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Group Problem-Solving is a Shared Professional Responsibility

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Group Problem-Solving is a Shared Professional Responsibility

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It is impossible to work in education and not encounter a problem that impacts other professionals. So often, we feel as teachers that it is up to us to solve the problem individually, even as it influences and impacts other educators. The core belief behind the practice of group-problem solving is that everyone shares the task and burden of coming up with a solution.

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There are certain steps to take to guide the group problem-solving process, but ultimately the group decides its moves

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There are certain steps to take to guide the group problem-solving process, but ultimately the group decides its moves

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The following steps were given as a general outline to the process of group problem-solving: identifying the problem, generating potential solutions, evaluating those solutions, selecting the solution, implementing the solution, and evaluating the outcome. As nice as that sounds, we can all agree that problem-solving is not as neat as these steps make it out to be. Much like other things in education, sometimes the group might have to go back and repeat some steps before finally arriving at a solution. It is imperative that the group keeps a "we" mentality throughout this process: any decision made for the good of the group, must be decided by the group. Picture it like a game of chess: there are many moves needed and many possible ways to achieve the desired outcome, but it is up to the group as a whole to decide what moves are made.

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IDEA Perspective on RtI and Special Education

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IDEA Perspective on RtI and Special Education

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Based on a section of the 2004 IDEA law, some educational professionals believe that RtI should be used early to intervene on student gaps and is the process to identify students with disabilities. These two are closely connected: if early intervention is provided, then students will not need to be identified later on to address deficiencies. The classroom general education teacher delivers Tier 1 screening and instruction to all students, while other educators (such as the special education teacher) are responsible for delivering Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (as needed). Data is the primary driving force when making educational decisions (criteria for tiers, student placement, which evidence-based practices to use, etc.).

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Professionals in this group view RtI as the bridge between educational policy and high-quality teaching practices. It is important to consider this perspective within the context of the recent push for standards-driven curriculum. These standards then form the foundation for that high-quality general education teaching. From this perspective, there will be no need to identify students (or have "disabilities" at all) if and when there is a successful-enough general education program. All students (identified or not) are then held accountable for meeting these standards; intervention happens within the tiers based on the progress students make towards mastering standards.

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"Blurring" the lines between special and general education

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"Blurring" the lines between special and general education

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"Blurring" refers to the combination of special education with and into the general education curriculum. Rather than special education being its own tier in the RtI model (sometimes called Tier 4), staff and students are integrated into general education classrooms. In this "blurred" model, special educators do not have their own rooms for pulling students, but instead push into and co-teach with classroom teachers, helping to meet the needs of all learners and assisting in high-quality instruction on standards-based curriculum. The mindset of "all students" permeates not just the culture of a building, but impacts the staffing setup of teachers and support staff.