Teaching Collaboration and its Benefits

1. Teaching Collaboration and its Benefits ITL 402 National University Professor Coder Created by: Berenise Gallegos, Tamara Jones, and Sara Marcuse

2. “As co-teachers – a regular and a special education teacher – you will plan lessons and teach a subject together to a class of special and regular education students” (Marston). Co-teaching and collaboration is when you work together with other teachers, specialists or family to ensure that every child is experiencing the best education and life experience best for them. Co-Teaching Definition

3. How Parents and Teachers can Collaborate, and How it Benefits the Student • It encourages teachers to seek help from expert professionals and parents. • Take an interest in the students likes and dislikes • Emphasize multiple opportunities for students to collaborate and interact in social settings. • Maintain consistency in daily routines. When something is going to change make sure to prep the student for the changes in advance with constant reminders of the change. • Make sure directions are given step-by- step, verbally, visually, and by providing physical supports or prompts, as needed by the student. Students with autism spectrum disorders often have trouble interpreting facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. (NICHCY, 2010) • Teachers are encouraged to learn more about the Autism spectrum by looking into websites and reading informational brochures. • Exploring Autism: http://www.exploringautism.org/ • Autism Collaboration: https://www.autism.com/

4. Barriers to Collaboration: A Case Study Example Adam, a special education director, plans on creating an induction and mentoring program for new special educators in his district. While he has strategies, such as gaining support through school leaders, understanding the needs and concerns for new special educators, and such, he still has difficulties when he meets with the principals in the district: • Some principals have not been supportive of new special educators. • New teachers may not have a chance without the support of the principals. • He only has 90 minutes to meet with them and get their support (Billingsley).

5. How to Support New Teachers...

6. Tools Used in Co-teaching and its Benefits • Peer Mediated Instruction & Intervention(PMII) is a way for students with Autism to learn by example of their peers in classroom settings. • Differential Reinforcement is a tool that can be used to reduce the amount of behavioral issues and outburst a student with Autism has. • Prompting a students with Autism is crucial in assuring desired behavior from a student with Autism who is learning a new skill or is going to face a change or challenge in their routine. • Scripting is a useful strategy in assisting students with Autism to communicate in oral settings with their peers and adults. It helps them initiate communication with others.

7. The benefits of collaboration among adults is ensuring that students are receiving life experience from a multitude of difference thought processes, planners, and personality types. Adult and student collaboration benefits increase students focus and self-esteem when lessons are interactive or they feel they are being included. Students can connect with different personalities. With two teachers, there are more opportunities for small group or one-on-one learning. Students will: Gain knowledge Retain information Learn problem solving Learn critical thinking Have self-management Be interpersonal Build oral language The Benefits of Co-teaching Among Adults & with Students in the Classroom

8. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Collaboration with families is also an important component of teaching, especially when working with children with disabilities. These families are sometimes dealing with emotional issues, guilt and often explain raising a special needs child as being on a roller coaster. Collaboration with these families is important to let them know that they are part of a team, all working together to create the best life for their child. “Those families who enjoy a more satisfactory working partnership with educators and school personnel often report a higher quality of life” (iris). Instructional planning days are great ways to create positive adult-adult productive environments. Inclusive and safe learning environments can also be positively created during small groups for adult-student or student-student interactions. What are the opportunities for creating a productive, inclusive, and safe learning environment that encourages positive adult-adult, adult-student and student-student interactions?

9. Collaboration allows the students to experience multiple perspectives while still experiencing a really consistent lesson. When educators plan a lesson together, teach the same lesson and then come back together to discuss what worked and didn’t work, they can grow to learn how to be more diverse and aware of the culture of the learning environment. When students, colleagues, and families collaborate it reflects diversity and appreciation within a class by enlightening the beneficiaries of collaboration with knowledge that others offer from their experiences. Collaboration helps Appreciate & Reflect Diversity, Multiple Perspectives, Cultural Responsiveness, & Classroom Relationships This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

10. Collaboration and co-teaching can be an effective classroom strategy as different people have different things they are good at and different ideas. By working together and compiling the best ideas and plans, the students are receiving the best possible education. Collaboration for students with Autism can increase the effectiveness of learning outcomes by providing them with different outlets that allows them to interact with their peers and build communication skills and social skills in a natural environment. While co-teaching can help provide multiple educational supports for students with different learning styles and struggles. How Collaboration and Co-teaching can Increase the Effectiveness of Learning Outcomes for all Students. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

11. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Co-teaching success can be achieved by having an open mind and willingness to compromise. If a co-teacher has different views or teaching style, a positive, open communication led relationship can help to bridge the styles. Different personalities and teaching styles is a big purpose of co-teaching so there will be less conflict if this reality is embraced. Having a positive relationship with co-teachers can create a good foundation for a positive classroom. Explore your own biases and working through them. Setting a common goal with your colleagues can help give focus to the importance and positive outcomes that will come from working together. Gain support from your administration. Ways to Overcome Barriers for Collaboration and Co-teaching

12. One teaches, one observes One teaches, one assists: non-lead walks around assisting struggling students Parallel teaching where class is divided into two groups Stations set up where some stations are independent work and two stations the teachers work with. Students rotate through stations Alternative teaching where one teacher pulls a small group to teach them a specialized version of the same lesson the other teacher is giving to whole group Tag team teaching where you take turns Take advantage of time during instructional planning days Have professional development meetings whenever possible. Practical Recommendations for Engaging in Collaboration and Co-teaching

13. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Practical application example of a collaborative activity with a peer would be with reading centers. The class can be divided into rotating groups where : One group is independently reading. One group is writing using a prompt. One group is reading and working on comprehension skills with a teacher. Another group is working on the spelling words of the week with the other teacher. The groups then rotate every few minutes. Examples of Collaboration with Peers and Among Students

14. Invite parents to participate in activities involving their students at the school. Hold parent-teacher conferences. Keep consistent communication with parents, including: Phone calls E-mails Send home documentation of student’s progress or teacher’s notes to parents. Examples of Collaborating with the Community

15. Have you collaborated with your classmates when you were a student? Why or why not? Jones: I do recall collaborating with classmates when I was a student but that was mainly in the 1980’s and 1990’s and I feel that collaboration and interactive learning were not the main teaching styles of the time. I recall a major collaboration regarding learning about weather while in 5th grade. It is probably not a coincidence that my 5th grade teacher was definitely my favorite teacher. He was very engaging and interactive and made learning fun, which is probably the reasoning why teaching has moved towards those trends. Gallegos: Yes, I have collaborated with my classmates many times in my educational path. My memories of collaborating with my classmates goes back to primary school and is still a common part of my studies in the credential program. Collaborating in group assignments with fellow classmates has never been something I have volunteered to do. Although I love the interactive part, I find it extremely difficult to find some availability to do so when I try to match my schedule with that of others. Marcuse: Yes, collaboration was something I did in almost every class in high school and college. In high school, I can remember feeling so familiar with my peers and it made it easy to get along and work together. In college it was more difficult as I wasn’t familiar with them at all, so I saw it more as ‘work’ then ‘school’. I don’t remember ever having a choice when it came to group projects, but I just tried my best to make myself useful and productive to the group.

16. What do you think about collaborating with your peers on the job? Jones:I feel collaboration is necessary for any job as no one person can have all of the best ideas and resources. It takes different people with different backgrounds to come together to create a well rounded job, no matter the career. Considering teachers are trying to connect with so many different small people from so many different backgrounds, collaboration is crucial to be able to see things from different viewpoints and experiences. Gallegos: Collaborating with my colleagues is something that I have adapted to quite well over the years. I believe it is an excellent way to learn about techniques that works and those that do not work. It is also a great way to share and build on ideas for our professional growth. Which in turn will benefit our students and the way they learn. Marcuse: I think that being able to collaborate with peers on the job can bring out the best teamwork. When working on a project together, you have to have complete trust in whomever you are working with and vice versa. It can make you more familiar with your coworkers and it feels more like a teamwork environment. It helps continue growth of workers and benefits the what you’re working towards.

17. Do you believe collaboration has a potential to enhance students’ learning and their social skills? Jones: Collaboration is imperative to enhance students learning and social skills. The more positive adults involved in a child’s life, the better off that child will be. It never hurts for a child to feel like more adults care about them, understand them and try to enhance their lives. Gallegos: I wholeheartedly believe that collaboration has every potential to enhance student’s learning and social skills. I work with a 1st grade student that has Autism and I have seen how collaboration in a Mainstream classroom has increased his social skills. When I began working with him he was placed in a SDC classroom. After his transition he has had many other improvements in comprehension, compliance, and awareness to name a few. Marcuse: Absolutely, collaboration enhances students’ learning and their social skills. Not only are they learning from the project itself, but they are also learning what it means to share responsibility for the project too. It’ll make it easier for those students in the future to work with those that they are not so familiar with, giving them better opportunities for their future education. It will also help to make them more productive members of society by gaining those social skills.

18. Resources: AFIRM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/node/137 Algebra Team: Teacher Collaboration. (2018, June 27). Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/algebra-team-teacher-collaboration Autism Spectrum Disorders[PDF]. (2010, June). NICHCY. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/fs1.pdf Billingsley, B. & the IRIS Center. (n.d.). Beginning teacher support. Retrived from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_begtch.pdf Kaplan, M. (2012, May 10). Collaborative Team Teaching: Challenges and Rewards. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/collaborative-team-teaching-challenges-rewards-marisa-kaplan Marston, N. (n.d.). 6 Steps to Successful Co-Teaching. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/6-steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html What do teachers need to understand about working with families who have children with disabilities? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/fam/cresource/q1/p02/#content