Achieving More Together – Multidisciplinary Collaboration in Inclusive Schools

Inclusion in schools is a shared task of cooperation and governance. The symposium therefore focused on collaboration among school staff and on options for action by stakeholders in educational governance. At the same time, it examined the institutional conditions that schools, school supervisory authorities, local governments, and school operators create for this collaboration.

Through expert presentations, practice-oriented workshops, and group discussion sessions, participants explored various levels of collaborative processes. Topics discussed included professional roles and responsibilities, different forms of collaboration, and enabling and hindering contextual factors. The goal was to develop a shared understanding of successful collaboration and to identify concrete starting points for reliable structures, clear points of contact, and coordinated decision-making processes within each participant’s area of responsibility.

The symposium was initiated by the Inclusion Advisory Service of the Cologne City School Authority in collaboration with the Regional Education Office within the Office for School Development and was supported by the Inclusion Fund. Eric Nising and the Research Methods Unit in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at the University of Cologne were responsible for the technical planning and implementation.

 

Materials from the Workshop

The PDFs and related links provided here document key content from the symposium and enable a more in-depth exploration of the topics covered. Here you will find scientific foundations, models for reflecting on cooperative processes, practical resources, video examples, and digital tools. The materials can be used for follow-up work, for discussions in multidisciplinary teams, as well as for professional development and further school development processes:

 

• Presentation on the symposium:
  The presentation outlines the agenda and key content of the symposium. It combines academic foundations and empirical findings with practical exercises, real-world examples, and discussion prompts on multiprofessional cooperation and its institutional framework.
  
  [PDF: PPP Symposium on Inclusion]
  
  

• Symposium Reader:
  The reader guides participants through the workshop phases of the symposium and compiles the necessary reflection questions, exercises, and worksheets. It helps participants reflect on roles and collaborative relationships, examine institutional conditions, and apply the findings to their own areas of responsibility.
  
  [PDF: Reader for the City of Cologne Symposium]
  
  

• Cooperation in Inclusive Schools – Practical Handbook:
  This practical handbook provides the scientific foundations for multiprofessional collaboration and for cooperation between schools and families. At the same time, it offers a detailed, modular professional development program with concrete guidance for work in school administration and grade-level teams, as well as for school development processes.
  
  [PDF: Lütje-Klose et al – 2024]
  
  

• BiFoKi Reader:
  The reader contains worksheets, reflection questions, and exercises from the Bielefeld professional development program on cooperation in inclusive schools. The materials support multi-professional teams in clarifying roles, team development, joint support and instructional planning, and collaboration with parents.
  
  [PDF: BiFoKi_Reader]
  
  [PDF: BiFoKi_Didactic_Comments]
  
  

• Seven Characteristics of a Good Inclusive School:
  This brochure from the Bertelsmann Foundation presents seven key characteristics of successful inclusive schools and illustrates them using examples from school practice. It serves as a guide for jointly assessing a school’s current level of development and identifying potential areas for action.
  
  [PDF: Bertelsmann – 2016]
  
  

• Differentiation Matrix:
  This practical guide explains the structure and application of a differentiation matrix for lesson planning in heterogeneous learning groups. It supports teachers and other educational professionals in adapting common learning content to different levels of access and difficulty and in organizing planning through a division of labor within the team.
  
  [PDF: Differentiation Matrix]
  
  

• Forms of Cooperation:
  The diagram distinguishes four forms of school-based cooperation: co-activity, exchange, division of labor, and co-construction. It helps teams assess their current collaboration and reflect on the degree of autonomy, trust, and shared goals required for each task.
  
  [PDF: Forms of Cooperation]
  
  

• Levels of Cooperative Processes:
  The diagram illustrates that successful cooperation emerges at several interconnected levels: the individual, interactional, substantive, institutional, and cultural-societal levels. It helps teams systematically examine conditions that foster or hinder cooperation and reflect on the responsibilities of various stakeholders with a view to the educational success of all students.
  
  [PDF: Levels of Cooperative Processes]

 

Related Links

• BiFoKi Supplementary Materials:
  Here you will find supplementary materials for the Bielefeld Professional Development Concept on Cooperation in Inclusive Schools (BiFoKi), including presentations, exercises, worksheets, and other resources. These materials support the independent implementation of professional development programs and the further development of multiprofessional collaboration as well as cooperation between schools and families.
  
  Film: IGS Am Wald:
  The film depicts a challenging situation within a multiprofessional grade-level team from various professional perspectives. It serves as a discussion starter to reflect on typical challenges of collaboration, mutual expectations, and differing perceptions within the team.
  
  

• Role-Playing Exercise for Clarifying Roles in Elementary Schools:
  This resource includes a film-based role-playing exercise and methodological and didactic guidance on clarifying roles in multiprofessional teams at inclusive full-day elementary schools. The material is similar in structure and content to the film *IGS Am Wald*, but is thematically tailored for elementary schools. It encourages participants to jointly analyze different professional perspectives, typical areas of tension, and possible courses of action.
  
  

• Cooperation Planner:
  The free Cooperation Planner is a digital tool for clarifying roles, tasks, and responsibilities within school teams. Team members first assess their responsibilities individually and then use the resulting report as a basis for joint discussions.
  
  

• Inclusive Education Meta-Project:
  This platform consolidates information on research projects, publications, and practical and professional development materials in the field of inclusive education. It offers subject matter experts, school administrators, and individuals in educational administration and policy an overview of current findings and proven support services.
  
  

• Differentiation Matrix:
  The differentiation matrix is a tool for planning and reflecting on instruction in heterogeneous learning groups. In addition to a blank template, numerous tried-and-true examples from various subjects and school types are available to support multi-professional teams in collaborative lesson planning.
  
  
• Role Hat:
  The Role Hat is a reflection method used to clarify tasks, role perceptions, and mutual expectations within multiprofessional teams. It can be used in professional development sessions and team-building processes to discuss the distribution of tasks and facilitate binding agreements.