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Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., & Stecker, P. M. (2010). The “blurring” of special education in a new continuum of general education placements and services. Exceptional Children, 76(3), 301-323.

The article linked above discusses two different outlooks on RTI. The IDEA group views RTI as a process in which students are screened by the classroom teacher and interventions may be put into place based on student need. Students who are non-responsive to tier one interventions may be moved to more intensive tier 2 interventions. Students continue to be monitored and evaluated. Those who remain unresponsive will be referred to the multidisciplinary team for evaluation. This RTI process is something I am very familiar with as a special education teacher. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects is the consisted monitoring and data collection so you can really pinpoint where a student's needs are. This is a common model depicting the RTI process and a visual most educators are very familiar with.

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IDEA and NCLB groups have some viewpoints in common when it comes to RTI. Both focus on tiered support and early intervention for struggling students. Both also see general education participation as a crucial aspect to this process. NCLB focuses more on reforming services provided in early intervention and tend to include more general education tiers in the process. They believe in a more standards based approach and with the right general education interventions in place, the number of high incidence disabilities will decrease. I really like how this visual streamlines the differences between the NCLB viewpoint and the IDEA viewpoint. It really encompasses the big ideas from both camps.

Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., & Stecker, P. M. (2010). The “blurring” of special education in a new continuum of general education placements and services. Exceptional Children, 76(3), 301-323.

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"Interpersonal or group problem solving is the central process in collaborative activities whether you are addressing well defined, partially defined or ill defined problems" ((Friend, M., & Cook, L, 2017, p. 133). The following steps work together to create the group problem solving process: identify the problem, generate potential solutions, evaluate the potential solutions by outlining pros and cons and specifying tasks, select a solution, finalize the implementation plan, implement the solution, and evaluate the outcome. Just like these steps fit together like pieces of a puzzle, so to the skills that one must possess to effectively solve problems and collaborate. These ideas go back to readings from previous chapters but all interconnect to explain effective communication and problem solving.

Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2017). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston, MA:  Pearson. (Chapter 5)

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When discussing problem solving it is important to note the affect diversity may have on the process. The textbook outlines several ways this may occur. First, bias may occur based on how our culture affects how we see the world. Secondly, when a person involved in the problem solving process holds strong beliefs (i.e. religious views) this may also complicate the problem solving process. The textbook gives the example of one teacher holding the belief that students should exhibit appropriate behavior in school regardless of disability. This strong viewpoint would certainly complicate the nature of a team meeting about a student with disabilities. When problem solving it is essential that we realize our own biases, and keep an open mind when problem solving. The video linked below does a nice job of depicting how important it is to embrace the differences of others as well as realizing your personal limitations and bias.

Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2017). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston, MA:  Pearson. (Chapter 5)

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Chapter 5 discusses the difference between proactive and reactive problem solving. In reactive problem solving you are faced with a problem and must work quickly to attempt to fix said problem. This type of problem solving tends to be more stressful and may amount to more of a quick fix rather than a long term solution for a problem. The book gives the example of a parent coming in after school angry about an incident in the classroom. Proactive problem solving gives you the ability to anticipate a problem and take time to come up with solutions before it occurs. With strategic and systematic problem solving, there is more time to be proactive about your response to a crisis. This visual meant for elementary students does a nice job of highlighting emotions when having to deal with a problem without a plan vs. having a plan in place. I definitely have felt both ways in work situations and know how much less stress and how much more success comes from proactive planning and problem solving.

Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2017). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. Boston, MA:  Pearson. (Chapter 5)