consultation & communication

Running Head : COMMUNICATION AND CONSULTATION

Collaborative Consultation In Schools

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Introduction

Collaborative consultation is an intricate process that involves parties in an organizational setting allowing them an opportunity to willingly work very closely through the setting of joint goals and directions taking responsibility in ensuring the achievement of these goals determining each party 's role in the team and utilizing the skill knowledge and experience of each team member to achieve the set goals

In the school context the need for

collaborative consultation has been enhanced by the structural changes in the school system in many countries that favours the view that all children should receive education in regular schools despite their handicaps and not in special schools as has been the case in previous years . The fact that regular teachers have not been adequately trained to provide services to these broad needs has necessitated that they work closely with the support personnel in their schools and in the school districts to ensure that services delivery has not been compromised by the increased responsibility . As mentioned earlier , collaborative consultation is a complex process with several factors promoting the establishment and sustenance of collaborative links . These include frequent communication by way of meetings , phone contacts and mail , efficient leadership , a focus on the key objectives and a method of ensuring that the plan is strictly adhered to

On the other hand there are several factors that would impinge on the outcome of the process . These factors include lack of an appropriate internal structure within the given setting to support the process , lack of initial consensus by all the parties involved , lack of proper planning of time and other resources , communication barriers among others . This examines issues that pertain to school consultation process and identifies the problem areas as well as the role of consultants in the prevention and management of the problems arising

Part A

1 . Understanding Consultation relationships

Consultation is generally defined as the self induced and non-hierarchical relationship between two professionals that is initiated by either of them for the purpose of solving or managing work related problems

It is aimed at assisting the consultee to function more effectively in their designated positions (Schein , Edgar H (1999 . Educational consultation is triadic in nature and involves the consultant , consultee and the third parties who benefit indirectly from the relationship Educational consultation in recent years has been necessitated by the structural changes that are seeing the extinction of schools for students with special needs

Today teachers in regular schools are finding themselves with more responsibilities of providing services to students with a broader range of needs . This is done in the regular classroom setting . Children with special needs also are increasingly represented in general education classrooms . In the American educational system , Federal laws relating to children with disabilities , such as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142 , specify that all students who have disabilities are entitled to a free , appropriate public education...