Collaborative Teaming

by Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​April 7, 2024
Working collaboratively with teams will not only help you model strategies to team members, you can also learn strategies and techniques as well as activities from them. If you are an itinerant teacher, you may find yourself working with several different teams. You can share strategies other teams have found to be beneficial for students in similar programs. 

Role Enrichment

  • Through collaborative teaming you can develop an awareness of the terminology and practice of other disciplines.
  • You can learn and provide information about student’s visual needs to provide to team members.
  • You can learn about other professional areas to better support your students.
  • You can listen & learn as other team members share information about the student that you may not be aware of that can support your instruction.

Physical Therapists

  • Learn about the most comfortable positioning for the student. This will help you identify the best position for visually attending.
  • Learn about the different positions the student will be in throughout the day to ensure there are activities the student can participate in, in each of these positions.
  • Learn strategies to help the student maintain position and tolerate physical therapy.
  • Collaborate and brainstorm activities for each position and location.
  • Collaborate to alternate daily activities with consideration of positions, movement, and visual demands.

Occupational Therapists

  • Collaborate on ways to meet the students' sensory needs.
  • Collaborate strategies & materials for mealtime participation or independence.
  • Collaborate strategies for activities of daily living.
  • Collaborate strategies & adaptations for fine motor tasks.

Speech & Language Pathologists

  • Collaborate on a communication board to meet the student's visual needs.
  • Collaborate on calendar boxes & schedule systems.
  • Colaborate on choice boards.
  • Collaborate on partner assisted scanning.
  • Collaborate on communication devices to meet communication and vision needs. 
  • Collaborate use of switches for access.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
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