Collaboration with Other Professionals
Collaboration with Other Professionals
Course Question
How is collaboration used to serve students with disabilities?
Study Guide
Complete this study guide to help you focus on the most important aspects of the readings.
Collaboration Study Guide.docx Download Collaboration Study Guide.docx
COLLABORATION
Collaboration with other professionals in the school is an integral part of working with students with disabilities. Students with disabilities may have a variety of academic, social, behavioral, physical, and emotional needs that should be addressed to let them access their learning environment. Although no one in the school is the sole expert on how to meet these various needs, there are many key players who have expertise, and as they work together they can support one another in providing an appropriate education for the students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. This article will give you more information about how collaboration happens in a school to better address the needs of students with disabilities.
Article: Including Students with Special Needs (read pages 74-90 and 100-103)
What to look for:
- What is collaboration and how is it a part of providing services to students with disabilities?
- How does collaboration affect your role as a general education teacher?
- What are some different methods for implementing co-teaching and how does each of them work?
- What are the roles and responsibilities of paraeducators?
HOW PRE-REFERRAL WORKS
The pre-referral team is one model of collaboration we see used in schools to meet the needs of students who are struggling. This article will review the pre-referral process. This process may be used in connection with the RTI process you read about in the last lesson, but schools do not need to wait for a student to move through the RTI process before they are referred to the pre-referral team. The referral can be made at any time. If a parent chooses, they may request testing even if the pre-referral team does not make that recommendation. Read this article to understand how the pre-referral team works.
Article: Before Special Education: How Pre-Referral Works Links to an external site.
What to look for:
- What are the names used in schools for the pre-referral team?
- Who are the members of the pre-referral team?
- What process does the pre-referral team follow to evaluate and make recommendations for struggling students?
Co-Planning
One form of collaboration that is commonly used in schools is co-planning. When co-planning, the special education teacher and the general education teacher find a time to work together to discuss the needs of the students in the class. The general education teacher is the expert in the curriculum and the special education teacher is the expert in accommodations and learning strategies that work for struggling students. Watch this two minute video to see our case study student James' teachers working together to co-plan for one of James' classes. Ms. Eichelberger is the special education teacher and Ms. Marriott is the general education theater teacher.
Co-Planning Video Links to an external site.
CO-TEACHING EXAMPLES
Co-teaching is another method of collaboration that is commonly used in schools to meet the needs of struggling students. Here are 5 video examples of co-teaching practices that were filmed at local schools. The first 4 were filmed at Canyon View Junior High in Alpine School District. Mrs. Tibbets is the special education teacher in the videos and Mr. Pusey is the general education science teacher. The final video is of Ms. Eichelberger and Ms. Marriott implementing the strategy they discussed during co-planning. Watch each of the videos and consider the questions below.
What to look for:
- What are the specific procedures of co-teaching you see in each of the videos?
- How do the special education teacher and the general education teacher work together?
- What are your thoughts about the strengths of this model?
- What are your concerns about implementing this model in your future classroom?
Example 1
One teacher is presenting while the other teacher is interjecting clarifications, questions, or directions—sometimes just monitoring the student activity.
Example 2
The teachers decide to create smaller groups. They could provide different instruction for different types of learners, or both could present the same instruction over the same content in a more intensive manner.
Example 3
The teachers decide to group students for practice or performance activities. Some groups work fairly independently under the supervision of one teacher, while one group receives more direction from the other.
Example 4
Some students are working independently, some are working with a partner, and others are receiving intensive instruction. This is an example of how differentiated and leveled instruction might look.
Example 5
Ms. Eichelberger and Ms. Marriott implement the strategies discussed when they were co-teaching.
Co-teaching video Links to an external site.
WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH?
One of the key factors in collaboration is your own ability to work with others. Everyone has different strengths when it comes to collaboration and that’s OK. As we each bring our strengths together, we can work to meet the needs of the students for whom we are collaborating. In Corinthians, we read that all members of Christ church are valuable and needed. Read 1 Corinthians Chapter 12.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12 Links to an external site.
What to look for:
- What is the main idea of this chapter?
- How does Paul teach us about the value of each member of the body of Christ?
- How does this apply to our collaborative assignments outside of church?
ASSIGNMENTS
- Complete the closed book, closed note quiz for the readings.
- Comment on the discussion board.
- Sign up to meet with the instructor.