Interactions: Collaboration Skills for School Professionals

by Marilyn Friend, Lynne Cook

A guide to effectively working together in today's schools to provide a quality education for all students.

Collaboration is the foundation on which successful contemporary public schools are based, as well as the most effective means to provide services to students with disabilities and other special needs. Interactions presents this idea with an ideal blend of theory and practical applications. Following an overview of collaboration in schools and across society, the authors introduce essential communication skills that form the foundation for successful collaboration; show a focus on problem solving and its common collaborative applications; and look at such critical topics as teaming, the key principles of co-teaching, consulting, coaching, mentoring, and conflict and resistance. Every chapter features numerous opportunities to learn new material, reinforce what's been learned, and think critically about topics. The 9th Edition reflects the continued changes in the priorities for education based on federal mandates as well as practitioner trends, and it is grounded in the real-life experiences of school professionals. It has been thoroughly revised and updated, featuring new information on working with diverse families and paraeducators, plus over 400 new references.

This title is also available digitally as a standalone Pearson eText.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Teaching

400 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2020

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for my MA class on Collaboration. This is an out of date version of the textbook, but I feel the majority of the information is still relevant and useful. However, this edition felt unorganized with topics lumped together that made no coherent sense to be put together; I'm hoping in revised editions this organization was revamped for a smoother collection. The strategies discussed were interesting and broke down what should be simple interactions into easier to understand and use steps. It was a useful and easy to read text.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the required text for my masters-level class on collaboration in schools. The book I read was the 7th edition from 2013 which includes a new section on interviewing.

I found this book to be very readable. The authors, Friend and Cook, also are experts in the field of collaboration in education and co-teaching. I had to read many scholarly journal articles about collaboration during this class and most of them cited an edition of this book.

This book is useful for administrators, teachers and related services personnel. It covers aspects of interpersonal communication, interviewing, co-teaching, working as a team and conflict resolution.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read selected chapters of this book in the fall of 2008, in an undergrad course on collaboration.

I am now re-reading this book for a graduate level collaboration course. My classmates are reading the 6th edition of the text but I didn't see the value in buying two editions of the same book.

June 2012 Update: I really just skimmed again, the information is more-or-less common sense, so unless you need to read this for a course requirement, I would not recommend it.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good reference book for educators who collaborate frequently, which is to say, all of us. It clearly discusses the elements of an effective collaborative team, and the stages of team development to help optimize your team's performance and effectiveness. A somewhat dry read at times, but it has helped me in my work already, even as an underling in my teams.

[Erin Fowler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not my cup of tea. If you struggle with work relationships and collaborating with one another you may want to check it out. I did not find it helpful rather than a few tips here and there but not worth reading the whole thing.

[Amanda Mastran · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very expensive read and probably not one you'll want to read straight through, but an excellent resource for anyone who works in education.