The Special Educator′s Guide to Collaboration: Improving Relationships With Co-Teachers, Teams, and Families

"The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships." -Spencer J. Salend, Professor SUNY, The College at New Paltz At last, a practical game plan for productive and personally rewarding collaborative relationships! General and special education teachers working side by side on a daily basis must move beyond basic communication to improve collaborative relationships inside and outside the classroom. Author Sharon F. Cramer delves into the art of the collaborative process through a series of practical exercises coupled with relevant research, and outlines a plan to make collaboration a life-long part of teaching. Preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and staff developers alike can use the activities in the book as is or adapt them to fit their own unique circumstances. Whether used for personal improvement or by a group for professional development purposes, these invaluable set of relationship-building tools will empower teachers and give them the motivation, understanding, and skills to transform unsatisfactory co-teaching relationships into productive, truly collaborative relationships. Special features include: Case stories and data from among 1,000 collaboration projects supervised by the author Up-to-date research, including an overview of current literature on collaboration "Idea try-outs"-step-by-step reflection activities for promoting independent, innovative thinking "Project try-outs"-structured research and interview activities that provide readers with focused ways to test their collaboration skills When teachers become curious, motivated learners, not only will they discover the many benefits of collaborative relationships with their peers, but they will also enrich the learning environment for their students!

Table of Contents:
Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Why Can’t We Just Be Friends? Becoming Proactive: Improving the School Climate Through Collaboration Overview of the Collaboration Project Principals of Collaboration Distinguishing Between Collaboration, Consultation, and Teaming Conclusion 2. Background: Making the Case for Collaboration Legislative Mileposts Collaboration: Relevant Trends and Events Conclusion 3. Ingredients for Successful Collaboration: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Characteristics Intrapersonal Foundation for Collaboration Interpersonal Foundation for Collaboration Problem Solving: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills Bringing It All Together 4. Evaluating Your Situation Honestly: Appraising Your School as a Context for Collaboration Assessing Resources Available to Collaborators Factors Promoting Collaboration Applications to Use in Your School Setting Communitywide Collaboration Experiments 5. Developing an Effective Collaboration Strategy: Half Empty or Half Full? Collaboration Component Checklists Compatibility Checklist Success Checklist Conclusion 6. Designing a Plan for Change Starting With You Guidelines for the Collaboration Project Designing a Self-Referential Plan for Collaboration Overview of Pragmatic Goals Development of Pragmatic Goals and Objectives Incorporating Expertise: Marshaling Resources 7. What Now? What Works and What Doesn’t When Collaborating Effective Communication Strategies: Something for Everyone Accomplishing Pragmatic Goals and Associated Evaluation Methods Making Use of Your Collaboration Resource Network Conclusion 8. Evaluating the Success of Your Plan: How Can You Tell? Objective Measures of Change Subjective Measures of Change Conclusion 9. Self-Encouragement: Keeping Yourself Going Self-Talk: The Cornerstone for Self-Encouragement or Self-Discouragement Looking for the Positives: Positive Reinforcement for Yourself Sample Projects Incorporating Reinforcement Teaching Yourself to Look: Observing Yourself Conclusion 10. Summing Up the Outcomes: What Have You Accomplished? Assessing Success: How Did Your Plan Work Out? Communication Habits Problem-Solving Habits Cooperative Work Efforts Conclusion 11. Generalizing Your Plan to Others: Improved Collaboration With Parents and Family Members of Your Students Key 1: Understanding Family Diversity Key 2: Developing Practical Communication Habits Key 3: Build on What You’ve Already Learned Conclusion 12. Generalizing Your Plan to Others: Improved Collaboration With Members of Your Interdisciplinary Team The Life Cycle of Your Interdisciplinary Team Additional Use of Teams Conclusion References Index

About the Author :
Sharon F. Cramer is a distinguished service professor at Buffalo State College, where she has been a member of the faculty since 1985. Her leadership roles include serving as executive director of the SABRE Project (implementation of the Oracle Student Information System) (1999-2004), chairing the Exceptional Education Department (1995-1999), and leadership roles in state and national professional organizations (e.g., president of the Northeastern Educational Research Association, NY Federation of Chapters of the Council for Exceptional Children, publication chair of the Division on Developmental Disabilities). She earned her PhD at New York University in 1984 in human relations and social policy, her master of arts in teaching (MAT) from Harvard University in 1972, and her bachelors of arts degree from Tufts University in 1971. She participated in the Management and Leadership Education (MLE) program at Harvard University in 2001.

Review :
"The valuable information and numerous strategies and resources make this a must have book for all teachers striving for effective collaborative relationships with others."