Standard 8 - Collaborative Relationships – The competent teacher builds and maintains collaborative relationships to foster cognitive, linguistic, physical, and social and emotional development. This teacher works as a team member with professional colleagues, students, parents or guardians, and community members.
Artifact ASPED 330 Communication and Collaboration in Special Education
Communication Plan - A generated plan for communicating effectively with parents and paraprofessionals.
Rationale, Standard Connection, Self-Evaluation
In the Fall of 2019, in the course ASPED 330 Communication and Collaboration in Special Education it was a requirement to develop a communication plan. This communication plan was created to outline collaboration and successful communication with parents and paraprofessionals. A few things I explain in my paper include, the importance of effective communication between a teacher and paraprofessionals, various ways a teacher can offer parent involvement in the classroom and my plan to implement expectations. Parent involvement can be vital in making the difference in a student’s education along with paraprofessionals keeping the confidentiality of the students.
This artifact shows my competence in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards knowledge indicator 8B which states, the competent teacher "understands the collaborative process and the skills necessary to initiate and carry out that process". This is shown through the plan I developed which acknowledges that furthering collaboration and providing school and home resources to parents will benefit the students. My artifact also shows my competence to meet the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards performance indicator 8J that states, the competent teacher “works with all school personnel (e.g., support staff, teachers, paraprofessionals) to develop learning climates for the school that encourage unity, support a sense of shared purpose, show trust in one another, and value individuals”. I truly believe paraprofessionals are the backbone to a classroom. I highlight this in my paper and touch on the importance of breaking through the communication barriers to reveal a respectable healthy collaborative relationship between teacher and paraprofessional.
Creating this communication plan enabled me to identify the important details of a well-constructed classroom, effective communication and collaboration as well as parents' involvement. I have had lots of time to think about how I would run a classroom with paraprofessionals and involve parents; with this said, I am confident that I will keep my students at the front of my mind, collaborate with an open mind, always reach out to parents who know their child best and consistently focus on the stepping stone to success for my students.
Artifact ASPED 420 Critical Issues in Special Education
Family Interview -This is an interview I conducted with a family who has a child with Down Syndrome.
Rationale, Standard Connection, Self-Evaluation
In ASPED 420, Critical Issues in Special Education taken in Fall of 2019, I interviewed a family who has a child with Down Syndrome. During this interview I asked questions that pretained to how they felt when they found out their child had a disability, how life changed after the diagnosis, the challenges and the parent's suggestions for improving special education services. Being one who comes from a family who has a child with Down Syndrome, it was educational and informative to hear the personal experiences of another family. Children who are born with Down Syndrome are vastly different but all sassy, fun and loveable.
This artifact shows my competence in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards performance indicator 8H which states, the competent teacher “understands concerns of families of students with disabilities and knows appropriate strategies to collaborate with students and their families in addressing these concerns”. The family has built wonderful relationships with the community around them which allowed them to become better educated about the world of Down Syndrome. During this interview I developed an appreciation for families who have one or more children with a disability. I learned of the challenges of the family, the concerns they had with extended family and the adaptations that had to make for their son.
This interview was a delightful experience. I look forward to helping student's reach their highest potential while including the parents in the students educational goals and life milestones. I learned how different one family life can be compared to another even if the families have similarities in family members disabilities.