https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c Parent, Special Educator, and Assistant Principal en-us 2017-06-28 22:06:37 UTC 2023-06-16 14:25:14 UTC hello@padlet.com qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688745 Geoff Delsordo believes that collaboration is when people work together to accomplish a similar goal. He believes you need listening and communicating skills in order to collaborate. He believes when teachers collaborate with children then they are truly able to make connections with them and learn about what that child has interest in. He explained a situation where his son Nic was having issues in science class until the teacher met with him and together they came up with a plan on how Nic would approach the assignments. Since then Nic has been doing fairly well in the class. The teacher does meet with him occasionally but they have a much better relationship then at the beginning of the year. One of the barrier that he believes stops collaboration from happening is time constraints. He believes that happens in all environments. He gave examples of how collaborating at work often is beneficial but because of time constraints there are many projects that they can't schedule a time to collaborate or work on them in groups. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:09:13 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688745 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688789 Geoff explained that none of his children have ever been in a co-taught classroom. However, he wouldn't be opposed to it. He thinks that the greater student to teacher ratio- the better. He did have a concern that at times when two teachers are working together they put more students in a class, or put more behavior issues in a classroom. He wouldn't want his kids to be put in a classroom where they would be easily distracted. He also explained that it really depends on how the teachers interact with each other and with the children, not so much the co-teaching model. He thinks that for something like this to be successful there would have to be a teacher who was willing to compromise on certain things. He compared it to himself in business. At times when he is working with others and completing a project, he has to know when to back off and let them take the reigns. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:10:14 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688789 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688797 Consultation as Geoff defined it is to speak with someone in an effort to figure out ones issues and needs, as well as to come up with a resolution to any problems. He often consults with other professionals in his job. Because he works with software he often has to talk with other departments to see how what he does will impact other areas of the software. Without being able to consult others he wouldn't be able to be successful and implement what he needed to do with the software. He believes that in terms of consultation in education, he thinks that teachers have consulted him about his children before. He was more uncomfortable with discussing certain things with them. Many times they would only ask about one of his children when trying to explain how one of them did something wrong. He felt many times that even though they approached it as wanting to know what best worked for his child, they often wouldn't take what he said to heart. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:10:22 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688797 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688800 When speaking to Amanda Hendrickson she believes that collaboration is essential to a special educators role in the classroom. Without being able to collaborate with the regular education teacher, she would have no success being able to tailor her lessons to her students needs but also align them with the curriculum. She has found that the best times she was able to collaborate with others was when she was not only given time and resources to, but also when they wanted a working relationship. She has worked with teachers in the past that didn't want to compromise on either having the student pulled in small groups or cutting down their assignments/work. While those things are mandatory based on the IEP, she has found that teachers who often have the most issue with these changes are ones that aren't willing to collaborate. Those teachers who like to work together and bounce ideas off of, have many students that have found the most success in their classrooms. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:10:29 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688800 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688805 Having co-taught numerous times Amanda believes that it really depends on the people that are put into the situation. In her mind a co-teacher needs to be open to others ideas and needs to be able to have a flow when teaching a class together. She has worked with teachers where she felt that "flow" never really happened. This often was because their teaching style or mindset was extremely different from hers. While they made it work by structuring their class and lessons, she never felt at ease. She has also had co-teaching experiences that were wonderful. She said she was able to create different projects and lessons with the other teacher as well as have the other teacher help explain concepts that she might lack in explaining and vice versa. One barrier she discussed was that administration often has ideas of what a classroom should look like or how co-teaching should be completed. However, when you are teaching in an extremely small room with many students that have very extreme needs, theory doesn't always work. Many times teachers need to be able to be flexible. However, she felt when co-teaching that there were many expectations of what they were supposed to see, but the reality wasn't always that. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:10:41 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688805 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688816 Amanda Hendrickson has been used as a consultant many times as well as has consulted others for their opinions. Her first year in the school system she was a guidance counselor. During that year she was often asked her opinions and what she thought of certain situations. She found that she liked being in situations where she was able to voice her opinions and consult with different teachers. She believes it made her a stronger teacher when she got into the field. One barrier to consultation was that there was never enough time. Even to consult with parents or students, she was often running from meeting to meeting. She luckily, would keep very good notes about what was said, however she often found herself having to use her resources to refer back to scenarios just because she was so busy during the day. She thinks that she has also used consultation to discuss matters with leaders in the school that were much more knowledgeable  on different subjects. She learned a lot from being around them and hearing their ideas. She only felt that this strengthened her pedagogy. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:10:57 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688816 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688838 I interviewed Geoff Delsordo, he is the parent of a 4th and 8th grader. Both students have been in the same school district since they started school.]]> 2017-06-28 22:11:31 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688838 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688839 I interviewed Amanda Hendrickson. She is a special educator that has taught in middle school and at the high school level. Ms.Hendrickson has co-taught as well taught in a self-contained classroom.]]> 2017-06-28 22:11:37 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688839 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688844 I interviewed Kirsten Fuss, a 7th grade ELA teacher. She has taught for 3 years. She has never co-taught. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:11:43 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688844 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688887 Kirsten Fuss believes that while collaboration is essential for a teacher to thrive, she has also found that students do better when they talk with one another and problem solve amongst themselves. Since Kirsten often gives projects where students have to problem solve she has found that when she allows them to work together, whether in small groups or in pairs, the students often gain more from each-other then they would from her. She has also started her own forum in her class where students can suggest things throughout the week by writing their suggestions down on reflections. Then on Friday's for about 15 minutes they review the suggestions and they discuss things they could actually implement in the class. Sometimes she feels that curriculum and time constraints that are put on her to keep on track often makes their requests hard. However, giving her students a voice and making them feel empowered is extremely important to her. She believes that this is the only way they will learn how to really communicate with others when they are ready to enter the work force. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:12:36 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688887 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688897 Kirsten Fuss has never co-taught in her three years teaching English. She explained that she believes that the key to co-teaching would be communicating with the teacher you are working with and planning each persons role in ones lessons. She thinks that she would be apprehensive to try co-teaching just because she finds that she likes to try to plan everything and be prepared for all scenarios. She is a very organized person and likes her lessons to work in a way that make sense to her. However, when you are co-teaching things often arise that you might not expect based on having another teacher also in charge. They might do things that you wouldn't necessarily do. She definitely thinks it is something she has seen work really well. She is just not sure if its for her. She thinks the biggest obstacle would be learning how the other person works and trying to factor that into her daily routine. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:12:49 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688897 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688905 Over the past three years Kirsten believes that one of the things that has helped her the most being a new teacher is consulting and observing other teachers that have more experience then herself. She has found that the most beneficial meetings are when they give her time with her grade level leaders. She has found that often she will have an idea, since they have been teachers for over 10 years, they gave her direction on whether they believed she could shape her idea into a real project or reality for her students. Often times even if it was something they had no experience with, they were helpful in allowing her resources that they had available. There has been other times where students also have consulted her for advice. She finds these times easier because it allows her one-on-one time with her students to build relationships. She finds that relationships a teacher builds with her or his students are one of the most important aspects about teaching. She has not run into many barriers when consulting others in her building. One barrier is that everyone is always busy and there is hardly enough time to talk things out during a school day. Many times teachers need to meet after school or she discusses things with others through email. ]]> 2017-06-28 22:12:58 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177688905 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689002 2017-06-28 22:15:41 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689002 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689051 2017-06-28 22:17:19 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689051 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689243 2017-06-28 22:22:50 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177689243 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177786309 - Strong communication skills
- Willingness to compromise depending on the situation
- Many times it comes down to having the right person to collaborate or co-teach with
- Knowing oneself and what one needs

]]> 2017-06-30 02:06:34 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177786309 qureshi_marium https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177786375 - Time constraints
- Money/Resources
- Outside expectations of what success looks like 
- You need a willing two parties to collaborate ]]> 2017-06-30 02:08:13 UTC https://padlet.com/qureshi_marium/vgjrsuq2q90c/wish/177786375