Consultation in special needs education in Sweden and Finland: a comparative approach

Sundqvist, Christel; Nisser, Désirée von Ahlefeld; Ström, Kristina

doi:10.1080/08856257.2014.908022

Cited by 15 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The special educators acted as qualified dialogue partners in accordance with the mandate set out in the policy documents (cf. SFS, ; Sundqvist et al, ) but focused on professional collaboration more than on reflection and advice. The findings indicate that the class teachers possess pedagogical skills that enable them to handle professional challenges related to students with special educational needs, but they seem to need support for and confirmation of pedagogical ideas that they plan, implement and evaluate in their classrooms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators in Swedish rural schools

Pettersson¹,

Ström²

2019

British J Special Edu

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The purpose of this study was to shed light on how work‐related teacher support in the form of special educational consultation can promote the professional development of teachers working in rural schools located in sparsely populated areas. The phenomenon studied was professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators in the context of special educational consultation. The empirical data were collected through interviews and observations in three rural schools in the northern part of Sweden. The findings indicate that special educational consultation is perceived as support and collaboration. The class teachers appreciate the support they receive from special educators. The collaboration is characterised by professional exchange and mutual problem solving. Distributed expertise seems to be a crucial element of the collaboration. The conclusion is that collaborative special educational consultation enables class teachers to support pupils with special educational needs and strengthens professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In collaborative educational consultation, two professional educators (a special educator and a class teacher) meet to discuss and solve professional challenges together, emphasising and using their own professional expertise (cf. Sundqvist & Ström, 2015;Sundqvist et al, 2014).…”

Section: Collaboration and Consultation As Teacher Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators in Swedish rural schools

Pettersson¹,

Ström²

2019

British J Special Edu

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…The special educators acted as qualified dialogue partners in accordance with the mandate stated in the policy documents (cf. SFS, 2011, p. 186;Sundqvist et al, 2014) but focused on professional collaboration more than on reflection and advice. The findings show that the classroom teachers possess pedagogical skills that enable the teachers to handle professional challenges related to students with SEN, but the teachers seem to need support and confirmation for pedagogical ideas they had planned, implemented, and evaluated in their classrooms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The idea behind the knowledge-creating dialogues and the cooperative conversations is that two teaching professionals, a special educator and a classroom teacher, meet to discuss and solve professional challenges together, emphasizing and using their own professional expertise (c.f. Sundqvist & Ström, 2015;Sundqvist et al, 2014).…”

Section: Consultation As a Teacher Support Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consulting tasks include consultation to school personnel and school development in order to promote inclusion (Lindqvist, 2013;Sundqvist, von Ahlefeld Nisser, & Ström, 2014). Although the policy documents do not specify the character of the consultation special educators are supposed to engage in, they are required to function as qualified dialogue partners and advisors to teacher colleagues, parents, professionals, and other stakeholders (Swedish code of statutes SFS, 2011, p. 186;von Ahlefeld Nisser, 2014).…”

Section: Consultation As a Teacher Support Strategymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consultation in Special Needs Education in Rural Schools in Sweden– An Act of Collaboration between Educators

Pettersson¹,

Ström²

2016

JET

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The article attempts to shed light on how the expertise of special educators can be utilized in classroom teachers' professional development at rural schools with a diverse student body. The study focused on the educational consultations that took place between the two types of professionals, namely the special educators and the classroom teachers, at three rural schools in three communities in northern Sweden. The special educators did not work at the schools. Rather, they worked at Community centers and ran the consultation with the aid of ICT or when they visited the schools. The multiple-case study describes and analyzes the a) context for consultation, b) how consultation is used to support the teachers, and c) the consultation strategies. The data collection methods were observations, interviews, and questionnaires. After the interviews were transcribed, the data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. The results show that the consultations were based on students' needs, but the consultations focused on the learning environment more than on individual shortcomings. The two professionals collaborated and shared their professional expertise across professional boundaries. This boundary-crossing professional collaboration seems to deepen the consultation between the two professionals and enable them to work together to create a learning environment that supports all pupils.

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Developing Inclusive Learning Environments – When Collaboration Is (Not) the Answer

Jensen

Molbæk

Schmidt

et al. 2022

International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development

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Consultation in special needs education in Sweden and Finland: a comparative approach

Cited by 15 publications

References 21 publications

Professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators in Swedish rural schools

Professional collaboration between class teachers and special educators in Swedish rural schools

Consultation in Special Needs Education in Rural Schools in Sweden– An Act of Collaboration between Educators

Developing Inclusive Learning Environments – When Collaboration Is (Not) the Answer

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