Collaboration is essential to the success of an inclusion classroom. Collaboration is more than teachers working together, it is comprised of individuals working with each other for a common result. Collaboration can further be broken down into characteristics that make for successful outcomes. In the inclusion classroom the special education teacher is often the professional most likely to collaborate. Some characteristics are easier to accomplish while others are more difficult. To achieve successful and productive collaboration several prerequisites to collaboration must be evident in each individual professional.
The key characteristics of collaboration are: volunteerism, collaboration is parity, collaboration is a shared goal, collaboration …show more content…
Simply setting a meeting time and an agenda does not guarantee that collaboration will happen. The characteristics identified earlier, outline all the facets of successful collaboration. In the inclusion classroom, the characteristics of shared goal, shared responsibilities and shared accountability are the easiest to accomplish. The team of teachers in the inclusion setting is charged with planning and teaching a classroom of general education and special education students. In it’s simplistic form, the goal is straight forward; plan, modify and deliver the instruction. In addition, responsibilities are shared between the two teachers and both are held accountable for the delivery of instruction. The professionals need to work together and share their resources and expertise to make this happen. The most difficult characteristic to accomplish of collaboration is the fact that collaboration is voluntary. For collaboration to be successful, all professionals must be willing to participate, no one can be forced into a collaborative partnership. Individuals must be buy in to the process and become a willing and active …show more content…
The prerequisites include; the individual professional’s belief system, interaction skills and a supportive environment. “These characteristics must be present to some degree at the onset of collaborative activity, but they typically grow and flourish from successful experience with collaboration.” (Friend & Cook, 2013, p.34) A professional has a value system of beliefs that guide their work behaviors. These beliefs manifest in the individuals work habits such as a willingness to share ideas and work with others. Some people prefer to work alone and see no value in working with other individuals. They believe that the job is easily accomplished by themselves. A professional that demonstrates excellent collaboration skills, will have the belief system of valuing the team approach and encourage shared planning among the team. Interpersonal skills are paramount in a collaborative team. The teachers need to demonstrate effective communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal. They need to be able to deal with conflict and negotiate differences for the benefit of the student and lesson plans in question. In addition, a supportive environment is crucial to fostering a collaborative team. Principals and administrators are key to designing schedules that allow for planning time as well as to offer training to the teachers. The most visible prerequisite you will see in an inclusion
The key characteristics of collaboration are: volunteerism, collaboration is parity, collaboration is a shared goal, collaboration …show more content…
Simply setting a meeting time and an agenda does not guarantee that collaboration will happen. The characteristics identified earlier, outline all the facets of successful collaboration. In the inclusion classroom, the characteristics of shared goal, shared responsibilities and shared accountability are the easiest to accomplish. The team of teachers in the inclusion setting is charged with planning and teaching a classroom of general education and special education students. In it’s simplistic form, the goal is straight forward; plan, modify and deliver the instruction. In addition, responsibilities are shared between the two teachers and both are held accountable for the delivery of instruction. The professionals need to work together and share their resources and expertise to make this happen. The most difficult characteristic to accomplish of collaboration is the fact that collaboration is voluntary. For collaboration to be successful, all professionals must be willing to participate, no one can be forced into a collaborative partnership. Individuals must be buy in to the process and become a willing and active …show more content…
The prerequisites include; the individual professional’s belief system, interaction skills and a supportive environment. “These characteristics must be present to some degree at the onset of collaborative activity, but they typically grow and flourish from successful experience with collaboration.” (Friend & Cook, 2013, p.34) A professional has a value system of beliefs that guide their work behaviors. These beliefs manifest in the individuals work habits such as a willingness to share ideas and work with others. Some people prefer to work alone and see no value in working with other individuals. They believe that the job is easily accomplished by themselves. A professional that demonstrates excellent collaboration skills, will have the belief system of valuing the team approach and encourage shared planning among the team. Interpersonal skills are paramount in a collaborative team. The teachers need to demonstrate effective communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal. They need to be able to deal with conflict and negotiate differences for the benefit of the student and lesson plans in question. In addition, a supportive environment is crucial to fostering a collaborative team. Principals and administrators are key to designing schedules that allow for planning time as well as to offer training to the teachers. The most visible prerequisite you will see in an inclusion