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The Special Educator's Guide to Collaboration
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The Special Educator's Guide to Collaboration
Improving Relationships With Co-Teachers, Teams, and Families

Second Edition

Second Edition of: Collaboration: A Success Strategy for Special Educators



April 2006 | 360 pages | Corwin

"The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships."
-Spencer J. Salend, Professor
SUNY, The College at New Paltz

At last, a practical game plan for productive and personally rewarding collaborative relationships!

General and special education teachers working side by side on a daily basis must move beyond basic communication to improve collaborative relationships inside and outside the classroom. Author Sharon F. Cramer delves into the art of the collaborative process through a series of practical exercises coupled with relevant research, and outlines a plan to make collaboration a life-long part of teaching. Preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and staff developers alike can use the activities in the book as is or adapt them to fit their own unique circumstances.

Whether used for personal improvement or by a group for professional development purposes, these invaluable set of relationship-building tools will empower teachers and give them the motivation, understanding, and skills to transform unsatisfactory co-teaching relationships into productive, truly collaborative relationships. Special features include:

  • Case stories and data from among 1,000 collaboration projects supervised by the author
  • Up-to-date research, including an overview of current literature on collaboration
  • "Idea try-outs"-step-by-step reflection activities for promoting independent, innovative thinking
  • "Project try-outs"-structured research and interview activities that provide readers with focused ways to test their collaboration skills

When teachers become curious, motivated learners, not only will they discover the many benefits of collaborative relationships with their peers, but they will also enrich the learning environment for their students!


 
Preface to the Second Edition
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Why Can’t We Just Be Friends?
Becoming Proactive: Improving the School Climate Through Collaboration

 
Overview of the Collaboration Project

 
Principals of Collaboration

 
Distinguishing Between Collaboration, Consultation, and Teaming

 
Conclusion

 
 
2. Background: Making the Case for Collaboration
Legislative Mileposts

 
Collaboration: Relevant Trends and Events

 
Conclusion

 
 
3. Ingredients for Successful Collaboration: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Characteristics
Intrapersonal Foundation for Collaboration

 
Interpersonal Foundation for Collaboration

 
Problem Solving: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills

 
Bringing It All Together

 
 
4. Evaluating Your Situation Honestly: Appraising Your School as a Context for Collaboration
Assessing Resources Available to Collaborators

 
Factors Promoting Collaboration

 
Applications to Use in Your School Setting

 
Communitywide Collaboration Experiments

 
 
5. Developing an Effective Collaboration Strategy: Half Empty or Half Full?
Collaboration Component Checklists

 
Compatibility Checklist

 
Success Checklist

 
Conclusion

 
 
6. Designing a Plan for Change Starting With You
Guidelines for the Collaboration Project

 
Designing a Self-Referential Plan for Collaboration

 
Overview of Pragmatic Goals

 
Development of Pragmatic Goals and Objectives

 
Incorporating Expertise: Marshaling Resources

 
 
7. What Now? What Works and What Doesn’t When Collaborating
Effective Communication Strategies: Something for Everyone

 
Accomplishing Pragmatic Goals and Associated Evaluation Methods

 
Making Use of Your Collaboration Resource Network

 
Conclusion

 
 
8. Evaluating the Success of Your Plan: How Can You Tell?
Objective Measures of Change

 
Subjective Measures of Change

 
Conclusion

 
 
9. Self-Encouragement: Keeping Yourself Going
Self-Talk: The Cornerstone for Self-Encouragement or Self-Discouragement

 
Looking for the Positives: Positive Reinforcement for Yourself

 
Sample Projects Incorporating Reinforcement

 
Teaching Yourself to Look: Observing Yourself

 
Conclusion

 
 
10. Summing Up the Outcomes: What Have You Accomplished?
Assessing Success: How Did Your Plan Work Out?

 
Communication Habits

 
Problem-Solving Habits

 
Cooperative Work Efforts

 
Conclusion

 
 
11. Generalizing Your Plan to Others: Improved Collaboration With Parents and Family Members of Your Students
Key 1: Understanding Family Diversity

 
Key 2: Developing Practical Communication Habits

 
Key 3: Build on What You’ve Already Learned

 
Conclusion

 
 
12. Generalizing Your Plan to Others: Improved Collaboration With Members of Your Interdisciplinary Team
The Life Cycle of Your Interdisciplinary Team

 
Additional Use of Teams

 
Conclusion

 
 
References
 
Index

"The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships with others."

Spencer J. Salend, Professor of Special Education
School of Education, State University of New York

I wanted an affordable book for my students.

Dr Verna Cornish
Education Dept, Southwest Minnesota State University
March 11, 2010
Key features
  • Numerous step-by-step "Idea to Try Out" and "Projects to Try Out" activities that encourage action, reflection, and revision.
  • Numerous case-studies.
  • Fosters continuous professional development/long-term self-improvement.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface

Chapter 1


Purchasing options

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ISBN: 9781412914918
CAD$ 61.95

For large school/district orders, volume discounts, availability and shipping times contact customer service at 800-233-9936
or order@corwin.com.

For instructors

This book is not available as an inspection copy. For more information contact your local sales representative.