Transcript Teaching Effective Collaboration Skills

Teaching Effective
Collaboration Skills
Success Beyond the Sandbox
Laurie Dinnebeil
[email protected]
A presentation at the 2005 Inclusion
Institute, Chapel Hill, NC
The Purpose of this Session is to:
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Describe major types of
collaborative
relationships:
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Coaching
Consultation
Supervision/Mentorship
Teaming
Discuss ways to
prepare individuals to
be effective partners
Teaching Skills for Effective
Collaboration
Dinnebeil, L.A., Buysse, V., Rush, D., &
Eggbeer, L. (in press). Teaching Skills for
Effective Collaboration. In P. Winton, J.
McCollum, and C. Catlett (Eds.) Preparing
effective professionals: Evidence and
applications in early childhood and early
intervention. Washington, DC: ZERO TO
THREE Publishers.
What’s So Important About
Collaboration?
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The success of early education and
intervention is dependent on the quality of
relationships that adults have with children
and each other
Given that services to young children involve
more than just one adult, the quality of the
interactions between and among adults will
have a direct impact on the quality of
services.
Collaboration Defined
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Each person both teaches and learns.
Mutual respect for the role of each individual
is implied and demonstrated.
A strong degree of reciprocity underlies each
of these relationships.
A joint goal helps to serve as a roadmap to
collaborative work.
Major Types of Collaborative
Relationships
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Coaching
Consultation
Supervision/Mentorship
Teaming
A Variety of People Can Serve
in a Variety of Roles
EI/ECSE
ECE
Parent
Professional Professional
Coach
Consultant
Supervisor
Team
Member
Supervisor
Coaching
Key Components of a Coaching Model
 Iterative and Interactive
 Reflection and Feedback
 Refine existing practices
 Develop new skills
 Promote continuous self-assessment and
learning
Process of Coaching
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Agree to participate in coaching relationship
Identify goals, expected outcomes and
criteria for measuring learner’s mastery
Observe one another, reflect on current
and/or new skills,
Learn and practice new skills, provide
feedback
Evaluate success of coaching plan
Consultation

An indirect, triadic service delivery model in which a
consultant and a consultee work together to address
an area of concern or common goal for change.
Process of Consultation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Gaining entry—clarify need for consultation and
process, identify expected outcomes, delineate
roles
Gather additional information
Use results of assessment to formulate observable
and measurable outcomes
Identify possible strategies; select one or more
Consultee implements selected strategies
Evaluate success of plan
Supervision/Mentorship
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Professional relationships designed to
support knowledge and skill development,
often in younger or less seasoned
practitioner.
Effective supervision or mentoring
relationships are characterized by reflection,
collaboration, and regularity.
Process of
Supervision/Mentorship
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Preparing for discussion
Greeting and reconnecting
Opening the dialogue and finding the agenda
Information gathering and focusing on details
Formulating hypotheses about the meaning of the
issue being discussed
Considering next steps—discuss options and
make decision about issue.
Closing— acknowledge end of session, briefly
recap, consider what lies ahead
Descriptors of an Effective Team
(Friend & Cook, 2000)
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articulated goal understood by all team members,
a climate in which all team members feel respected
and valued,
recognition that individual team members are
accountable to the group,
effective group process and “ground rules” that lay
the foundation for the team’s work,
appropriate leadership skills of all team members.
Process of Teaming
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Coming together—acknowledge role of
team, clarify goals and objectives
Identify problem and gather information
about it
Generate possible solutions; plan for
solution
Plan for and implement solution
Evaluate success of solution
Common Features of All
Models
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Stages reflect a
problem-solving
approach to triadic
intervention
Stages are fluid, rather
than fixed.
Outcomes of Collaborative
Models
Coaching
Skill-based
Focus on acquisition,
fluency, maintenance
generalization
Consultation
Supporting changes in
learning environments
Supporting systems level
change
Supervision/Mentorship
Teaming
Support a practitioner’s
Can focus on all of the
ability to self-reflect on
above—teaming is a
the work and her reaction broader construct
to it.
Requisite Knowledge, Skills
and Dispositions
Knowledge of
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One’s discipline
Typical/atypical child
development
Setting and child’s
environment
The collaborative
process
Interpersonal Style
Successful collaborators are…
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Flexible, adaptable approach to interaction
Able to consider others’ perspectives and are able
to set aside their own beliefs or expectations if
they interfere with a productive working
relationship
Are objective and make sound decisions based
on the reality of a situation.
Interpersonal Skills
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Successful collaborators…
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put others at ease and are viewed as genuine and
respectful
are reflective and can engage in active listening
ask good questions and provide/accept appropriate
feedback from others.
are aware of the nonverbal behaviors that support or
undermine interpersonal relationships.
understand and can apply principles of group processing
and problem-solving to their work with others.
Successful collaborators know how to “win friends
and influence others.”
Attitudes, Values, and
Dispositions
Successful collaborators…
 Are ethical practitioners
 Are highly cognizant of their own values and biases
 Possess equal amounts of self-confidence and humility
 Appreciate that both partners possess unique knowledge and
skills
 Are curious and eager learners
 Appreciate that they are guiding another person; they are not in
control
 Understand that being a knowledgeable resource is not the same
as being a “know it all”.
Preparing Individuals for
Collaborative Work
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Preparing individuals for work with other
adults is complex and requires experiences
along many different levels
The kinds of learning experiences needed to
support knowledge, skill, or attitude/value
acquisition differs in complexity.
Desired Impact
(Learning outcomes from low to high)
Examples of Training Approaches and Learning Activities for Building Knowledge
and Skill Related to the Collaborative Process (Adapted from Harris, 1980
and McCollum & Catlett, 1997)
Engaging in a collaborative relationship
under the supervision of a professional;
reflecting on the experience
Attitudes,
Values
Observing other professionals engaged
in collaborative relationships and
analyzing their behavior
Skill
Knowledge
Awareness
• Completing case studies
• In-class/In-session simulations
• Reading
• Lectures
• Guided notes
Low
High
Complexity of synthesis and application required
Instructional Strategies to Promote Skill
Building and Collaborative Dispositions
Learners need genuine experiences to learn and apply
critical skills. They should participate in group
projects that require them to learn skills related to
teamwork and collaboration.
For example…
Students in a ECSE Methods Class are
required to work together to develop an IEP
for a fictitious child with a disability.
Students are made aware that the goals of the
project include enhancing their ability to work
effectively with each other.
Students set ground rules for group work and
provide written (anonymous) feedback to
each other at the conclusion of the project.
Another Example
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Students work in teams to design and
implement parent-child playgroups under the
supervision of qualified personnel.
In addition to gaining experience in
conducting playgroups, students are aware
that an explicit goal of the assignment is to
learn to work together as a team.
Another Example
As part of a general “methods” course, preservice ECE
teachers are required to videotape themselves
teaching.
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Students partner with each other, viewing each other’s
videotapes, provide written and verbal feedback
Students are also required to provide a written reflection of
the feedback process as well as a critique of their partner’s
ability to provide feedback.
The ability to provide and receive appropriate feedback is
evaluated as part of the student’s course grade.
Another Example
As part of a mini-practicum, practicing ECSE
professionals were required to design,
implement, and evaluate a coaching or
consultation plan. As part of this assignment,
they identified an ECE professional who
worked with a child with special needs.
See Dinnebeil & McInerney, 2001
Components of the Plan
Practicum Requirements were based on work by Wesley (1994) and
were undertaken jointly between the student and her learning
partner:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Identified child-focused goals and objectives,
Evaluated the child’s learning environment with the ECERS or ITERS
Identified components of the environment that could be enhanced to
support the child’s learning,
Developed a plan to modify or enhance the environment,
Outlined child-focused intervention strategies to achieve the child’s
learning goals,
Engaged in coaching or consultation strategies that helped their partner
learn how to use the strategy,
Gave feedback to the learning partner, and
Monitored the child’s progress through easily implemented data
collection strategies.
Another Example from Dr.
McWilliam…
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Students are required to develop an intervention
checklist designed to help a learning partner use a
specific strategy
The checklist must outline operational steps to
follow to correctly implement an intervention
strategy.
Students use the checklist to teach a learning
partner to implement the strategy
Both students and learning partners use the
checklist to guide observations of each other and
provide feedback about implementation
A Final Example
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In order to give students authentic
opportunities for giving and receiving specific
and appropriate feedback, an instructor holds
a knitting session in class.
Those who know how to knit are required to
teach a classmate, in class how to knit.
After the activity, discussion focuses on
giving appropriate feedback and instruction to
an adult learner.
Other Examples?
Challenges to Effective
Preparation
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Lack of exemplary practice settings
Lack of practiced professionals
Attitudes and values of the learners
themselves (e.g., apprehension about being
an “expert”, resistance to the model)
Difficulty in supervising learners engaged in
collaborative relationships
Other challenges?
Discussion or Questions?