importance of these dimensions, their preparedness on entering the program and their
achievement on exiting the program to work and learning in technology-enabled.
17.3 Interprofessional Practice
With the growing worldwide emphasis on inclusive education systems, student
populations within schools are becoming more and more diverse and can include
students with highly complex learning, behavior, health, and/or social needs.
Because of this complexity, it is not uncommon tofind a range of professionals; for
example teachers, psychologists, therapists, social workers, and specialist teachers,
all providing some aspect of support to a student and his or her teacher. However,
research shows that it is not enough for professionals to simply act independently
and in isolation from each other. Effectively meeting complex needs will typically
require a focus on interprofessional practice where teachers and professionals work
together, communicating and sharing expertise, and delivering a coordinated and
integrated service (Bridges et al. 2011 ; World Health Organization 2010 ).
The notion of interprofessional practice originated in the health sector and is
based on an integrated and cohesive framework for collaboration among profes-
sionals (Geva et al. 2000 ). The literature provides multiple definitions of inter-
professional practice, and while there are differences between them, there are also
common elements. Interprofessional practice involves a team of professionals
working together while bringing their own identity, skills, knowledge, and expertise
for the benefit of end users. There is also general agreement that interprofessional
practice involves cooperation and collaboration between team members who share a
common purpose and mutual respect for the roles and identities of team members
(Barr 2002 ).
However, while most descriptions of interprofessional practice emphasize
aspects of collaboration, working together, sharing knowledge, expertise, and
power; for some researchers the meaning goes much deeper than this. Trodd and
Chivers ( 2011 ) describe interprofessional practice as an“ontological position”
(p. 2) where professionals’identities are formed through their interactions with
others. Now, more than ever, there is a need for teachers and other involved in
education to work interprofessionally, however, in order to practice effectively
interprofessionally, professionals need to learn how to do this, which involves
learning together. Interprofessional education has been described as two or more
professionals learning “about, from and with each other” (World Health
Organization 2010 , p. 13) and is seen as a critical component of interprofessional
practice. This is because it fosters collaboration, enhances shared understandings
between professionals about each other’s roles, and promotes the practice of
combining expertise for improved outcomes (WHO 2010 ; Barr and Low 2013 ).
Within the Specialist Teaching program,interprofessional practiceinvolves a
redesigning of traditional training models and a move toward an orientation where
allied programs are integrated and aligned so that teachers and future practitioners
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