Collaborating assignment (1)

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University Of Chicago *

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200

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Communications

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Apr 3, 2024

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Collaborating 1 Colleen Granger Augustana University SPED 621-A Collaborating in Schools Kathleen Cook

Collaborating 2 Collaboration and communication in school is essential when creating an environment for successful students. Different colleagues can lead to different types of collaborations. These can range from highly successful, where teachers are problem solving and developing skills to uncomfortable and hostile interactions. Collaboration has a lot to do with communication skills. “Communication has been defined in a variety of ways, all intended to indicate that the process requires a sender of a message, the message itself and a receiver” (Kampwirth & Powers, 2016, p. 84). There can always be miscommunication, and misinterpreting meanings that can lead to poor collaboration. For a week I documented interactions and collaborations with different colleagues. This is the journal and interactions I compiled during that time period. The rating scale was based on 5 points. 5 being the highest and most successful collaboration based on Kampwirth and Powers (2016) definition and examples of collaboration. 1 being a hostile or uncomfortable interaction. 1- uncomfortable or hostile interaction 2- Simple greeting or general interaction 3- Collaboration 4- Successful collaboration 5- Highly successful collaboration Monday 4 th grade teacher- Rating (2) This teacher came into my classroom to greet me and to verify the days we were going to be switching classes. There wasn’t any collaboration, it was just a brief conversation. 3 rd grade teacher- Rating (3) This teacher and I discussed our writing plans for next year. She had been to a meeting where they were discussing different standards and she was communicating to me about the meeting. I would not give this a successful collaboration rating because it did not go any further than a conversation. We did suggest ideas to each other, this would be collaboration. We did not come up with a plan to implement. 4 th grade intern teacher- Rating (5) This was a highly successful collaboration because we discussed her needs to step into my classroom to teach social studies. We had a conversation about the goals that she set along with her lesson plans. We collaborated on what she was going

Collaborating 3 to teach and how she was going to achieve the goals. This was highly successful because I was assisting her, we developed a plan and went through possible problems and solutions. 4 th grade team (3) We eat lunch together and talk about the school day and any situations we have encountered so far. It is more than a greeting or interaction because we sometimes collaborate and give advice, however this is not a successful collaboration. Tuesday School improvement team meeting- Rating (3) I meet with teachers from different grade levels to discuss reading intervention in school. Each grade level shares their intervention practices. I did not rate this as highly successful because there are many factors in the meeting, such as inattentiveness, that do not lead to successful collaboration. There are a lot of people giving advice instead of collaborating. Math interventionist (1) I rated this collaboration low because of the miscommunication for a screener that was to be given. She did not show up at the time we agreed to and she did not communicate that she was not going to be there. The interaction was uncomfortable because I was frustrated that she did not come to my classroom at the agreed upon time. Wednesday 5 th grade teacher (2) This teacher was discussing with me about a former student of mine. I rated this interaction low because it was not a collaboration. We were simply having a conversation about a student, no problem-solving strategies were given. 4 th grade teacher (5) I rated this interaction very successful because we were collaborating about a social studies assignment. I teach social studies to my class and her class. We were discussing resources that could be used in a lesson plan and collaborating about the rubric that would be used for a letter they need to write. Dean of students (3) I rated this interaction a 3 because it was a quick discussion about a student in my class and his behavior plan. It was a type of collaboration but not highly successful. Thursday 3 rd Grade Teacher (3) We discussed the new social studies standards that will be implemented in our school district the next couple years. I did not rate this high because it was a conversation and no decisions or assisting was being given on either part. 4 th Grade Team (5) Our team was at a reading coaching meeting. I rated this collaboration high because we looked at data to see what our grade level needed to work on. Then we took time to decide how we will implement these things into the upcoming weeks. We talked about how we will evaluate our students and interventions we might use. Principal (2) This was an interaction that did not involve any collaboration. It was a general greeting and talk about things that did not involve school.

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Collaborating 4 Friday 4 th grade teacher (4) This collaboration involved a writing plan for the next couple months. It was a successful collaboration because we made decisions regarding curriculum. I did not rate this a 5 because no plan was made. EL Teacher (3) I rated this interaction a 3 because this conversation was just about a schedule change and did not require any assistance. 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Collaboration Scale collaboration rating Frequency of Rating

Collaborating 5 After analyzing my graph, I see that most of my interactions with other colleagues are simple collaborations. Many of the communications I had were about plans, but no decisions. Or making decisions, but not using data to drive the decision. There was also collaboration but no implementation. I see why I gave certain collaborations a higher score than others. Those collaborations were more intentional and, in the end, brought my students more success. This reflection has really made me see how deliberate collaborating with colleagues needs to be. I will be focusing on my collaboration with the math intervention teacher. She was my lowest collaboration on the rating scale, so I would like to improve my communication and intrapersonal skills with her. The skills I will work on will be asking questions, keeping a goal orientation and showing empathy. Kampwirth and Powers (2016) suggest asking questions are to gain information. They can also help clarify the problem and help see another person’s perspective (p. 88). Asking questions can help get answers to the information I need. Keeping a goal orientation will help me stay on topic. “The need to stay on topic and look for solutions must be balanced (Kampwirth & Powers, 2016 p. 86). The goal collaborating with the math intervention teacher is to help students that are struggling in math. Keeping the end goal in mind will help me stay focused on our conversations. Showing empathy will help me work on my active listening. When collaborating, it is important to listen and not jump to conclusions. Our school climate encourages positive and productive interactions and collaborations with all individuals. Having a positive personal attitude that is willing to communicate, is essential to student success. I have always had a positive attitude with colleagues. It is easier to work with people when you can be constructive and encouraging with each other. Many leadership skills that Kampwirth & Powers mention, are intrapersonal skills that our school

Collaborating 6 encourages. These consist of communicating openly, taking responsibility and having a shared vision (p. 223). Our principal always encourages the staff to think about the students in our school as all of our students. If they are in fifth grade, the lower grades still take responsibility. This compels the staff to work more collaboratively. Our professionals roles differ in a lot of ways. I am a certified classroom teacher. I have a lot of experience with differentiation and interventions. Our math interventionist is not certified and is newly employed to our district. She follows one curriculum for intervention and isn’t allowed to expand outside of that curriculum to meet student needs. Our previous interactions have been nothing but helpful, and productive. We communicate well about students she is working with. She is very flexible with her schedule and my schedule when finding a good time to work with them. My primary objectives while trying to work on my collaboration with this colleague will be to keep goal-oriented conversations and ask questions. Both of these will help ensure I am clear on the expectations and understand the concerns either of us might have. Kampwirth and Powers (2016) suggest that consultees should not jump to conclusions and give feedback instead of advice (p. 86-87). This will help me gather all information first before I respond or respond too quickly. There are many outside resources such as books and websites that can be helpful. Teacher Collaboration for Professional Learning by Cynthia A. Lassonde and Susan E Israel. They discuss how to use their book as a book study and how to incorporate their research into everyday responsibilities because they know teachers don’t have time for “one more thing” (p. 4). We also have many professional developments throughout the year that can led to better collaboration. “Professional development can consist of any formally established approach that has an agenda, a structured set of goal and a method of evaluation (Kampwirth & Powers, 2016, p. 225). PD can occur anywhere and does not need to be formal as long as you have goals to

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Collaborating 7 work on. Even if the focus isn’t on collaboration, there are many strategies that can be used to promote good communication. Lassonde & Israel (2009) suggest ongoing conversations with colleagues during professional development and collaborative problem solving (p.7). We can look to technology to offer professional development. There are online resources that provide many different types of professional development for teachers. This can lead to teachers having discussion with other teachers around the world. Kampwirth & Powers (2016) also suggest having a mentor to assist in professional development. This person can hold you accountable and help implement what you have learned even after the professional development. (p. 226). I will use the same rating scale to determine if my plan is effective. I will use a journal to record my interactions and rate the interaction. The scale will be based on my three goals of questioning, goal orientation and empathy. 1- uncomfortable or hostile interaction 2- Simple greeting or general interaction (No questions or collaboration) 3- Collaboration (general questions, listening) 4- Successful collaboration (listening, some clarifying questions) 5- Highly successful collaboration (Asking clarifying questions, listening and understanding concerns) Journal Interaction 1: (3) The math intervention teacher emailed the staff to ask if there were any students who needed to make up a testing screener. I emailed back and let her know I had one student absent and would like her to give him the screener the next week. She replied that she would. There was no collaboration for this communication, and since it was through email it was difficult to use my strategies. Interaction 2 (4) I spoke to the math intervention teacher to discuss a time that would work best for my student to test. I made sure I listened and attended to her times given. I suggested a time

Collaborating 8 that would work best for this student. When she agreed to the time, I made sure to clarify by restating the time and date that we agreed upon. Interaction 3 (5) This collaboration was very successful because we had a discussion about the results of the screener that was given. I asked clarifying questions about the results and listened to her recommendations about which students would need interventions. I kept in mind the goal of this process which was to help struggling students. Interaction 4 (3) This was a general conversation about times that would work to take students for math intervention. I again made sure to clarify the time and date we agreed upon. Interaction 5 (4) This was a successful conversation about the students she was working with. We discussed their performance during small group and I asked clarifying questions about the strategies she was using. I gave feedback about what changes I saw in the classroom. Interaction 6 (5) This was a highly successful interaction because I set a goal to talk about specific students and their needs. I made sure to ask questions about these specific students and show concern about their needs. We were able to come up with a plan of action for both my classroom and intervention.

Collaborating 9 interaction 1 interaction 2 Interaction 3 Interaction 4 Interaction 5 interaction 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Collaboration Scale Collaboration rating After analyzing my data, I have concluded that implementing this plan has changed the types of collaborations I have with this colleague. I am more intentional about my communication skills. Using the strategies of asking clarifying questions and understanding concerns improved our discussion about students. Our conversations are more productive and clear with a purpose and goal. The strategies can help me improve my communication and interpersonal skills with all colleagues. My collaborations will more successful and goal driven. This will lead to helping more students, which is our purpose and goal. Reflecting on my plan the only thing I might have done differently would be identifying some of my resistance. This might have helped with implementing my plan. Collaborating in schools involves communicating with other colleagues to solve problems, develop plans for behavioral and academic needs. “Through collaboration, a better intervention is developed, implemented and maintained than if either worked in isolation (Kampwirth & Powers, 2016 p. 2). Working together is how schools are successful.

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Collaborating 10 References Kimpwirth, T. & Powers, K. (2016) Collaborative Consultation in the Schools, Effective Practices for students with Learning and Behavior Problems (5 th ed). Person Education, Inc. Lassonde . C & Israel. S (2009) Teacher Collaboration for Professional Learning : Facilitating Study, Research, and Inquiry Communities (1 st Ed). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Collaborating assignment (1)

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