Phyllis Sale 2nd grade teacher, Cumberland Jim Field 2nd grade special needs teacher, Cumberland Phyllis Sale and Jim Field are a team in a collaborative classroom at the Ashton Elementary School in Cumberland, Rhode Island. There are nineteen first-graders in their classroom, six of whom have individualized education plans stipulating self-contained placement.

Yet, even the skilled observer would have difficulty identifying the children receiving special services. This is because the Sale-Field team is committed to maintaining a classroom that is built on the principle of equality, among students as well as staff. Each member of the team shares in the creative task of educating children by integrating academics and social emotional learning.

Research reveals that a safe and enjoyable environment promotes academic achievement, and the collaborative classroom provides a sense of safety, belonging, and contribution throughout the year. Frequent rotation of study groups is one way the Sale-Field team encourage adaptability, the development of community, and the appreciation of different learning styles. Mrs. Sales says, “The students figure out early that this is a nice place to be and they are able to relax and be themselves.”

Classroom meetings are held at least bi-weekly for 30-40 minutes with shorter meetings scheduled if problems arise. A non-threatening environment is fostered with the instruction that no names be used in the discussions. Some of the lead questions at the classroom meetings are “What does it mean to be a good friend?” and “What does a good friend do?” There is also a class meeting about how we are all not the same.

“The students figure out early that this is a nice place to be and they are able to relax and be themselves.”

The team’s flexibility and creativity extend into the way academics are approached. They encourage investigational thinking and teach various approaches to the same answer. With attention placed on the process by which a problem is solved, children discover their own learning styles and that their classmates can produce correct responses using entirely different styles.

Such a successful collaboration is possible, because of the extra time set aside for planning. The school principal agreed that the educators in the Sale-Field classroom could meet for a half hour of planning before school started and offered compensatory time for the instructional assistant. Now, every other week, the team meets to assess and make necessary modifications to their classroom strategies.

“Research reveals that a safe and enjoyable enviroment promotes
academic achievement, and the collaborative classroom provides a sense of safety, belonging, and contribution throughout the year.”