1. Fundamentals of Collaboration, Consultation, and Teaming

2. “Mt. Everest is so huge it takes a whole group to climb it.”

3. Consultation
Collaboration
Teamwork

4. Why has this come about?
Change in students served in general education classrooms.
Legal basis for change in service delivery
Limitations of traditional approaches
Marginal professional and parent interactions
Limited understanding of the change process
P.L Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
continuum of service delivery options;
IEP must be developed by a multidisciplinary team including parents, therapists, gen ed teachers (when applicable), SETs, and a public service agency;
Least restrictive environment
Due Process procedures assure parents’ rights
IDEA 1997 and 2004
Collaboration remains at the Core of IDEA The ability of adults to work together effectively may become the determining factor in what constitutes an effective school (Cramer, 2006).
Related Services mandate

5. What is Collaboration?
Collaboration occurs when all members of a schools’ staff are working together and supporting each other to provide the highest quality of curriculum and instruction for the diverse students they serve.
Interpersonal collaboration is a style for direct interaction between at least two co-equal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal.
Friend & Cook, 2007

6. Shared Responsibility Shared Resources and Accountability Mutual Goals
Parity
Voluntary
Shared Responsibility
Shared Resources and Accountability
Mutual Goals
Collaboration
STUDENTS ARE NOT ‘NOT MINE’ and STUDENTS ARE NOT ‘MINE’
Defining Characteristics for Collaboration
Collaboration is voluntary
Collaboration requires parity among participants- equality
Collaboration is based on mutual goals
Collaboration depends on shared responsibility for participation and decision-making
Individuals who collaborate share resources
Individuals who collaborate share accountability for outcomes
Individuals who collaborate value this interpersonal style
Professionals who collaborate trust one another
A sense of community evolves from collaboration

7. More than Cooperation Cooperation Coordination Collaboration
Loose connections, low trust
Medium connections, work-based trust
Dense interdependent connections, high trust
Tacit information sharing
Structured communication flows
Frequent communication
Independent goals
Joint policies, programs and aligned resources
Semi-independent goals
Pooled, collective resources
Shared goals
Power remains with organizations
Power remains with parent organizations
Power is shared between organizations
Commitment and accountability to own organization
Commitment and accountability to parent organization and project
Commitment and accountability to network first and community and parent organization
Relational timeframe short
Relational timeframe, medium
Relational timeframe-long term
Low risk/low reward
High risk/high reward

8. What is Consultation?
Individuals with specific expertise provide their input and recommendations to those who are implementing services.
A expert in a particular area who
listens and learns
provides
information to those who need “specialty” information in order to provide better services.
specific “content” information

9. Teaming in Special Education
Multidisciplinary
Interdisciplinary
Transdisciplinary
Multidisciplinary- All required team members are working for the student, but separately.
Interdisciplinary- All team members make decisions together (shared decision making), but services are still carried out individually.
Transdisciplinary- Shared decision making and shared responsibility. Decisions are made together and everyone takes responsibility for helping each other carry out goals and objectives of the highest priority across disciplines.

10. Problems that can interfere with the collaborative process
School structure
Lack of knowledge about students’ needs and other related factors
Lack of skills or resources in dealing with the needs and problems
Lack of confidence and self-esteem due to fatigue, illness, inexperience
Lack of objectivity in assessing and handling the situation
Structure: “the special ed wing”- In many older buildings, special education was an after-thought. Often in a separate wing or area of the school.
Secondary settings (serving grades 7-12)- Special educators have difficulty attending meetings with other middle school or hs teams because many SETs teach all grade levels.

11. Additional problem areas for Special Educators
Being regarded as an aide
Territoriality of school personnel
Unrealistic expectations
Not enough information or appropriate materials to share
Being perceived as a “show-off”
Running into “veils of professional politeness”
Difficulty managing time and resources
Lack of training
Excessive caseload
Too many hats to wear
Reluctance of colleagues toward change of any kind.

12. Principles of Collaboration
Create a climate of heightened professionalism between colleagues and team members with an “indirect impact on student outcomes” (Idol & West, 1991)
Provide a vehicle to facilitate independent problem solving among participants.
To produce solutions that are different from those that individual team members would not prduce individually (Idol, West, & Lloys, 1988)
“Vested interests are sublimated to the broader purposes of the …strategic agenda” (Lasley, Matczynski, & Williams, 1992, p. 257)
Indirect Result- improve student outcomes
Goal of collaboration is not to create a team that works on joint projects indefinitely. Collaboration should however promote efficient and effective resolution of problems (Cramer, 2006).
Our class, our students!

13. Framework for Learning about Collaboration
Personal commitment to collaboration as a tool for carrying out job responsibilities
Communication skills: the basic building blocks of collaborative interactions
Interaction process: understanding the steps that take an interaction from beginning to end
Programs or services that require these interactions to occur in order to deliver student services
Context: the overall environment in which collaboration occurs

14. Systemic change process for a collaborative community
Crisis
awareness
Rethinking assumptions
Reexamine roles
Collaboration and unification
Problem-solving
Formalizing relationship
Assessing results
institutionalization
Systemic change process for a collaborative community

15. Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has. --Margaret Mead
What does this mean to you?