Collaborative Consultation in the Schools, Essay Example

There are several bases of power, each of which can be used differently to enhance the consultation process. While egalitarianism should be stressed during a collaborative relationship, a power balance is often difficult to achieve and different strategies would be appropriate to different situations. One of these bases is referred to as referent power, in which confrontation is indirect and the consultant attempts to see ideas from their partners point of view. A second base is expert power, in which the consultant exhibits complete knowledge of a topic and attempts to pass this information to a second individual so that he or she can make it their own. A third base is informational power, in which the consultant provides valuable information about a topic that has been thoroughly researched and demonstrates how it can be useful.

Ultimately, it is essential to use a combination of all three of these bases of power in order to ensure that the consultation process can be enhanced. An educator is expected to view the subject material from the point of view of their student to determine where gaps in understanding exist and how to best fill these gaps, which is employing referent power. Next, he or she must fill in these gaps using expert power, which is simply having a thorough understanding of the topic and knowing how to explain the material in a manner that is comprehendible. Lastly, informational power can be used to support the educator’s understanding of the topic and make them appear to be a well-informed and reliable source. This will also allow the student to understand how this information can practically be used, which reinforces the information learned.

References

Kampwirth TJ, Powers TM. (2011). Collaborative Consultation in the Schools: Effective Practices for Students with Learning and Behavior Problems (4th Edition). NY, NY: Pearson.