By Donna Flanigan, Ridgeland Council District 122
I was afforded a wonderful opportunity by Local 943 to be able to attend the PSRP Conference in Las Vegas in April. There were many workshops available for participants to attend and I was able to attend six of them. One that I found particularly informative was Collaboration in the Classroom: Paraprofessional and Teacher Teams. The presenter was Leonard Edmonds, Assistant Director of the AFT PSRP Department. He is a former teacher assistant who went back to school to become a teacher. This workshop was very informative and gave me many important strategies to improve the working relationship in the classroom.
Mr. Edwards spoke eloquently about the importance of working together as a team. Taking the time each day or week to discuss goals and roles in the classroom is important. Communication and trust are priorities for a successful team.
The workshop focused on the five stages of team development. The focal point of this segment was to better understand the role of the teacher and the paraprofessional. The following section will give a brief overview of these stages.
The forming stage is the getting acquainted period. This is where roles and goals are established. Where strengths and weakness are explored and job expectations are determined.
Storming stage is where the “we can work it out” period begins. How conflicts are handled and reconciling differences are discussed during this stage.
Norming is the how “we” do what “we” do stage. Trust and respect are prevalent during this stage. Each member knows their roles, understands each other better and support each other.
During the performing stage, trust and appreciation are very apparent. The team becomes an effective unit where team pride shows through.
Finally, the adjournment stage. This is where the team reflects on the year and discusses what worked, what didn't and where to make improvements. This mainly occurs in June or when an assistant is being transferred to another position.
The workshop went into much more detail and had all participants adding their interpretation of how teams worked in their particular cases. The major discussion focused on knowing what the paraprofessional’s responsibilities are and what they aren't. Mr. Edwards included some forms that we may copy for our own use. These forms will certainly benefit any team of educators.
In closing, I would again like to thank the local for allowing me to attend the conference. I met several paraprofessionals from across the country that I will keep in touch with during the year. I feel that I took home a lot of good information. Learning the best way to make the educational team work is essential to a successful school year. I will work with the local to try to get a workshop similar to this offered in our area. This is a “must take” workshop! |
