Griffin,+Kilgore,+Otis-Wilborn,+Winn,+2008

Susan Howard EDU 713 May 31, 2011
 * JOURNAL REVIEW **

Reference:

Griffin, Cynthia, Karen L. Kilgore, Amy Otis-Wilborn & Judith A. Winn (2008). First-

Year Special Educators’ Relationships with Their General Education

Colleagues. //Teacher Education Quarterly, 35,// 141-157.

Introduction Collaboration between special and general education teachers is becoming an essential part of every healthy school. This article discusses the research concerning first year special education teachers and their interactions with teachers in the regular classroom. There are many stresses and challenges that affect a first year special educator. Some look on their first years with enthusiasm, while others find the first year painful. What factors contribute to a positive or negative first year? Due to amendments in IDEA-2004 and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, children with special needs are increasingly entering the regular classroom, and teachers with different roles and responsibilities have to collaborate. The research in this article attempts to answer the following questions, “What problems and accomplishments identified by first year special education teachers are associated with their relationships and interactions with their general education colleagues?” and “What do novice teachers tell us about their relationships and interactions with their general education colleagues that help us understand these associations?” (Griffin, Kilgore, Otis-Wilborn & Winn, 2008).

Project The research discussed in this article was a three-year study that focused on problems and accomplishments of first year special educators. The first two years consisted of collecting qualitative data from graduates of the University of Florida (UF) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), all of whom received degrees in special education. In the third year, a survey was sent to all first year special educators teaching in Florida and Wisconsin. Method: The qualitative data collected involved thirty-six first year special education teachers from UF or UWM. The work environments of the selected teachers varied from segregated settings to inclusive education. Thirty-six individual interviews were conducted, along with thirty-six observations in the classrooms. These teachers were asked to reveal what they thought were their top accomplishments and top problems throughout their first year. This information was used in correlation with the quantitative data collected, in that it showed individual perceptions of first year special education teachers. The quantitative data collected included a survey sent out to every first year special education teacher in Florida and Wisconsin. Five hundred ninety-six participated. They were asked to rank accomplishments in order of most successful, and problems in order of most difficult. The teachers were also asked to rank their relationships with the general education teachers as very supportive, somewhat supportive, somewhat unsupportive or very unsupportive. An inquiry was also made concerning the frequency of collaboration with general education colleagues: once a day, once a week, once a month or never. Results After receiving the surveys, the researchers focused on two accomplishments that were statistically significant: //student learning// and //communication/collaboration//. First year special educators who ranked these as top accomplishments, characterized their relationships with general education teachers as more positive. For example, sixty-eight percent of first year special educators who ranked student learning as a top accomplishment also stated that their experiences with general education teachers were very supportive. For those that stated student learning was not a top accomplishment, only thirty-two percent said their relationships with general education colleagues were very supportive. These trends also existed for communication/collaboration. Those special education teachers who stated this as a top accomplishment, also said they found their general education colleagues very supportive.

Discussion

First year special educators who chose student learning as top accomplishments also felt that their schools were very supportive in regards to relationships with general educators. The findings of this research project show that school climate is a critical issue for many novice teachers. Schools with little support among colleagues can cause a first year special education teacher to feel overwhelmed and isolated. Schools that stress a “Culture of Collaboration” (Griffin, et al. 2008) give first year teachers a support system which in turn fosters growth and high standards.

Implications/recommendations: Providing beginning teachers the opportunities to learn collaboration skills is key. First year teachers and their general education counterparts must be taught how to collaborate. Mentors and mentees should work closely together. As Griffin, et al. (2008) state:

“Findings from this study suggest that supportive relationships with general education teachers are important to the professional lives of novice special educators.” (p. 154)

Thoughts Strengths: This article was very informative. Being new to the special education field, I am interested in knowing the challenges that special education teachers face. What works? What makes a first year of teaching a positive experience? According to the article, many teachers have described their first years as either “easy” or “painful”. The authors clearly stated that having effective collaboration among colleagues can make a big difference in how a teacher views the first year. After reading, I had a good understanding of why this research is important. With changes to IDEA-2004 and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, inclusion of special needs children into general education classrooms is happening more and more. Special education teachers are expected to co-teach with general educators, causing more responsibilities for both. Collaboration is essential for the growth and progress of students. How the information was collected made sense to me. The research was divided into two parts, quantitative and qualitative. The surveys from five hundred ninety-six first year special education teachers were studied along with the thirty-six teacher interviews. Not only did the data show a link between collaboration and successful teaching, but I was able to read first hand accounts from actual first year special education teachers. They explained their experiences, both positive and negative, which made the statistical data more real.

Limits: I would have liked to have also heard the opinion of the general education teachers concerning communication/collaboration issues. Of the thirty-six interviews, only the special education teachers’ views were presented. Did the general education teachers feel the same way? If a first year teacher expressed isolation, were other colleagues aware of this? It would have been interesting to know if the general education teachers found the novice teachers “approachable”. What were their perspectives and frames of reference? I found the statistical data somewhat confusing. Although I understood the overall implications, reading the charts and making sense of the information was challenging. Connections to course material According to Friend and Cook (2010), collaboration between special education and general education teachers can be challenging, but is extremely important:

locations where students learn—they also are adult workplaces where the context and conditions can have a significant impact on outcomes.” (p.166) More professionals are becoming cognizant of the fact that they can only achieve the goals they set for their students by working together. As stated in the research, a special education teacher is more effective when given support by general education colleagues.

References:

Cook, Lynne and Marilyn Friend (2010). Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.