EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR CO-TEACHERS IN INCLUSION CLASSROOMS

1. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR CO-TEACHERSIN INCLUSION CLASSROOMS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

2. Overview of Presentation • The first section of our presentation will focus on three areas: • Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • Co-Teaching Communication Conflicts • Personality Styles that Create Conflict Between Co-Teachers

3. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • It is obvious to say that if you have poor interpersonal communications skills (which includes active listening), your ability to co-teach will suffer • Lines of communications must be open between people who rely on one another to get work done.

4. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • Considering this, co-teachers must be able to both give and receivefeedback if they are to perform to expectations, avoid conflicts and misunderstandings, and ultimately succeed in and outside of the classroom 

5. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • Knowing your own preferred way to receive feedback from your colleagues is a significant first step in determining how you and your co-teacher will give each other feedback about your activities in a shared classroom

6. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • To collaborate successfully with other teachers and administrators in the co-teaching process, you will need to be adept at giving effective feedback. • You will also want to learn to solicit and accept feedback from others as a means of securing valuable information about your own communication behaviors and about your collaborative relationships

7. Characteristics of Effective Interpersonal Feedback in Inclusion Classrooms • Feedback has a clear set of characteristics. It should be: Descriptive Specific Directed toward changeable behaviors and situations Well-timed Direct Solicited Concise • Any feedback statement includes ALL of these characteristics

8. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, be Descriptive Rather than Evaluative or Advisory • An individual is more likely to listen when someone simply describes what has been observed • Descriptive information is nonthreatening and nonjudgmental

9. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, be Descriptive Rather than Evaluative or Advisory • Say: “I noticed that you raised your voice” or “I noticed that when Billy approached you, you immediately told him to sit down and didn’t listen to what he was going to tell you” • Rather than: • You talk too loud all the time…or • “You shouldn’t yell”….or • “Have you tried keeping a calm voice?”…or • “You didn’t do that very well” • “Your system makes no sense” • These comments are likely to cause the person to feel defensive and criticized rather than willing to make a change

10. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Specific Rather than General • “You sounded angry” communicates much less than • “I noticed that every time you spoke you frowned and raised your voice”

11. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Directed Toward Behavior or a Situation that He/She Can Change • In order for feedback to be useful, it needs to be directed at something that the receiver can control or do something about • Feedback directed toward an attribute or situation the receiver cannot control is generally pointless and likely to interfere with effective communication

12. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Directed Toward Behavior or a Situation that He/She Can Change • Physical traits such as height, sex, age, or sex and situational aspects such as the size of the room or the administrator’s leadership style are not behaviors that an individual can change

13. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Well-Timed • Corrective feedback is most beneficial to learners when it is given immediately following the relevant event or behavior • You should always ask yourself “Is now the best time to give my co-teacher feedback?” • If your co-teacher is extremely busy or rushed, the feedback may be an irritating intrusion

14. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Well-Timed • Or if some event has left your colleague upset and confused, immediate feedback may be seen as unduly demanding or even critical • It’s recommended that you provide feedback as soon as is “appropriate”, not only so that it is recent but also so that it demonstrates your sensitivity to your co-teacher’s receptiveness

15. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Well-Timed • Some prefer to hear their co-teacher’s reaction to a co-taught lesson immediately upon its completion • Others are more receptive if they have a break for an hour or as much as a day before “debriefing” with their partners • As important as “how” teachers give each other feedback is “when” they do so

16. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Direct Rather than Indirect • Feedback is most effective when it is given directly to the person who can use it by the person who has made some observation • For example, instead of asking the principal to tell your co-teacher about ineffective teaching behavior, generally you should tell him or her personally

17. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Direct Rather than Indirect • Note writing can also be misinterpreted and can decrease the effectiveness of feedback • This is because the giver cannot check the feedback for accuracy and the receiver cannot adequately clarify it

18. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, Ideally, the Feedback Should be Solicited • Feedback, like advice and explanations, is most effective when someone has requested it • Unsolicited feedback may make the receiver feel defensive and assume a “Who asked you” attitude • When you work with your colleague, you should not assume that your colleague actually wants feedback. • You and your co-teacher need to discuss this issue on when feedback should be given

19. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Concise • Concise feedback is easier to understand than feedback that contains extraneous detail or information

20. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Concise • “In terms of your language, I mean the words you uses, you used complex and technical words that I didn’t understand. The vocabulary you used was too specialized for me to understand. I didn’t know what all your vocabulary meant so I didn’t understand your main points. Everything has to be explained well or I get really disturbed and close out everything you say.”

21. When Giving Feedback to Your Co-Teacher, the Feedback Should be Concise • “When you used technical terms I got lost. It would help me out a lot if you would define your terms and make your point again.”

22. Questions to Ask Before You Give Feedback to Your Co-Teacher • In general, when giving feedback to your co-teacher, ask yourself these questions: Will this person understand me? Will this person be able to accept my feedback? Will this person be able to use the information? What is the best way to give my co-teacher feedback? What is the best way to ensure that both positive and negative issues are raised? • Remember: Feedback should include not only highlighting those aspects of instruction that are especially successful and satisfying, but also planning alternatives to less successful and satisfying aspects

23. Co-Teaching Communication Conflicts • The following have been reported in the research as the most often cited problems regarding feedback and communication between co-teachers: Philosophy and Beliefs Parity Signals Classroom Routines Discipline Noise Pet Peeves

24. Communication About Philosophy and Beliefs • Understanding each other’s general instructional beliefs, especially those that affect decisions about instruction, is essential to a strong co-teaching relationship • Question to ask: How do our instructional beliefs affect our instructional practice?

25. Communication About Parity Signals • The nature of co-teaching relationship requires that co-teachers have parity and recognize it • Questions to ask: • How will we convey to students that we are equals in the classroom • How can we ensure a sense of parity during instruction

26. Examples of Parity Signals • Both teachers names on the board or in the printed course schedule • Both teachers’ signatures on correspondence to parents • Includes participation in teaching, grading assignments, and assigning report card grades • Remember-Co-teaching is about partnership

27. Communication About Classroom Routines • Experienced teachers all have preferred classroom routines • These include organizational routines and instructional routines • Teachers are rarely aware of how many routines they have • Remember-It’s not so important as to whose routines get adopted but the co-teachers, but it is important that both teachers know what the routines will be so that they can consistently communicate them to students

28. Communication About Classroom routines • Questions to ask: • What are the instructional routines for the classroom? • What are the organizational routines for the classroom?

29. Communication About Discipline • What each teacher believes is acceptable behavior and what each views as appropriate responses to unacceptable student behavior should be discussed and “negotiated” • Questions to ask: • What is considered acceptable and unacceptable student behavior? • Who is to intervene at what point in students’ behavior? • What are the rewards and consequences used in the classroom?

30. Communication About Noise • Teachers differ significantly in their tolerance for noise as they do in preferences for discipline strategies or classroom routines • Noise includes teacher talk as well as student generated noise • Question to ask: What noise level are we comfortable with in the classroom?

31. Communication About Pet Peeves • All teachers have a few issues that are especially important to them, or more likely, that bother them a great deal • Pet peeves are specific triggers that could put relationships in jeopardy • For some, it could be interruption during instruction, while for others it may be the removal of supplies from their desks or failure to put materials away

32. Communication About Pet Peeves • Some co-teachers do not permit students to return to their lockers after they have come to class • Some are very particular in how grades are recorded in the grade book • Pet peeves can be about student issues, classroom arrangements or materials, or adult issues

33. Communication About Pet Peeves • Questions to ask: • What aspect of teaching and classroom life does each of us feel strongly about • How can we identify our pet peeves so as to avoid them?

34. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Blocking • Being negative and stubbornly resistantDisagreeing and opposing without or beyond "reason"Attempting to maintain or bring back an issue, direction, or task after it has been rejected or bypassed

35. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Attacking: • Deflating the status of othersExpressing disapproval of the values, acts, or feelings of othersAttacking the team, the leader or the problem being worked onJoking aggressivelyTrying to take credit for another's contribution

36. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Being Playful: • Displaying lack of involvement in the team's efforts by cynicism, nonchalance, horseplay

37. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Seeking Recognition: • Boasting, reporting on personal achievementsActing in unusual waysStruggling to prevent being placed in an "inferior" position

38. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Deserting: • Withdrawing in some wayBeing indifferent, silent, aloof, excessively formal, day dreamingDeliberately doing tasks that are unrelated to team's functions and goals (i.e., grading papers, knitting)

39. Personality Styles that Create Conflict between Co-Teachers • Dominating: • Asserting power or superiority to manipulate the team or certain members of the team by flattery • Asserting a superior status or right to attention • Giving directions autocraticallyInterrupting the contributions of others