Collaborative Teaming in the Secondary School

Abstract

Team or group approaches have long been a valued part of the special service professions and have become increasingly popular structures for addressing highly diverse issues in schools. The term collaborative teaming seems to embody this concept of working together. Knackendoffel, Robinson, Deshler, and Schumaker (1992) described collaborative teaming as an ongoing process whereby educators with different areas of expertise work together voluntarily to create solutions to problems that are impeding students' success, as well as to carefully monitor and refine those solutions. In short, the major goal of collaborative teaming is to improve services to students whose needs are not being met satisfactorily when professionals act alone rather than in concert with others.The most productive collaborative relationships are characterized by mutual trust, respect, and open communication. Central to these relationships are the following beliefs:1. All participants in the collaborative relationship must have equal status. 2. All educators can learn better ways to teach all students. 3. Educators should be involved continuously in creating and delivering instructional innovations. 4. Education improves when educators work together rather than in isolation.Effective collaborative relationships involve people who see themselves on the same side, working toward positive outcomes for students.Collaborative teaming is a process rather than a specific service delivery model. For example, a general education teacher and a special education teacher may teach cooperatively in the same class setting with each taking on different instructional responsibilities depending on their individual strengths. In another teaming situation two teachers may get together regularly for cooperative planning purposes. In yet another scenario three special education teachers working in resource programs may team to coordinate group instruction and share students on their caseloads. In some schools, prereferral teams engage in collaborative teaming as they generate possible interventions for a student having difficulty in content classes.E.