Generally when people think of co-teaching the first thing that comes to mind is really called "Team-Teaching" where two educators work together in similar roles to provide comprehensive and differentiated instruction to a class of students. This is the ideal in an inclusion classroom where varying approaches can help meet the needs of students on IEPs. However, there are also other forms of co-teaching that can be effective in certain situations.
In some cases, especially in a classroom where the ability range is not drastic but there are a couple students with additional needs, a complimentary approach might be best. This is where one teacher takes the lead role and the other provides supplementary aides for the students who need it such as additional notes or re-wording instructions/questions. And there are a variety of other co-teaching strategies in between.
However, there are a number of things that are simply not co-teaching. For example, just having two bodies in the room does not constitute co-teaching unless both are actively engaged in the course material and are consistently and continuously providing support for students. Also, having someone in the room is only effective if they know the course material enough to provide the supports needed for students. Co-teaching is most effective when both teachers can work off each other and know the make-up of the classroom to provide a safe and structured learning environment.
If your school has co-taught classrooms ask yourself these questions and determine if your the structure needs tweaking in order to be most effective for the student population you serve:
In some cases, especially in a classroom where the ability range is not drastic but there are a couple students with additional needs, a complimentary approach might be best. This is where one teacher takes the lead role and the other provides supplementary aides for the students who need it such as additional notes or re-wording instructions/questions. And there are a variety of other co-teaching strategies in between.
However, there are a number of things that are simply not co-teaching. For example, just having two bodies in the room does not constitute co-teaching unless both are actively engaged in the course material and are consistently and continuously providing support for students. Also, having someone in the room is only effective if they know the course material enough to provide the supports needed for students. Co-teaching is most effective when both teachers can work off each other and know the make-up of the classroom to provide a safe and structured learning environment.
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If your school has co-taught classrooms ask yourself these questions and determine if your the structure needs tweaking in order to be most effective for the student population you serve:
- Are the needs of all students in the classroom being met?
- Do both teachers feel they are being effective aids to students in the class?
- Do the teachers communicate effectively with one another to lay out a plan for the day's lesson?
- Could each teacher effectively implement the lesson alone?
- Do both teachers know the needs of all students on IEPs?
If the answer to one or more of these questions is NO then it might be beneficial to sit down and determine what needs to be added or changed to the co-teaching plan to make it an effective system for your classroom. Co-teaching works (multiple studies have shown significant improvements in learning) however as with all teaching, there is a continuum and more effective co-teaching has better results.
-MB
For more information about effective co-teaching search for articles by Marylin Friend and Lynne Cook
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