Description
"An all-in-one book—a lighthearted and well grounded introduction to collaboration, how it can improve education for all children, and its role in effectively educating students with special needs. Murawski and Spencer tell it like it is, and they do so with humor and straight talk."
—Lynne Cook, Professor, School of Education
California State University, Dominguez Hills
"As a kid who struggled in school, this is the book that I wish every one of my teachers had read. It is a stunning achievement and huge step forward to making all schools inclusive of all learners!"
—Johnathan Mooney, Author, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal
Collaboration 101 for teachers, parents, and school communities
Teachers in both general and special education classrooms are being asked to collaborate to give all students access to the general education curriculum. The challenge is that teachers receive very little training in how to work together to educate students successfully. Do you wonder how to get started, how much time it will take, and what the results will be? Collaborate, Communicate, and Differentiate! addresses those issues and more, taking collaboration out of the abstract and supplying easy-to-use strategies that apply to daily tasks such as
- Planning and differentiating instruction
- Communicating with families
- Using Universal Design for Learning to form instruction
- Assessing students with diverse backgrounds and abilities
- Co-teaching
- Coordinating with all staff members
This reader-friendly text ties each strategy to the goal of improving student outcomes. Included are vignettes, In a Nutshell and Eye on the Research quick-reference guides, reproducible forms, Principal Points to share with administrators, and a companion website. Educators who have wondered how to make collaboration reasonable, feasible, and time-efficient will find the answers in this book!
Key features
This friendly book includes recurring features in each chapter, including:
- "Voice from the Field" so that readers right away can connect with the chapter content
- "The Big Picture" so readers know what to expect in that chapter
- "In Practice" vignettes showing collaboration with a focus on its impact on student learning
- Numerous reproducibles, handouts, and forms that teachers can copy and use immediately
- "Diving Deeper:" An annotated bibliography/references of current literature on collaboration, differentiation, universal design, etc so that those interested in studying further can go to primary sources
- Numerous side bars with additional information, such as:
- New concepts highlighted and defined throughout each chapter for easy reference ("Key Terms" & "Key Concepts")
- "Frame of Reference" graphics to identify for readers areas in which differing frames of reference may cause conflict or difficulty with collaboration
- Pull-out boxes indicating how to find additional information ("Want more info?")
- Pull-out boxes providing additional information on specific areas/disabilities ("Learn More")
- Sections designed to be shared with administrators and their role in inspiring and supporting collaboration (called "Principal Points")