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Research Paper On Collaboration

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Some of the most important skills for all educators are efficient communication and collaboration skills. But this is especially true for special education teacher who work closely with students, families, and other school professionals. Both effective communication and successful collaboration skills are intertwined, and both need to be developed for each aspect to be effective in and out of the classroom setting.
Collaboration is the direct interaction between at least two coequal parties that engage in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal. As stated in Interactions, Collaboration Skills for School Professionals, “Collaboration is crucial as educators move to implement RTI practices, differentiate instruction, meet …show more content…

Sarah Conner, a general education teacher, and Jesica Edwards, a special education teacher met with me after school to discuss some of the key topics of collaboration. One of the first topics of the discussion was on issues of effective collaboration among colleagues, parents, and administration. The first thought brought up by both participants about issues in collaboration was lack of time. Both teachers expressed how their daily schedules were already packed, and sometimes it was difficult to schedule a time to collaborate. The participants also went on to discuss how this lack of time also hinders collaboration with parents and administration as well. The discussion then lead to the reality that often misunderstandings of teacher expectations and roles were experienced because of a lack of collaboration time and communication. This issue is not uncommon, as stated “The most common concern among co-teachers is lack of common planning time”, (Marilyn Friend, 2013, p. 182). The educators expressed that collaboration with families of special needs students was difficult because of time constraints experienced from all participants involved. It was also expressed that some parents just did not seem to want to participate in any educational collaboration or decisions for …show more content…

Both educators shared that one of the most important aspects to parental involvement is foster a positive relationship with parents. This begins with “getting to know each other” meetings, as well as, positive notes and calls home. I feel that all too often parents of special needs students feel that the only feedback that they receive is negative, and thus decreases parental involvement and communication. I also feel that educators need to be effective communicators to foster positive relationships with families. As the textbook describes, effective communication begins with mutual respect and trust, along with acceptance of individuals and their personal beliefs. “Building mutual respect and trust is essential for successful communication”, (Sharon Vaughn, 2015, p. 131). The teachers also shared that they try to foster parental involvement by having “family nights” at school. The participants described these “family nights” as low pressure, fun activities that provided opportunities for parents to participant in activities with their child. One of the events that was mentioned was a family movie night. I found this to be an excellent idea that I had never considered before. A “movie night” provides a free activity, low-pressure activity for families to participate in, and hopefully lessens the intimidation of school environments that some family members may feel. Another parental

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