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Interview

Shantelle Perez
August 14, 2015
EDU 724 Collaboration
University of New England
Interview
Kaui Robello, Paraprofessional

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Ms. Robello has been a paraprofessional or skills trainer for a student with a
diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for three years. Her role is to support this student
in the general education class, collect data on tantrum behaviors, redirect negative
behaviors, reinforce positive behaviors, and if necessary remove the student from the
academic setting. Ms. Robello constantly collaborates with the general education and
special education teachers. In a school day, she meets with the special education teacher
to discuss the students behavior, and works with the general education teacher to help the
student complete classroom task. Ms. Robello became the interviewee due to her positive
relationships with students and other professionals in the building.
During the interviewing process, Ms. Robello was asked an array of questions in
order to provide an in-depth prospective on collaboration. When discussing the positive
aspects of collaboration, she concluded that collaboration provides opportunities for
creative input and shared responsibilities. As a result of continuous meetings and
communications with the general and special education teachers, she has learned new
ways to work with high needs students and with other professionals. On the other hand,
the negative aspects of working closely with other professionals consisted of many
differences of opinions, techniques, and strategies. When the professionals have
disagreements, it takes away from valuable planning time.
Ms. Robello mentioned multiple successful examples of collaboration. She
explained how this strengthened her ability to work with students, and made her aware of
student needs from other perspectives. In her opinion, an example of successful
collaboration is when she learns something that will directly affect her instructional
techniques. She specifically discussed examples of meetings with other professionals that

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resulted in a positive impact on her student. In one collaborative situation, the student
was constantly out of his seat during instruction, after meeting with the occupational
therapist she learned strategies to avoid this behavior. The occupational therapist
suggested an exercise ball as an alternative seat, and multiple exercises that they could do
before the start of a lesson. Since she is not trained in the area of occupational therapy,
this was something that she didnt think of on her own. This proved to be a positive
outcome that directly changed her instructional techniques to aide in a students
improvement.
Additionally, Ms. Robello gave multiple examples of less desirable
communication between herself and other professionals. She discussed the fact that some
people are harder to communicate with and can seem rude and condescending. In her
position, she has to implement ideas from the special and general education teachers, the
principal, and district specialist without much input on her part. In the past, she had to
implement a token economy for a student with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
that she didnt agree with. However, she didnt feel comfortable speaking up when the
district Autism specialist recommended it. After implementing this token economy for a
year, the other professionals agreed that this wasnt the best plan for this student. Overall,
her ideas are listened to, but are not always taken into consideration to improve her
interaction with the student.
In Ms. Robellos case, her position is very unique. She works solely with one
student daily as a one-on-one support. She has the strongest relationship with the student,
but the least say in the instructional methods. When asked how does collaboration impact
her instructional method, she replied, It makes me aware of ineffective strategies, which

Interview
lets me alter and improve my instructional techniques, and prioritize goals for my
student. Throughout the interview, Ms. Robello displayed a positive attitude toward

collaboration. She understood the importance of input from multiple sources, and tries to
improve her communication skills through each meeting.

Reflection
After interviewing Ms. Robello, it is easy to see that successful collaboration
comes from a positive attitude and a willingness to work together. According to Friend
2014, co-teaching depends on shared goals for students, and sharing responsibility for
key decisions and outcomes. Through successful positive professional communication
these important aspects of co-teaching are met. It is easy to make decisions based on your
professional knowledge. However, the best decisions regarding students come from
multiple sources. When analyzing the interview of a paraprofessionals point-of-view, it
puts into perspective what each member of a team brings to a meeting. In most settings,
the paraprofessional isnt apart of the IEP or formal meeting process. They collaborate
with the teachers before and after the meeting to provide or gain insight about new
services. This doesnt seem like best practice. Paraprofessionals work very closely with
students and can provide an alternative view of their everyday interactions with the
student. Which will allow the team to make student based decisions.
When considering Ms. Robellos job title, it is evident that she is a person that
should be a key member for collaboration. She provides data and observations that help
the special education teacher in progress monitoring and developing new goals and
objectives. Additionally, she provides support to all students in the general education

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setting when her student doesnt need her assistance. These aspects of her
professionalism make her a great person to collaborate with.

Interview
Reference
Friend, Marilyn. (2014) Co-Teach! Building and Sustaining Effective Classroom

Partnerships in Inclusive Schools (2nd ed.). Greensboro, NC, Marilyn Friend, Inc.