WHAT IS COLLABORATION? Collaboration is working with
individuals or a group to achieve a common goal. Simply defined,
collaboration takes place when members of an inclusive learning
community work together as equals to assist students to succeed in
the classroom When it comes to special education, collaboration is
the majority of what the job entails.
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Friend and Cook, listed the defining characteristics of
successful collaboration as follows: Collaboration is voluntary;
Collaboration requires parity among participants; Collaboration is
based on mutual goals; Collaboration depends on shared
responsibility for participation and decision making; Individuals
who collaborate share their resources; and Individuals who
collaborate share accountability for outcomes.
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I. SCHOOLS TOGETHER Schools are about people. When people work
well together the costs are reduced and productivity increased.
When people do not work well together the opposite outcomes result.
Schoolscosts
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1. Know what you are trying to achieve by working together. The
most common stumbling block in working together is lack of clarity
regarding what is to be achieved. Working together means working
with people. It is necessary to take into consideration what each
person is trying to achieve in order to be able to work together.
Being clear about our own aims and purposes is the starting point
for working with others to achieve the agreements on the basis of
which we can work together.
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2. Know what is happening. Knowledge about what is happening is
technically known as 'in-process' data and it helps those involved
manage the processes with which they are involved. Information also
makes people much more responsible than policy. This knowledge
includes who is doing what with what resources how and what the
outcomes are at any point in time. Knowledge
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3. Work with others to improve what is happening. No one has
the whole story. No one has such insight & 'control' that they
can single handedly design and improve the school. The day to day
tasks, and the variables, involved in the life and work of a school
are too complex and many critical factors are unknown. design and
improve
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Do your own work well. If the school system has a well designed
people will know how to make their contributions easily and well.
Purposes, processes, responsibility discretion will all be clear.
People (especially those in teams) who are confident and competent
and committed can be trusted to share a (team) responsibility. This
will depend on knowledge, skills, relationships,
availability.designed
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II. SCHOOL CULTURES Schein, describes school culture as a
relatively stable pattern of organizational behavior that lies
outside the immediate awareness of the organizations members and
reflects the shared behavioral, emotional, and cognitive learning
the group has undergone over time Hopkins, Ainscow, and West (1994)
described culture as the observed patterns of behavior, the norms
of working groups, the dominant values espoused by the school, and
the unwritten policies and procedures that new members to the
school learn..
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The Significance of an Effective, Collaborative School Culture
Maintains the image of a professional community, similar to the
fields of law or medicine. Teachers pursue a clear, shared purpose,
engage in collaborative activity, and accept a collective
responsibility for student learning (Newman & Wehlage, 1995).
Has a clear mission. Teachers value the interchange of ideas with
colleagues. Strong values exist that support a safe and secure
environment. There are high expectations of everyone, including
teachers. There is strong, not rigid, leadership (Deal &
Peterson).
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Encourages teachers to work collaboratively with each other and
with the administration to teach students so they learn more
(Fullan, 1993). Is a place where both teachers and students learn
(Rosenholtz, 1989).
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Reporting findings from a national study of highly successful
middle level schools Valentine, Clark, Hackmann, and Petzko (2004),
provided practical insight about effective, collaborative school
cultures in highly successful schools. Principals and teachers
shared a common core of values and beliefs that guided programs and
practices, including high expectations for all students, education
of the whole child, all students will be successful, and a
dedication to a coherent curriculum, student-centered instruction,
and the effective use of formative and summative student data.
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Principals viewed themselves as collaborative leaders, as well
as their teachers. They fostered collegiality and the opportunity
for collaborative work among teachers centered on curriculum,
instruction, and assessment. Teachers were also strongly committed
to collaboration, fulfilling school-wide roles as decision-makers,
coordinators of professional development, and leaders in the
efforts to improve classroom instruction across the whole school.
Student and adult learning was the focus of the schools, with all
adults committed to continual learning for student and
themselves.
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School structures, such as student and adult schedules and
physical arrangements of classrooms, were designed to foster
collaboration and relationship building among students- teachers,
students-students, and teachers-teachers. Principals and teachers
indicated that building relationships among adults was a major
factor in creating their effective school cultures, with principals
and teachers regularly discussing the importance of relationships
and the part relationships play in the difficult decision-making,
problem- solving tasks that a faculty/staff must address.
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A Final Thought As important as school culture is to school
improvement, one must not overlook the fact that shaping a schools
culture is a complex processa mixture of leadership, relationships,
trust, student focus, values, beliefs, etc. developed and nurtured
over months and years. The more we collaborate together to study
and problem-solve our issues that impact student success, the more
we build the trust and relationships that produce a collaborative
culture. It begins with the formal leadership, evolves through a
nucleus of teacher leaders, and eventually permeates the whole
faculty and thus the school community. In the end, we have a
collaborative, professional, learning community.
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III. WORKING WITH FAMILIES It is important to know and have
insight into the lives of the families represented in your
classroom. One of the five guidelines to developmentally
appropriate practice the National Association for the Education of
Young Children defines is establishing reciprocal relationships
with families. What this guideline recommends is that teachers and
families collaborate to:
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Share mutual respect for one another Maintain two-way
communication in spontaneous interactions as well as scheduled
conferences Work together to make decisions about the childcare and
education program Understand one anothers goals for children
Converse about childrens activities in and out of school
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When collaboration exists, teachers will be able to: Support
families in finding services they need Work closely with individual
children to ensure they have optimal educational opportunities
Share developmental knowledge about children Ask for help from
families in making decisions about childrens needs Invite parents
or guardians to volunteer in a variety of ways in the classroom
setting
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Turnbull et al. (2007) cited six important principles of family
partnerships: 1. Communication 2. Professional Competence 3.
Commitment 4. Equality 5. Advocacy 6. Trust
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Collaboration supports families confidence that their children
are safe and protected at school. Families also become aware that
their suggestions to the programs structure and content are
welcome. As they gain an awareness that they are contributing to
their childs education, they also begin to recognize the teachers
as a caring person who is dedicated to achieving the best for their
child.
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IV. HEALTH PERSONNEL School Nurse Usually responsible for all
the students in school, screening young children in the areas of
vision and hearing, ensuring that all students immunization records
are on file, providing routine assistance for students who are ill,
and managing the distribution of any medication students may take.
For students with disabilities, they also may be called on to
interpret medical information, to serve as a liaison between the
family physician and school personnel, and to educate staff about
medically related issues.
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Developmental Pediatrician or Psychologist Focus on the
development stages of childhood, learning theories and methods of
instruction. Help determine appropriate developmental goals and
intervention strategies. Help solve behavior management
problems.
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Pediatrician Focus on the childs health condition and assesses
the physiological state that may affect the childs rate of
development. Provide information about the benefits and side
effects of prescribed medication. Specialize in the medical care of
the children
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Neurologist Conducts screening, diagnosis and treatment of
brain and central nervous system disorders Psychiatrist Conducts
screening, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological, emotional
developmental or organic problems. Prescribes medication Alert to
physical problems that may cause nervous disorders
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Opthalmologist & Optometrist Opthal - screening diagnosis
and treatment of diseases injuries or birth defects that limit
vision. Opto advises the selection of frames and fits the lenses
based on eye examinations and visual tests. Audiologist An expert
in diagnosing problems related to hearing and the ear (loss of
balance because of inner ear problems) and may be called on if a
student appears to have hearing loss that would be benefit from the
use of hearing aids or other devices.
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Speech/Language Pathologist Professionals who diagnose such
needs, designs intervention to address them, deliver the services,
and monitor students progress. Other roles such as, assist students
who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn Sign Language, or to use
their residual hearing to best advantage. Assist students to who do
not have the ability to speak to learn other ways to communicate
(use picture or a computer system)
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Occupational Therapist Help students gain independence by
teaching skills such as grasping a pencil, cutting with scissors,
buttoning, zipping, and tying shoelaces. This individual also might
help students learn feed themselves, wash their faces or cook.
Physical Therapist If a students disability affects the ability to
move, a physical therapist might provide services. Deals with
students muscles strength and flexibility, mobility, posture, and
positioning (helping the student sit up in a wheelchair or stand
for a while each day to improve circulation)
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V. COMMUNITY (GROUPS, WORKERS, SUPPORTERS) DEFINING COMMUNITY
Community is an informal and active agency of education. It is
defined as a group of families settled together in a particular
area with more or less common practices, ideals, ideas, values and
culture. It is a dynamic form of organization for the betterment
and progress of its individuals. It provides general and liberal
from of education by socializing its members. There is also a
better coordination between school and community and home and
community.
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A community worker is a person who, through professional
training and field education, has the knowledge, skills and values
to work in a social welfare agency or program intended to promote
or restore the social functioning of individuals, families, social
groups or larger communities. Community workers provide services,
support, activities, information and referral for those in need of
assistance. They do this by linking people with appropriate
services, government departments, groups, communities and each
other.
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Community development workers help communities to bring about
social change and improve the quality of life in their local area.
They work with individuals, families and whole communities to
empower them to: identify their assets, needs, opportunities,
rights and responsibilities; plan what they want to achieve and
take appropriate action; develop activities and services to
generate aspiration and confidence.
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A community development worker often acts as a link between
communities and a range of other local authority and voluntary
sector providers. They are frequently involved in addressing
inequality, and projects often target communities perceived to be
culturally, economically or geographically disadvantaged.
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Typical work activities Community development work seeks to
actively engage communities in making sense of the issues which
affect their lives, setting goals for improvement and responding to
problems and needs through empowerment and active participation. A
good deal of the work is project based, which means that community
development workers usually have a specific geographical community
or social group on which to focus.
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Tasks often involve: identifying community skills, assets,
issues and needs; ensuring that local people have their say;
developing new resources in dialogue with the community and
evaluating existing programmes; building links with other groups
and agencies; helping to raise public awareness on issues relevant
to the community; preparing reports and policies; raising funds;
developing and agreeing to strategies;
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liaising with interested groups and individuals to set up new
services; mediating in matters of conflict; recruiting and training
paid as well as voluntary staff; planning, attending and
coordinating meetings and events; overseeing the management of a
limited budget; encouraging participation in activities;
challenging inappropriate behaviour; general administrative
duties.
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Community work can be generic or specialized. Generic community
work takes place in a particular geographical area, focusing on
working with the community to identify their needs and issues, and
formulating strategies to address those issues. The setting is
either urban or rural, with rural community development work
increasingly attracting attention. Specialized community work
focuses on either specific groups within a region (such as the
homeless, the long-term unemployed, families with young children or
ethnic minorities) or on particular concerns (such as public
transport, mental health or tackling drug abuse).