill: The consultee may have the knowledge but not have the ability or experience to apply this knowledge successfully.
  3. Confidence: The consultee may lack confidence to try new things. They may have tried some of the strategies in the past and were unsuccessful or may be a cautious person who is not willing to take risks to learn new things.
  4. Objectivity: The consultee may have the knowledge, skill and confidence but have difficulty because of their subjective perceptions or judgments. This could be because of:
  1. Theme interference: the consultee sees something in the student that reminds him/her of some unresolved conflict in his/her own life. This may not be conscious.

 

If you were to work with a consultee who had a lack of knowledge, you would give different advice and exhibit different behaviors than if you were working with someone who lacked confidence. In all instances, you will be dealing with professionals, adults, who should not be talked down to or patronized in any way. If the behavior of the consultee is not changing, you may want to refresh your knowledge about resistance and review that information. But if they don't change, you will have to change your tactics to be successful in supporting them so that they can support the student.

Strategies for Implementation.htm

Strategies for Implementing

Collaborative Teaming

 

It is important to remember that the product -- supporting students with disabilities to achieve their educational goals -- is the purpose of collaborative teaming.

 

Team members also must support one another, by:

   * sharing resources

   * providing moral support

   * providing technical support

 

Collaborative teamwork is based on the assumption that an open exchange of information, effectively communicated across team members, produces better educational programs for students.

Skills that lead to collaboration among team members are learned and include:

   * facilitating team meetings

   * engaging in role release and information exchanges

   * engaging in group problem-solving

   * making decisions by consensus

   * resolving differences in perspectives

 

Facilitating Team Meetings

Team meetings may be facilitated by establishing expectations and standards, such as:

Establishing and honoring time commitments

Actively listening to and honoring others' perspectives

Preparing for meetings in advance

 * establishing an agenda

 * assigning group roles - facilitator, recorder, time keeper, process observer

 * include others whose input/support is needed for specific agenda items

Sharing leadership and rotating roles

Maintaining a focus on the student

Engaging in role release

Engaging in role release and information exchanges can be aided by:

 * using an effective teaching strategy

 * being approachable and supportive

 * assuming responsibility for unclear expectations, rather than blaming others for their lack of understanding

Clearly communicating procedures, desired student outcome, and the rationale for each of these

Providing opportunities to practice

Providing reinforcement

  * reinforcing successive approximations to the desired behavior; you can't change everyone's behavior overnight, so instead shoot for small, but consistent and progressive changes

 * providing positive and specific feedback - let others know you appreciate their efforts!

Engaging in Group Problem-solving

A frequently used, five component process for group problem-solving (Johnson & Johnson, 1994) includes the following steps:

  1. Define the problem or issue   * involves identifying and agreeing on the current situation and the desired outcome for the student

 2. Gather information about the problem, identifying barriers that must be overcome and capacities that can help

 3. Generate and consider alternative strategies   * focusing on reducing/removing the barriers

 4. Select a strategy and implement

 5. Evaluate the success of the strategy

 

Making Decisions by Consensus

Guidelines for making decisions by group consensus (Johnson & Johnson, 1994):

Avoid arguing blindly for your own opinions

Avoid changing your mind about solutions with which you do not agree only as a means of avoiding conflict

Avoid conflict reducing procedures, such as tossing a coin or mandating that the "majority rules"

Seek out differences of opinion

Do not assume that someone must win and someone must lose when the group encounters a roadblock

Discuss underlying assumptions, listen carefully to each other, and encourage everyone to participate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rubric for SEGC 5140 Collaboration Project - Broken Arm EDL3a.docx

SEGC 5140

Rubric for Collaboration Project EDL3a

Element

Exemplary

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Points

Comments

18-20

14-17

1-13

20

Helen’s communication barriers to collaboration

Provides two statements made by Helen that clearly represent communication barriers to a collaborative team process; thoroughly describes why these statements represent barriers to communication; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Provides two statements made by Helen that represent communication barriers to a collaborative team process; describes why these statements represent barriers to communication; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Omits statements or provides only one statement made by Helen and/or statement does not clearly represent communication barriers to a collaborative team process; provides minimal description about why these statements represent barriers to communication; writing has multiple grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Does not include in-text citations and references per APA.

Element

Exemplary

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Points

Comments

9-10

7-8

1-6

10

Interview questions for Helen

Clearly describes how to start an interview with Helen that clearly focuses on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of 5 logically sequenced, relevant questions in order and describes how the interview would close that clearly shows an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Describes how to start an interview with Helen that focuses on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of 5 questions in order and describes how the interview would close that shows an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing has minimal grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Description of how to start an interview with Helen does not focus on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of fewer than 5 questions and/or questions are not in a logical order; description of how the interview would close does not show an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing has multiple grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Does not include in-text citations and references per APA.

Element

Exemplary

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Points

Comments

27-30

21-26

1-20

30

Conflict resolution skills and rationale for Helen

Lists three conflict resolution skills which would clearly be of benefit to Helen; clearly describes a rationale for selecting the skills and references statements/information in the case study for each skill selected; clearly describes in detail how the selected skills might improve Helen’s ability to collaborate with other team members and includes an example for each skill; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Lists three conflict resolution skills which would be of benefit to Helen; describes a rationale for selecting the skills and references statements/information in the case study for each skill selected; describes how the selected skills might improve Helen’s ability to collaborate with other team members and includes an example for each skill; writing has minimal grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Lists fewer than three conflict resolution skills which might be beneficial to Helen; skills may not be clearly tied to collaboration conflicts; omits or provides a minimal explanation for selecting the skills’ and/or omits referencing statements/information in the case study for each skill selected, or references only one statement; does not provide clear description of how the selected skills might improve Helen’s ability to collaborate with other team members or omits description; writing has multiple grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Does not include in-text citations and references per APA.

Element

Exemplary

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Points

Comments

9-10

7-8

1-6

10

Interview questions for Mary

Clearly describes how to start an interview with Mary that clearly focuses on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of 5 logically sequenced, relevant questions in order and describes how the interview would close that clearly shows an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Describes how to start an interview with Mary that focuses on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of 5 questions in order and describes how the interview would close that shows an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing has minimal grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Description of how to start an interview with Mary does not focus on ensuring a comfortable, collaborative setting; provides a list of fewer than 5 questions and/or questions are not in a logical order; description of how the interview would close does not show an effort to maintain the collaborative process; writing has multiple grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Does not include in-text citations and references per APA.

Element

Exemplary

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Points

Comments

27-30

21-26

1-20

30

Conflict resolution skills and rationale for Mary

Lists three conflict resolution skills which would clearly be of benefit to Mary; clearly describes a rationale for selecting the skills and references statements/information in the case study for each skill selected; clearly describes in detail how the selected skills might improve Mary’s ability to collaborate with other team members and includes an example for each skill; writing is error-free and grammatically correct. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Lists three conflict resolution skills which would be of benefit to Mary; describes a rationale for selecting the skills and references statements/information in the case study for each skill selected; describes how the selected skills might improve Mary’s ability to collaborate with other team members and includes an example for each skill; writing has minimal grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Includes in-text citations and references per APA.

Lists fewer than three conflict resolution skills which might be beneficial to Mary; skills may not be clearly tied to collaboration conflicts; omits or provides a minimal explanation for selecting the skills’ and/or omits referencing statements/information in the case study for each skill selected, or references only one statement; does not provide clear description of how the selected skills might improve Mary’s ability to collaborate with other team members or omits description; writing has multiple grammatical, spelling, and/or punctuation errors. Does not include in-text citations and references per APA.

Total

100