Rosalyn Baker

SPED 854
M1: Personal Philosophy Statement
Collaboration in special education is essential to achieve positive outcomes.
Collaboration can be defined as the process of two or more people or organizations
working together to realize or achieve something successfully. Every word in that
statement is key. Collaboration is a process, meaning it is ongoing, a series of actions.
There has to be a constant communication regarding strengths, weakness and learning
regarding special education students. Without these ongoing conversations, a student
with disabilities has the possibilities of being lost in the general education setting. The
needs of a special education student can range from minimal to extensive support. Some
needs can be easily met in the general education setting with little assistance, whereas
others require much more support. Additionally, student needs change on a frequent
basis. This is why collaboration is so necessary.
At minimum, collaboration should involve a general education teacher that
teaches the student and a special educator that can support the students area of need. The
key players in effective collaboration are those individuals that can provide service to
assist with the deficit of the student. If the student has academic needs, the special
educator should be one that can assist with instruction and strategies. If the student has
physical needs, then a special educator that can provide services for improvement.
Collaboration should also include parents to the extent that they will be involved.
Naturally, the parent or guardian of the student should always be included in the

Rosalyn Baker
SPED 854
M1: Personal Philosophy Statement
collaboration process. Their input is valuable as to which direction the student should be
guided in. Parental concerns should always be acknowledged and considered in the
instructional program of a student with disabilities.
Successful collaboration must involve competent professionals with a mutual degree
of respect for each other and a willingness to accept each others thoughts and ideas. As
a special educator, I have had to collaborate with many general education teachers over
the years. Successful collaboration cannot be obtained if those factors are not present. In
my opinion, the willingness to accept ideas from another person point of view is
paramount in successful collaboration. The world of special education is so different
from general education, that it can be difficult to merge the two. It requires a completely
different mindset to include a student with disabilities to a nondisabled setting. It
requires a different thought process, especially during a first experience with a student
with disabilities. Therefore, quality communication, willingness to accept others
thoughts and ideas can aid in making the connection between the two worlds.
Successful collaboration can fall apart if time is not given any value. It is
essential that adequate time be allowed for stakeholders to have time to communicate
regarding the student. Without the time for collaboration, student needs can potentially
go unmet simply because there was not time to communicate. Additionally, in order for
collaboration to work, the parties involved must be able to speak in the same language.
Meaning, there must be understanding of what the other person is saying. In each of our
areas of expertise, there is a certain vocabulary that is used. In order for professionals to
speak to each other, they must understand each other. Once we understand each other,
collaborators must be willing to accept each others thought and ideas as previously

Rosalyn Baker
SPED 854
M1: Personal Philosophy Statement
stated. The unwillingness to receive and learn new concepts is also a potential barrier.
An educator that does not want to consider another persons point of view or provide his
or her own is not one that is likely to be a successful collaborator.