Chapter 1 - Working Together in Collaboration, Consultation, and Teams

©2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
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
Collaboration, Consultation, and Teamwork, 7e
Dettmer, Knackendoffel & Thurston
1
Working Together in Collaboration,
Consultation, and Teams
Chapter 1
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The concept of the “little red schoolhouse”
where one teacher serves the diverse
needs of all students doesn’t meet the
needs of 21st century schools.
Times they are a changing

Why Work Together and
Not Autonomously?
 It is unlikely that one person possesses enough
knowledge and ability so it is reasonable and
advisable to consult with others, collaborate
and team up, working in partnerships with
others to achieve common goals.
 Responsibilities have escalated and expanded.
 Teaching is a multidimensional activity.

Action 1.1
Identifying Teacher Responsibilities
 List all of the various responsibilities you can think
of that a teacher typically performs during the
course of a school year. Expect to come up with
dozens and dozens.
 Team up with other teachers in the class in various
grade levels, content areas and roles. The
combined lists should be varied and impressive.
 The process itself is an example of teamwork with
each person adding information from his or her own
perspective and experience.

Consultation, Collaboration, and
Co-Teaching . . . Shades of Meaning
client
consult
consultant
consultee network
collaborate
co-teaching
consulting
teamwork
collaborative ethic
co-educator

“Collaborative school consultation with teamwork is
an interactive process in which school personnel in
general education and special education, related
services and support personnel, families of students,
and the students themselves, are working together
and sharing their diversity of knowledge and
expertise to define needs and then plan, implement,
assess, follow through, and follow up on ways of
helping students develop to their fullest.”
(Dettmer, Knackendoffel, & Thurston, 2013)
Defining Consultation, Collaboration with
Teamwork

Defining Consultation, Collaboration with
Teamwork
“Co-educators are persons who collaborate, consult,
and work as a team to provide appropriate learning
experiences for learners’ diverse needs. Co-
educators can be school-based such as teachers
and related services or support personnel, or
home-based such as family members or caregivers
for students; and community-based in support
roles.”
(Dettmer, Knackendoffel, & Thurston, 2013)

Collaboration in the School Setting
 Collaboration on a regular basis in schools has been more
occasional and happenstance than frequent and planned.
 Blocks of time for collaboration are necessary but difficult to
come by in the busy school day.
 Structures for working together and training to do so has
been minimal.
 Assessment of collaborative outcomes has been the
exception.
 Technology has changed the ways educators communicate.

Action 1.2
Categorizing Teacher Responsibilities
 Instructional
 Curricular
 Managerial
 Evaluative
 Supportive
 Professional-growth related
Which tasks would be carried out most productively and
enjoyably in collaborative contexts?

 Special education teachers may be concerned that
collaboration time will take away time available for
direct services for students.
 Professional development sessions could provide
opportunities to work together but are often highly
structured and short-lived for productive interaction.
 Professionals cannot be coerced into being
collegial. Along with incentive and time, they need
structure, practice, encouragement and feedback.
Motivation for Working Together

Recognizing and Accommodating
Adult Differences
Individual differences of adults
are rich ingredients for
successful collaborations.

Distinguishing Among Consultation,
Collaboration, and Working in Teams
Consultation Collaboration
Consultant contributes specialized
expertise toward problem, consultee
delivers utilizing that expertise
Voluntary -- working together for
mutual benefit
Successful consultants use different
styles of interaction under different
circumstances within different
situations
Assume equal ownership of
problems and solutions
Simultaneously managing
consultation components and
interpersonal aspects such as
building trust with consultees
A way of being, not a set of
isolated actions

Collaborative Consultation
What it IS
 Way of being —not a set of isolated
actions
 Working together for mutual benefit
 Collaborating consultant must first
do no harm and then deliver services
that are academically and ethically
sound
 Voluntary
 Encouraging colleagues to develop
their skills and personal strengths
What it is NOT
 Not therapy, counseling or
supervision
 Not an expert coming to solve the
problem
 Not talk or discussion for its own
sake
 Not hierarchical or judgmental
 Not used as a money-saving
strategy in inclusive settings to
reduce number of teachers
 Not forced

Roles and Responsibilities
 Two heads are better than
one, and several heads
are better yet.
 Any person who consults
in one situation may be a
consultee or even a client
in another.
(e.g., In the most traditional
approach the special education
teacher might be the consultant,
the general education teacher
the consultee and the student
the client or target of the
intervention)

Interchangeable Roles in
Collaborative School Consultation

Case Study Template
A. Description of the Scene or Situation
B. Initiator/Convener of the Collaborative Consultation Activity
C. Processes for:
1. Defining of Problem(s) and Need(s)
2. Developing Possible Collaborative Action(s), with Critique of
Them
3. Determining Plan for Collaborative Action
4. Making Collaborative Decision about Activating Proposed Plan
5. Follow-Through Action and By Whom
6. Follow-Up Action by When and by Whom
7. Evaluation of the Collaborative Consultation Process

History of Educational Reform
Movements

History of Collaborative
School Consultation

School Consultation (cont.)
1980 to 2000
 Consultation became a significant educational trend in the mid-1980s for
serving students with special needs.
 Regular Education Initiative called for collaboration between general and
special education personnel to provide special services with the general
education classroom
 In 1986, PL 99-457 expanded FAPE to preschool children with
disabilities, ages 3-5.
 1990, PL 94-142 was amended and the name changed to the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

School Consultation (cont.)
Since 2000
 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
 Adequate Yearly Progress.
 IDEA 2004 Reauthorization
 Race to Top Agenda
 Common Core Standards

Common Core Standards
 Point out key knowledge and skills teachers should focus on
 Raise expectations
 Bring national consistency to expectations for high quality
 Align teacher education programs with the standards
 Make student achievement data and research findings
available to determine what works in education
Common Core Standards (2010) are intended to:
The Common Core Standards stipulate that students with
disabilities are to have the same rigorous education as
students without disabilities.

Technology for Working Together
Technology is
a useful tool
for instruction
and
collaboration
in inclusive
learning
environments
.
Categories of application for technology
tools:
 Gathering and sharing
information
 Communicating with co-
educators
 Developing resources for
curriculum and instruction
 Organizing and managing data
 Networking with others

Ethics for Working Together
 An ethical climate for collaborative school consultation and
teamwork calls for a system of values and principles in
which beliefs and actions about working together will guide
practices and inspire excellence.
 Collaborators must create environments in which respect
and caring characterize their professional interactions.
 Ethical collaborators respect the worth and potential of
every individual.

Chapter 1 - Working Together in Collaboration, Consultation, and Teams

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