Different What’s Good Strokes for for One is Different Folks Good for All
What does this Which supports for
kid need? this kid would also benefit a group of classmates or the whole class? Why co-teach? Because, by co-teaching we can: Provide specially designed instruction in general ed classes
Develop community and acceptance
Make use of peer models
Encourage differentiated instruction
Draw on two teachers’ expertise
Does co-teaching do all that? It can, if we... Plan regularly
Distinguish roles
DO specially designed instruction
Contribute to developing the instruction of
the classroom Otherwise... We simply
Show up
Lend a hand
Become a “helper” Resulting in...
No instructional power
No tracking individual students’ progress
No specially designed instruction
No professional special educator
The Six Approaches One teach, one observe One teach, one assist Parallel Teaching Station Teaching Alternative Teaching Team Teaching One teach, one observe One teacher teaches Second teacher observes for a pre- determined purpose Student Behavior Engagement Progress Teacher behaviors Examples While one teacher provides instruction in social studies, the other charts the number of off-task behaviors exhibited by a particular student.
While one teacher provides instruction in math, the other
charts the number of positive comments made to students.
While one teacher provides instructions for a writing
project, the other records the number of times students in the class leave their seats.
While students work in cooperative groups, one teacher
monitors the groups and one teacher records which students initiate interactions. Pros and Cons +Requires little joint planning time +Provides opportunity for ESE teachers to learn about General Education Curriculum +Particularly effective for teachers new to collaboration
-Can result in special educator as being
relegated to role of an assistant One teach, one assist One teacher instructs The second teacher circulates around the classroom providing support and redirection to students Examples While one teacher provides instruction in math, the other teacher moves from student to student, making sure they are using their manipulatives appropriately.
While one teacher lectures on a science topic, the other drifts
about the class providing help with note taking, key ideas or vocabulary.
While one teacher teaches a new procedure for balancing
chemical equations, the other teacher circulates, reminding students to use their periodic tables and cue cards, and stopping to help anyone having trouble with the procedure. Pros and Cons +Requires little joint planning time +Provides opportunity for ESE teachers to learn about General Education Curriculum +Particularly effective for teachers new to collaboration
-Can result in special educator as being relegated to
role of an assistant -The second teacher can sometimes be a distraction -Students can become dependent on the “assister” Parallel Teaching The class is split into two groups Each teacher teachers one of the groups Creates more opportunity for teacher- student interaction and increased levels of student engagement Examples As a follow-up to whole class instruction on a geometry concept, each teacher develops the concept further by modeling the concept to half of the class.
One teacher presents information to students on logging in National
forests from the view of business and industry to half the class while the other teacher presents the same issue from the viewpoint of environmentalists. The class then comes together to discuss the issue from both sides.
In presenting the complexities of symbolism in Act 2 of Romeo and
Juliet, teachers split the class into two groups to enhance the opportunities for student-to-student discussion. Pros and Cons +Lower teacher: student ratio +Heterogeneous grouping +Allows for more creativity in lesson delivery
-Teachers must both be comfortable in content
and confident in teaching the content -Should not be used for initial instruction Station Teaching Three stations are set up Students are divided into three groups and rotate between the three stations Each teacher teaches different content at two of the stations; the third station is independent work (and doesn’t have to be the same for each group) Examples During Writer’s Workshop one teacher may focus instruction of a mini-lesson on conventions, the other teacher may focus on editing, and students might work independently on publishing.
During math instruction, one teacher may focus on
teaching a new process for multiplication of multi-digit numbers, one teacher may provide review of multiplication facts, and students might work independently or with partners on an assignment. Pros and Cons +Each professional has separate responsibility for delivering instruction +Lower teacher:student ratio +Students with disabilities can be more easily integrated into small groups
-Noise level can be distracting
-Movement can be distracting Alternative Teaching One teacher teaches the majority of the class The other teacher works with a small group on an alternative lesson Same concept at different level Same content, different methodology Same content, more practice/modeling Different content related to student needs Examples During Science, the larger group reviews experiment logs while the small group is pre-taught concepts/vocabulary for the next lesson.
During math instruction, the larger group is provided with
a strategy for problem solving, while the small group is provided with an enrichment activity.
During a writing lesson about using metaphors and
similes, the larger group begins independent practice, while the smaller group continues teacher guided practice. Pros and Cons + Helps with attention problem students +Allows for re-teaching, tutoring, or enrichment
-Can be stigmatizing to group who is
alternatively taught -SPED teacher can be viewed as an assistant if he/she is always in alternative teaching role Team Teaching Both teachers deliver the same instruction to the entire class Examples During social studies, one teacher lectures while the other teacher models vocabulary note-taking and provides strategies for recall of definitions.
During science, one teacher explains an experiment while
the other teacher demonstrates the procedure for recording findings in the student’s scientific journal.
During government class the teachers model a debate on
the Third Amendment to the Constitution in preparation for upcoming student debates. Pros and Cons +Greatest amount of shared responsibility +Allows for creativity in lesson delivery +Prompts teachers to try innovative techniques neither professional would have tried alone
-Requires greatest amount of trust and
commitment -Most difficult to implement How to choose Consider the strengths and drawbacks of each approach Choose the approach that meets the intersecting needs of The content The lesson structure Student needs Co-teaching Cautions