Consider how you would describe your working relationships with the adults you have included in your chart. Think about how you initiate and sustain contact with other professionals in a manner likely to promote trust and confidence in the relationship and the setting. Give at least one example of how you share information and skills with other professionals. Write down two examples of how you work cooperatively with these other professionals. Suggest two ways in which you could improve your working relationships with other professionals.
A team is ‘a group of people cooperating with each other to work towards achieving an agreed set of aims, objectives or goals while simultaneously considering the personal needs and interests of individuals … the pursuit of a common philosophy, ideals and values; commitment to working through the issues; shared responsibility; open and honest communication and access to a support system. (Rodd, 1994, p.88)
What do you understand by the word ‘team’? Do you have a ‘common goal’, an articulated ‘vision’, a written ‘mission statement’ or aims and objectives in your setting? What are they? Are they written down? How did they come about? Were you involved? What do they mean to you? What understandings, values, attitudes and beliefs relating to how children learn and develop, written or unwritten, do you share with those you work with?
Write a short ‘self analysis’ to illustrate which of the core values you believe in or disagree with and why. Provide one example from your practice that reflects the influence of each of these core values. Talk to a colleague and note down which of your core values are shared. Consider whether there are any other core values to add to the list in relation to working with others.
A person-centred way of being in an educational situation is something one grows into. It is a set of values … placing emphasis on the dignity of the individual, the importance of personal choice, the significance of responsibility, the joy of creativity. It is a philosophy, built on a foundation of the democratic way, empowering each individual. (Rogers, 1983, p.95)
Collaboration | Support | Manager | Educator | Learner | Listener |
Each team member is actively involved and actively listening: sharing information; altering activities to achieve a common purpose; making formal links. Team members are empowered. | Mutual support within team by members. Common links. Shared identity. | Management of team – control hierarchy. Control is maintained by individual team members within areas or across the team – manage conflict. | Educating team members to participate. ‘Teaching’ of a specific aspect of team participation – instruction takes place within the team. | Passively participating by learning within the team. Some team members are passive – there to learn and gather information, not to contribute. | Passively listening to other team members – isolation from or within team. Team members are dis-empowered. |
How does the practice in each case study fit on the framework for communicating with other professionals shown in Table 1 ? Explain why you think it fits into particular categories of the framework.Explain how the professionals in each case study collaborate together. What does this tell you about the importance they place on sharing information and skills? Why do you think they believe the sharing of information and skills to be important?
Example of key issue or area of practice | Strengths | Area for development | How it could be improved and why | Values/views of good practice |
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I would ensure that I work collaboratively with any other professionals I come into contact with, such as the SENCO, Ofsted inspector, health visitor, speech therapist and class teacher. We would have a sharing of information, verbally and on paper, and I would ensure that they had ‘open access’ to arrange meetings with me (at times when the children were able to be supervised by another adult). My record keeping would also be a way of showing how I could become the child's key worker while they were in my setting. I would keep a log of all the documentation for the child, which would be important for their transition to another setting, or if the child has any social, emotional or educational difficulties. I would also make sure that I have policy documents to show other professionals and parents, on areas such as parent partnership. These documents would reflect practice in my setting.