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Philosophy of Collaboration
Corinne McCabe
University of Kansas
2015

PHILOSOPHY OF COLLABORATION

Collaboration is essential to the practices of effective educators and the culture of

successful schools (Friend & Cook, 2013, p. 1). This statement holds true with regard to
education, but even more so with special education. Due to the changes in special
education law, more and more students with disabilities are being placed in the general
education classrooms. This makes it more important than ever for classroom teachers to
work closely and communicate with special education teachers, speech and language
pathologists, school social workers and psychologists, and paraprofessionals. In addition,
with early intervention and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), collaboration is often
used to create education plans to support students in the general education classrooms.
The African proverb, It takes a village to raise a child, really comes to light in todays
classrooms. It is more than just the classroom teachers who play critical roles in the
success of children. It is a team effort.

Friend and Cook define collaboration as, a style for direct interaction between at

least two coequal parties voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work
toward a common goal (2013, p. 6). That being stated, it is important to consider the
parties who should be involved in collaboration.

Key Players

When deciding who should be involved in collaboration, it is imperative to think

about the needs of the child. First and foremost, the parent or parents of the student
should be involved in every step of the process. Too often, decisions are being made about
children without parents being present. Worse than that, when parents are present at
meetings, often times they are presented with a large amount of information and acronyms

Running Head: PHILOSOPHY OF COLLABORATION

(which the education-world loves), and do not have a full understanding of what they are
being told. One of the key characteristics of collaboration is parity among participants in
which all involved are contributing and have equal power in decision making ((Friend &
Cook, 2013, p. 7).

In addition to the parents, the classroom teacher has valuable insight when it comes

to one of his or her students. Along with the classroom teachers, specialists are key players
in effective collaboration. Everyone in a school offers a different set of skills and is highly
qualified in different areas (i.e. social workers, psychologists, ELL teachers, reading
specialists, speech and language pathologists, etc.). It only makes sense to use everyones
expertise to develop an education plan for a student. While often overlooked, it is
important to include paraprofessionals who work with, or have worked with, the student.
Often times, the paraprofessionals work one-on-one with students and may have additional
information to share. School administrators are also critical in that they typically are able
to make certain that all state and federal laws are being followed.

Finally, the most important player involved in collaboration should be the student.

As educators, we spend a large majority of our time collecting data, monitoring progress,
and developing goals for our students. However, research shows that self-monitoring, self-
assessing and goal setting are major factors in student achievement. In fact, John Hatties
research showed, Evidence shows that the greatest effects on student learning come when
not only the students become their own teachers (through self-monitoring, and self-
assessment), but the teachers become learners of their own teaching (David-Lang, 2013).
Students involved in the development of an education plan are more likely to be invested in
the plan.

Running Head: PHILOSOPHY OF COLLABORATION

Models & Obstacles


There are many different models of collaboration being used in successful schools. No
matter what model is used, Friend and Cook (2013) list the following characteristics are
crucial to effective collaboration:

It must be voluntary

Requires parity

Based on mutual goals

Shared responsibility for participation and decision-making

Shared accountability of outcomes


While it may be difficult to assemble all of these key players in one place, at one time, it
is of the utmost importance. Scheduling and school structure can often pose an obstacle in
the ability for staff to collaborate effectively. However, strong building administrators
know the benefits of collaboration and often find a way to make adjustments to allow the
necessary time for collaboration (i.e. floating substitutes, common plan time, etc.).
Conclusion
The U.S. Department of State explains collaboration as being, a deceptively simple
concept with wide-ranging and exciting implications for the education of all children and
the effectiveness of all educators (Powell, n.d.). However, it is my belief that collaboration
is a much more complex idea that produces positive benefits for all involved when
implemented and used effectively.

PHILOSOPHY OF COLLABORATION

References
David-Lang, J. (2013). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing the impact on learning. The Main
Idea. doi:10.4324/9780203181522
Friend, M. P., & Cook, L. (2013). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston:
Pearson.
Powell, W. (n.d.). Chapter 5: Collaboration. Retrieved June 15, 2015, from
http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/43980.htm

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