Common concerns and unsuccessful situations may be discussed and analyzed so that solutions can be found.
Principals should be responsible for providing a means for teachers to share with each other. In some schools this was done informally at regularly scheduled pot-luck breakfasts or lunches, and formally at staff meetings. In fact, one principal typed all school announcements in a flyer and the teachers were responsible for reading these before a staff meeting. Questions about the announcements were answered at the staff meeting but reading them in advance gave the staff more time to share integration experiences and to problem solve.
Establish School-Based Teams
One of the most beneficial aspects of integration is how it encourages and allows school staff to problem solve collaboratively. In the past, teachers were often left alone to solve problems that occurred in their classroom. With the onset of integration, however, opportunities were established for school staff to meet and develop a diversity of solutions to problems. These problem-solving sessions or team meetings provide teachers and school administrators with the opportunity to pick and choose solutions, and implement ones that best meet their own needs.
While school-based problem-solving teams (see Chapter 12) are a structured means for teachers and school administrators to share and problem solve, teachers also collaborate informally. One district found that sharing and problem-solving sessions did not have to be structured but occurred naturally at lunch and recess breaks or even outside of school.
Teacher assistant teams (Chalfant, Pysh and Moultrie, 1979) and other types of school-based planning teams (Thousand, Fox, Reid, Godek and Williams, 1986) were recommended many times as helpful models for teachers involved in integration. It was agreed that the team’s function varied depending on the needs of school and staff.
