SPED 618: Lifelong Integration Empowering the Team

React to these statements “The whole community is brought in to focus on what it needs to do to have positive outcomes for students in its schools” (p.223). “Members of the interactive team are interested in obtaining power, defined as the ability to facilitate change that improves programs for students with special needs” (p.238).

The Process of Change 1.Conflict and resistance 2.Common vision 3.Redefining culture 4.Professional development 5.Changes in personnel 6.Mentoring newcomers 7.Stages of concern 8.Evaluation and celebration

What is needed to change (adapted from McLeskey & Waldron, 2002 on inclusion) Support from top to bottom Schools must be empowered to manage the process All factors must support the change Must be more than an add-on and instead transform the school Student differences should become normal (specific to inclusion) Change has a ripple effect Professional development must be provided as needed Resistance is expected The work must be ongoing without an end date

Professional Development Training experiences that are not directly linked to college credit (Morgan, 2003) A correlation exists between hours achieved and educators ability to carry out assigned roles Why else do we need professional development?

Strategies of Professional Development Sharing knowledge Skill development through coaching and reflection Team development High amounts of interactivity; energize the audience

Buying into the system Believing in not only the content, but the presenter. Earn respect. Sell who you are and why there may be a connection between you and the participants. How could this be done? Be more than a presenter. Establish a need, show how to make change, and follow-up on everyone’s progress. Work with teachers who set their own goals towards improvement.

Who buys in Teacher values and beliefs, as evidenced by their instruction, shows how likely they will engage in your proposed ideas (Sweeney, 2003) Do not try to change values and beliefs as they are highly resistant to change (Tatto, 1999). How do we enact change for these teachers?

Models (Correa et al, 2005) Experimental – engaging teachers in the process to help them discover Collaborative – connecting teachers’ work through discourse and sharing Sustained and intensive – modeling, coaching and problem solving

Approaches Teachers as researchers –Teachers who engage in active research to observe and analyze their own teaching are more likely to make informed changes about what they do in their classrooms. This engagement in the learning process is essential to our validation and turns us into professionals (Fueyo & Koorland, 1995).

Alternative Models of Professional Development Collaborative Apprenticeship using reciprocal interactions (Glazer & Hannafin, 2006) –Four step process (from watching a mentor to incorporating new ideas and mentoring another) Self-reflective writing (Mann, 2005)

Final Questions What would a needs assessment find as important at your site or in your position? How do we “buy” a teacher who is resistant to a necessary change? Examples? What model of professional development would you most likely support?