The Role Hat as Medium

Clarification Processes in the Context of Mul-tiprofessional Cooperations as Topic of Teacher and Social Worker Education and Training at the University

Abstract

Multiprofessional cooperation between general and special education teachers and with other specialists, including school social work, school psychology and school support services, is considered a key factor in the development of inclusive schools. Accordingly, cooperation is being given greater attention in university training for professions that will cooperate with each other in schools in the future, as well as in onsite trainings for teachers and multiprofessional teams. At the same time, it can be observed that in inclusive schools, previously supposedly clear responsibilities, especially between special educators and social workers, need to be rebalanced. In the development of multiprofessional teams, the clarification of roles and tasks is considered a particular challenge when different professions with different institutional ties and pedagogical goal perspectives or basic attitudes cooperate with each other. The presented instrument – the role hat – serves to initiate an individual reflection on one’s own tasks in multiprofessional groups and to discuss mutual expectations and roles on this basis. The instrument was conceived in the context of onsite trainings of multiprofessional teams at schools and was also tested in the context of university teacher training.