Ellen Will

Dr. Nahmias
SERP 497
The University of Arizona
Co-Teaching

One method of co-teaching is when one teaches, while the other teacher observes. The

teacher who is doing the observations is collecting data, information, and monitoring the students

progress. This method can be very helpful when there needs to be data collected on individual

students without having to interrupt the student during class. This is especially beneficial in an

inclusion classroom when there is a mix of general education students and students with IEPs. It

is also useful for the purpose of having a student teacher in your class. While the student adjusts

to being in a new class it is helpful to the student to be able to observe the students and get to

know their learning styles before taking over teaching.

Station teaching is when the class is divided into groups and the groups rotate between

teachers. That way, the students get a chance to work with each teacher in a smaller group. I have

participated in this model in my practicum. At one center, I would be working on the students

reading and help them start their reading assignment. The next center was my cooperating

teacher and she would work on a writing assignment based on the reading they did with me. At

the third station the students got time to work individually on their reading and writing

assignments.

Parallel teaching is when two teachers would divide the class in half and each teacher

would teach the same material to one half of the class. I would use this in a future classroom if

there was myself and another teacher and based off the students learning styles, understood one
teachers approach over the other. That way, the students can get an instruction style that better

suits their specific learning needs.

Another method of co-teaching is alternative teaching. This is demonstrated when one

teacher works with a majority of the students, while the other teacher works with a smaller group

for more intensive instruction or background depending on the students needs. I would use this in

my classroom if majority of the students who are caught up and do not need any further

instructions and a smaller group who could benefit from more background knowledge, more one

on one help. The students are all learning the same material but the smaller group is getting more

individualized help they need.

Team teaching is when two teachers teach one large group of students the same material

together. This can be beneficial because both teachers can offer their own point of view, own way

of problem solving, or their own thinking process. I would use this in an English class when

reading a book that the students could really be creative with what they think, predict, or

understand what is happening. I think teachers showing students their different opinions and

teaching them how to be creative with their thinking could be really beneficial to the way the

students learn.

Finally, the last of the co-teaching methods is one teacher is teaching and the other is

assisting. This happens when one teacher leads the class, while the other walks around assisting

students when they are needed. This can be very helpful and effective in inclusion classrooms.

That way, the general education teacher can teach the lesson while the special education teacher

walks around and can assist the students with IEPs or anyone who needs help. This gives the
inclusion students the one on one assistance that they could not normally get in an inclusion

classroom.