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Ch. 3 Developing Collaborative Partnerships in Schools and With Families,…

- - - - Acknowledging tells the speaker you are listening and may include appropriate nonverbal signals and verbal comments.
      - Paraphrasing provides feedback to the speaker about the received, perceived message. The listener repeats to the speaker, in his or her own words, the message that was conveyed.
      - Reflecting tells the speaker the feelings he or she is verbalizing.
      - Clarifying asks for more-specific information to help the listener better understand the message.
      - Elaboration asks the speaker to provide more information about an idea or about the whole message to broaden the content conveyed to the listener.
      - Summarizing requires the listener to reiterate the main ideas of the conversation and the actions that will be taken, if any. Summarizing gives closure to a conversation and provides feedback for all members about the key points discussed.
    - - Before speaking, organize your thoughts to be sure that they are relevant to the conversation and can be stated succinctly.
      - Demonstrate good listening behaviors (discussed earlier) to show that you are indeed interested in the speaker’s message.
      - Use feedback to show that you are listening and understanding the speaker’s message.
      - Avoid being judgmental and evaluative.
      - Be aware of extraneous factors (e.g., a receiver who doesn’t feel well or who has a personal crisis, a parent who may be very angry at another professional yet unconsciously projects the anger onto you, or a paraprofessional who believes that the tasks she or he is assigned are demeaning) that could interfere with the communication process.
      - Avoid technical jargon that educators may use as convenient shorthand among themselves. Be specific without using acronyms that the speaker may not know.
    - - Respond to e-mails received during business days within 24 hours, if possible.
      - Answer e-mails using the original thread. Avoid using “reply all” unless the response really needs to go back to everyone in the message.
      - Even in a private text or e-mail, write only what is appropriate for multiple readers, given that electronic communication can be forwarded to others.
      - Be concise.
      - Edit for grammar and spelling errors.
      - Avoid educational jargon and acronyms when communicating with families.
      - Use punctuation and capitalization correctly.
  - - - People perceive that they are forced into situations (e.g., working together, having students with disabilities in their classrooms full time, or implementing a strategy for which no training occurred).
      - Roles (e.g., special education teacher as consultant) are not clearly defined.
      - Philosophies (e.g., humanistic, disciplinarian) clash.
      - Levels of expertise and professional development do not match the demands of the situation (e.g., first-year teacher asked to chair a committee).
      - Interpersonal styles (e.g., introvert, extrovert, direct, indirect) vary significantly.
      - People are resistant to change (e.g., issues of territory, power, and interest arise in trying new research-based ideas). (Heron & Harris, 2000)
    - - Do not expect the conflict to go away; it may diminish, but if problems and feelings are not discussed, they will emerge again at another time.
      - Confront conflict when it occurs by stating your feelings using an “I-message” (refer to Chapter 10 for more information about I-messages). For example, “I’m feeling uncomfortable with this situation,” or “I’m sensing that maybe we’re not on the same wavelength.” In essence, this is a reality check—an effort to determine whether your perceptions are accurate. If not, then promptly discussing the situation as you perceive it could prevent further misperceptions and possible problems.
      - Avoid being judgmental or accusatory: “You’re not listening,” “You’re late again,” “That idea didn’t work the last time and won’t work this time.”
      - Use self-disclosure if appropriate: “I’m feeling really unsure about how to handle this problem and could use some assistance.”
      - Maintain open, ongoing communication even if it is just notes to other members. A major source of conflict is lack of communication between partners and the perception (or observation) that one person is moving ahead without talking the plan through with others.
      - Use active listening: send I-messages, paraphrase, summarize, and clarify. These techniques can go a long way in developing a better understanding of how members feel and how they perceive situations.
      - Discuss conflict at a time when members are not pressed to return to their classroom and are not in the midst of a situation that might interfere with the process of conflict resolution. Timing is an important consideration.
      - Use problem-solving steps to reach consensus and identify a plan of action. This helps members to focus on a procedure that promotes communication, discussion, and resolution.
      - Recognize that sometimes conflict might not be resolved and that partnerships could be terminated temporarily. Many reasons (including lack of interest, power, insecurity, bad timing, mistrust, and inability to establish congruent objectives) account for the inability of members to resolve conflict. Focus on letting go and finding an alternative, productive way to handle the situation if further action is required.
- - - - Stage 1: Gaining Entry and Establishing Team Goals.
      - Stage 2: Problem Identification.
      - Stage 3: Intervention Recommendations.
      - Stage 4: Implementation of Recommendations.
      - Stage 5: Evaluation.
      - Stage 6: Follow-up
- - - - Suggestions for family and community involvement:
        
        Develop an atmosphere of trust and respect.
        
        Be sure families and communities feel welcome.
        
        Select and involve community leaders to serve as representatives of both school and home.
        
        Identify families’ preferred means of communication and use it effectively.
        
        Communicate on a regular, ongoing basis (not just when there is a problem).
        
        Use interpreters who are knowledgeable about schools and their programs for effective communication and participation.
        
        Incorporate materials that reflect the diversity of the community.
        
        Seek meaningful ways (e.g., actively sharing culture, art, music, and recreational activities) to involve families and communities (as they feel comfortable).
        
        Treat families with individual respect, and avoid stereotyping on any basis (race, ethnicity, language, or socioeconomic class).
        
        Hold meetings with families at times and places that are manageable for them. (Smith et al., 2018, p. 100)
    - - purposes for the parent–teacher conference:
        
        To jointly share information about the child’s educational progress
        
        To work together in finding solutions to problems
        
        To establish rapport and joint responsibility for the child’s educational program
        
        To exchange information that might contribute to a better understanding of the child’s progress and individual needs
- - - - Assessment
        
        Conducting curriculum-based assessments
        
        Scoring curriculum-based assessments
      - Behavior Management
        
        Implementing behavior management programs designed with the classroom teacher
        
        Awarding points to students for appropriate behavior
        
        Monitoring of behavior in small or whole groups
      - Instruction
        
        Providing instructional adaptations for lessons taught by teachers
        
        Monitoring student work in learning centers
        
        Providing small group instruction to students who require more assistance
      - Communication
        
        Serving as a link between special education and general education teachers
        
        Meeting regularly with the classroom teacher to discuss specific student needs, instructional programs, successes, and concerns
        
        Facilitating communication with parents for whom English is not their primary language
      - Clerical Support
        
        Conducting tasks to maintain classroom organization and management
        
        Developing instructional materials
      - Student Support
        
        Working with students in community job–related settings
        
        Escorting students during hallway, recess, and lunch activities
      - Professionalism
        
        Attending professional meetings with teachers or with other paraprofessionals
    - - Know the paraprofessional’s name, background, and interests.
      - Know about district policies for paraprofessionals.
      - View the paraprofessional as a member of the professional team.
      - Define roles and responsibilities.
      - Supervise the paraprofessional.
      - Communicate with the paraprofessional.
      - Acknowledge the paraprofessional’s experience and knowledge.
      - Be respectful of paraprofessionals.
      - Assume “ownership” of all students.
  - - - How do you think we are doing working together as a team?
      - What can we do to make our team stronger, to help students more, or to work better with each other?
      - What would you like to discuss with me about how our teaming is working?
      - What is important to you to make our teaming work well?
      - How would you describe our team to others?
      - What advice would you offer to another teacher–paraprofessional team just beginning together?