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

Abstract

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.

Is small beautiful? A scoping review of 21st-century research on small rural schools in Europe

“…In several studies, despite all the challenges mentioned, teachers and principals have expressed being satisfied with working in a small rural school (Karlberg-Granlund, 2019; Raggl, 2015), and some believed that it was a good learning environment for all pupils, including those with special needs (Pettersson and Ström, 2019). In fact, small rural schools have also been shown to provide multiple opportunities to teachers, principals, pupils and the communities they serve.…”

“…Similarly, teachers in Cyprus who participated in a mixed methods study felt that pupils' special needs can be recognized more quickly in small schools (Tsiakkiros and Pashiardis, 2002). In Sweden, all the teachers interviewed in three case studies (Pettersson and Ström, 2019) considered the rural school as 'a good learning environment for all students', and they had access to a special educator working in the municipal administrative centre, whom they could contact when they needed a consultation. In this study, teachers asked for support rather than advice when they contacted special educators, and they described the consulting discussions as a professional dialogue/exchange.…”

Making Rural Areas Attractive for Teachers and Principals:Putting Rural Educational Settings on the Agenda

“…There is a research gap concerning rural education in the Nordic countries Cranston, 2011;Pettersson & Ström, 2019). Baeck (2016) explains that there is knowledge of the geographical periphery in studies focused on other knowledge interests.…”

Enacting Special Education in a Digitalized School: Opening for New Understandings of a Digitalized Special Educational Practice

“…However, the informants expressed several lessons they learned during the pandemic that can enhance their post pandemic special education practice, such as better methods for distanced communication with students and the advantages of greater access to video-recorded teacher instructions. In rural schools located in sparsely populated areas, SENCOs and SETs are not always physically located at schools (Pettersson & Ström, 2019). Therefore, knowledge gained during the pandemic about special education practice can be of interest for how special education can support students in online and distance education.…”