The special educator's guide to collaboration

"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... 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." - BOOK JACKET

Why can't we just be friends?
Background: making the case for collaboration
Ingredients for successful collaboration: intrapersonal and interpersonal characteristics
Evaluating your situation honestly: appraising your school as a context for collaboration
Developing an effective collaboration strategy: half empty or half full?
Designing a plan for change starting with you
What now? What works and what doesn't when collaborating
Evaluating the success of your plan: how can you tell?
Self-encouragement: keeping yourself going
Summing up the outcomes: what have you accomplished?
Generalizing your plan to others: improved collaboration with parents and family members of your students
Generalizing your plan to others: improved collaboration with members of your interdisciplinary team