My Philosophy about Collaboration

Collaboration is vital in special education so students can receive a fair and

appropriate education. Students benefit from the expertise of all of the individuals
takinghat are an active part of collaborating. Collaboration allows for creative
problem solving and the ability for all individuals involved to hear and understand to
different perspectives. The collaborative efforts to enhance the educational
experiences provided to the student. All parties involved in collaboration can befit
from learning from each others knowledge and better understand how to most
effectively support students.
The key players are the parents or guardians, the general education teacher, the
special education teacher, speech therapists, occupational therapist, counselors,
specials teachers, and administrators. The key players may vary by individual cases
as individuals will require a unique combination of support that is specific to their
needs.
Parity and the availability of timeis a are key elements of effective collaboration.
To achieve parity eEach member of a collaborative teamparty mustshould feel
welcomed and empowered to share their be heard with an equal amount of respect
for both their knowledge, concerns and their goals for studentss. Team members
culture and language must be taken into consideration and with plans in place to
support effective communication. Time must be available for collaboration and
participants must be contributing voluntarily contribute with goodwill towards the
efforts. The plans that are created must be implemented with fidelity yet be
dynamic and open to revision with the input of parties that have ann interest.

Potential barriers to successful collaboration are individualistic approaches to the

teaching profession in either individual teachers or in school systems as a whole,
scheduling issues, personality conflicts, lack of time or resources, and lack of parity.
AEstablished teachers that have been teaching with an individualistic teaching style
may lead tobe resistancet to collaboration. School systems may not promote
collaboration by scheduling common time for collaboration or by setting up
collaboration teams. Members of collaboration teams may have opposing ideas and
some members may have more power or influence than others. For collaboration to
be effective each member of the team must be given equal respect.
There are many different ways to collaborate in special education. Plans and
strategies of professionals working with students can be sharedA general education
teacher can share plans and goals so a special education teacher or specialist can
integrate them into their plans. One way this can be done is to organizeinclude
special education teachers or specialist as appropriate as attendees in weekly team
meetings for the grade levels that include both general and special education
teachers as well as any other parties who provideof the students that are supported
for students in the grade level with all parties freely sharing data, strategies, and
problem solving collectively. Quarterly meetings can be held to look at data and
see if the supports in place are working, if they need to be continued, or if they
need to be revised. Additionally a general education teacher can welcome special
education teachers or specialist into the classroom as co-teachersso support to be
provide educational supportd in the least restrictive environment. A para educator
who collaborates with both the special education and general education teachers
can be utilized to support students as well. general education teacher can also use

strategies recommended by the other parties who have provided input. These are
countless ways collaboration can be employed in special education.
Collaboration for individual students should occur as signs of difficulty appear, as
suitable programs and expertise are identified, and within an established as support
systemis in place tofor monitor effectivenessring. A general education teacher
noticing signs of difficulty should invite other professionalsthe special education
teacher and any other specialist or party who may have valuable input to discuss
their observations and make a plan for collecting and sharing data. Appropriate
school personnelThe team should work together to to collect and reviewinterpret
data and make plans to support the student. Once those plans are in place times
should be allocated to review the success of the support that is being provided and
make revisions as needed. Collaboration should also be a key part of transition from
one grade to another or one school setting to another such as elementary to middle
school, middle school, to high school, and lastly plans for the student exiting the
educational system.
Culture and power have an impact on collaboration in all of its layers. The
primary impact is the consideration of the students culture and its interaction with
the educational environment. A students culture may contribute to the difficulties
that are observed and a student should not be at a disadvantage for characteristics
that can be attributed to their cultural norms. Language issues may be present that
create challenges to the student in the academic setting but do not warrant an
authentic placement in special education. The attitudes and beliefs of the educators
that interact with the student may play a role if they belong to a different culture
and fail to understand the culture of the student. An imbalance of power may be
assumed on the part of families in relation to school personnel or vice versa the

school may inappropriately assume a position of power or authority over the

families. Cultural differences and language barriers may inhibit communication. In
order for family members to make valuable contributions they need to feel
welcomed to do so and able to communicate clearly. Lastly an imbalance among
professionals on a collaboration team can negatively impact the collaboration. For
collaboration to be most optimally effective parity and consideration of cultures are
musts.
Collaboration can be a challenge. Individuals have to be open to it, make time for
it, and put energy into implementing it. Resources for collaboration may be limited.
D There may be differences in opinion that could lead to growth could insteadand
inhibit the processpersonality conflicts. Collaboration like most things worthwhile
may require sacrifices and an ability to yield to others. Yet it provides opportunities
for growth as professionals, as parents, and most importantly for student growth
which is what brings all collaborating members to the table.