Special Education and Regular Education: Working Together

Summary

The video script discusses the benefits of co-teaching in an inclusive classroom setting, where specialists collaborate with classroom teachers to support students with diverse needs. It highlights the positive impact on student behavior and learning, the reduction of labeling, and the increase in student engagement and success. Teachers appreciate the shared responsibility, the opportunity to learn from each other's teaching methods, and the ability to provide individualized support within the regular classroom environment.

Takeaways

• 🏫 Co-teaching is a classroom approach where specialists collaborate with the main teacher to provide comprehensive support to students.
• 👩‍🏫 Specialists such as LIA, ELL, and SPED teachers work within the classroom to ensure all students receive tailored assistance.
• 📚 The co-teaching model fosters a unified teaching approach, with all educators being on the same page regarding the curriculum and student needs.
• 🔗 Collaboration is enhanced through shared documents like Google Docs, where teachers can coordinate and monitor student progress.
• 📉 Co-teaching reduces disruptive transitions, leading to increased learning opportunities and improved classroom behavior management.
• 👥 The presence of multiple educators allows for more individualized attention and support for students.
• 📈 Teachers observe improved student outcomes, with increased passing rates in subjects where students previously struggled.
• 🤝 Co-teaching builds camaraderie among educators, leading to a more cohesive and effective teaching team.
• 🧩 Flexible grouping within co-teaching enables students to receive additional support as needed, without feeling singled out.
• 🏆 The co-teaching model enhances student confidence and belonging, as they are integrated with their peers and not labeled or separated.

Q & A

What is co-teaching and how does it work at Hawthorne?

Co-teaching at Hawthorne involves specialists such as LIA, ELL, and SPED teachers coming into the classroom to work with students alongside the main teacher, keeping all students in the same classroom and fostering collaboration among educators.

What are the benefits of co-teaching mentioned in the script?

The benefits of co-teaching include all educators being on the same page, better collaboration, decreased student behavior issues due to fewer transitions, increased learning opportunities, and more eyes on the students.

How does co-teaching support students with reading or writing disabilities?

Co-teaching supports students with reading or writing disabilities by having specialized teachers work closely with them in the classroom, ensuring their accommodations are in place, and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.

What role does the special education teacher play in a co-taught math class?

In a co-taught math class, the special education teacher works alongside the core math teacher to reach students who struggle with math, helping to adapt the material to their level and ensuring they are not excluded from their peers.

How does co-teaching impact the student's experience and confidence?

Co-teaching can rebuild relationships and confidence for students, making them feel like they are part of the class and not singled out due to their learning needs.

What is the advantage of having a special ed background in a co-taught classroom?

Having a special ed background in a co-taught classroom allows the teacher to bring in specialized strategies and knowledge to better support all students, including those with accommodations.

How does flexible grouping benefit students in a co-taught setting?

Flexible grouping in co-taught settings allows for the inclusion of students who may need additional support, whether or not they are on an IEP, and enables educators to work together to fulfill the required hours of support.

How does co-teaching help with student passing rates?

Co-teaching helps with student passing rates by allowing for more individualized attention and support, catching students before they fall too far behind, and providing them with the necessary skills and confidence.

What is the impact of co-teaching on the regular education students?

Co-teaching can benefit regular education students by providing them with additional support when needed, and allowing them to learn from a variety of teaching styles and perspectives.

How does co-teaching affect the perception of special education within the school?

Co-teaching can change the perception of special education within a school by fostering understanding and collaboration between departments, showing that special ed teachers are there to help all students, not just those with disabilities.

What advice does LeeAnna give for successful co-teaching?

LeeAnna advises having a growth mindset and being open to trying co-teaching, as it can be overwhelming at first but ultimately leads to positive outcomes for student growth and achievement.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Co-Teaching Model Benefits

The first paragraph introduces the concept of co-teaching, where specialists collaborate within a classroom to support students. This approach keeps students in one place, reducing disruptive transitions. Teachers, including those for Learning in Action (LIA), English Language Learners (ELL), and Special Education (SPED), work together to ensure all students are included and supported. The co-teaching model fosters a unified teaching approach, with specialists sharing weekly plans via Google Docs. This collaboration is seen to improve student behavior and learning outcomes, as it allows for more focused attention on the students' needs without the stigma of being singled out for having a disability.

05:00

🤝 Teamwork in Co-Teaching

Paragraph two delves into the practical aspects of co-teaching, with a focus on reading and writing support for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The co-teachers work closely with the classroom teacher to ensure accommodations are met and to troubleshoot any issues. They communicate with case managers to keep students on track with their regular classes. The paragraph also discusses the benefits of having two teachers in a math classroom to meet the needs of students who struggle, allowing for more individualized attention and reduced need for pull-out sessions. The co-teaching approach is shown to improve student engagement and success, as it provides a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.

10:03

🌟 Co-Teaching Fosters Inclusivity and Growth

The final paragraph emphasizes the positive impact of co-teaching on student achievement and inclusivity. Teachers discuss how co-teaching allows for flexible grouping, where students receive additional support as needed, without feeling singled out. It highlights the importance of teachers being organized and prepared for the dynamic classroom environment. The paragraph also touches on the benefits for both special education and regular education students, as co-teaching provides a more inclusive setting where all students can learn from each other. The collaborative approach leads to increased student confidence, improved relationships among staff, and a growth mindset that is beneficial for all involved.

Keywords

💡Co-teaching

Co-teaching refers to an educational practice where two or more teachers, often with different areas of expertise, collaborate to instruct a class. In the context of the video, co-teaching is highlighted as a method that allows for the inclusion of all students within a single classroom setting, with specialists such as LIA, ELL, and SPED teachers working together to support students' learning. This approach is seen as beneficial for maintaining consistency in teaching and reducing behavioral issues due to fewer transitions.

💡Specialists

Specialists in the video script denote educators with specific expertise in areas such as Learning in Action (LIA), English Language Learners (ELL), and Special Education (SPED). They are integral to the co-teaching model, coming into the classroom to provide targeted support to students. The script emphasizes how their involvement ensures that all students receive the necessary accommodations and that the teaching is tailored to meet individual needs.

💡Accommodations

Accommodations are modifications or adjustments made to the learning environment or instructional methods to support students with disabilities or special needs. In the script, teachers work together to ensure that these accommodations are in place, helping students with IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) to participate effectively in the classroom and keeping them on track with their peers.

💡IEP (Individualized Education Program)

An IEP is a legally binding document that outlines the educational needs and goals for a student with a disability. The script mentions that students served under an IEP have reading or writing disabilities, and the co-teaching model ensures that their specific needs are addressed through tailored support and accommodations.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration in the video script refers to the process of teachers working together, sharing ideas, and planning lessons to better serve the needs of all students. This is depicted as a key aspect of co-teaching, where the collective expertise of the teachers is leveraged to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion in this context means ensuring that all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, are fully integrated into the general education classroom. The video emphasizes how co-teaching promotes inclusion by reducing the need for pull-outs and allowing students to learn alongside their peers without feeling singled out.

💡Behavior Management

Behavior management pertains to the strategies used by educators to create a positive and productive learning environment. The script suggests that co-teaching can lead to improved behavior management by reducing disruptive transitions and providing more consistent supervision and support.

💡Flexible Grouping

Flexible grouping is an educational strategy where students are placed into different groups based on their needs, abilities, or the subject being taught. The video describes how this approach allows for more personalized support and can accommodate both students with IEPs and those who may need additional help, without stigmatizing them.

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. In the script, teachers are encouraged to adopt a growth mindset when co-teaching, recognizing that it may be challenging initially but ultimately leads to improved outcomes for students and a more enriching educational experience.

💡Student Achievement

Student achievement refers to the progress and success of students in their educational pursuits. The video script highlights how co-teaching has led to an increase in student passing rates, indicating that the collaborative approach is effective in supporting learning and helping students to succeed academically.

💡Confidence Building

Confidence building in the video is discussed in relation to how co-teaching helps students, particularly those with disabilities, to feel more confident in their abilities. By being included in the classroom and receiving appropriate support, students are able to engage more actively in learning and develop a positive self-image.

Highlights

Co-teaching allows specialists, such as LIA, ELL, and SPED teachers, to come into the classroom and collaborate with regular teachers.

One major benefit of co-teaching is reducing student behavioral issues by minimizing transitions, leading to more focused learning.

Specialists and regular teachers collaborate weekly, sharing Google Docs to keep everyone aligned on what is being taught.

Flexible grouping allows teachers to provide targeted support, regardless of whether students have an IEP or not, based on their needs.

Co-teaching helps students feel included in the classroom, minimizing the stigma of being pulled out for special services.

Students with disabilities can remain in the general education setting, receiving grade-level material adapted to their learning level.

Teachers can help struggling students by asking questions on their behalf, creating a more inclusive learning environment.

Having multiple teachers in the room provides different perspectives on student learning, leading to more effective strategies.

The collaboration between regular and special education teachers helps students receive consistent support across various subjects.

Co-teaching has resulted in improved student pass rates and confidence, especially among students with learning disabilities.

The process of co-teaching fosters a growth mindset among teachers, as they adapt to working closely with other specialists.

Students benefit from learning in a diverse environment where they can help one another, with high-achieving students often supporting their peers.

Teachers appreciate the professional development gained from observing different teaching styles and learning new techniques.

Co-teaching creates a positive, inclusive classroom culture where students don’t feel excluded due to their learning challenges.

Overall, co-teaching has contributed to measurable growth in student achievement, with teachers seeing consistent improvement in test scores and engagement.

Transcripts

- Co-teaching, at least at Hawthorne and I think elsewhere,

is when we have all of our specialists come in

and we keep all of our kids inside the classroom.

And we get the opportunity to work as a team

within the classroom so that all the kids

are staying inside our classroom.

So we have LIA teachers that come into our rooms.

We also have ELL teachers,

and then we also have our SPED teachers

that all come into our classroom during their times

and work with our students.

I find it very beneficial, having all of the specialists

come into my classroom.

One of the biggest benefits I find,

is that we are all on the same page.

And so at any point, during our collaboration,

they come to our collaborations.

They also look at, we write up a sheet every week

that we share on the Google Docs

and they're able to read through it

and look at what we're teaching

if they're not able to come to collaboration.

But they try to come and then when we come into the room,

we're able to work together,

to hopefully help these students find success.

And what we do and what I love is its,

for me decreased a lot of the behaviors.

Because those transitions are sometimes the hardest part

for students.

And when you take away those transitions,

you have the opportunity for learning to increase

and for the behaviors and the management to decrease.

And so it's been really helpful

because then we have more eyes on the whole group.

- [Tanya] With pushing,

we have anywhere between five to seven

students in the classroom

and they're all served under a reading

or writing disability on an IEP.

And I work with the teacher to help

make sure their accommodations are in place,

to help them out in the classroom

and to also kind of troubleshoot,

any issues the teacher may run into.

And I'm just right there for them to talk to

or to email quickly.

And then I also work with emailing all of the case managers

of those students, to let them know what they did that day,

what they maybe missed if they got it done If they didn't.

To kind of help those students stay caught up

in those regular English classes.

In there I don't treat them any differently

and I help out all the students that are in there.

Because I wanna make sure,

that our students are not singled out.

Because they already know they have a disability

and they don't necessarily like if people know it as well.

So that's kinda my goal

is to help everybody out when they're,

working on something to help all students out.

And the teachers see that as well.

They tell all the other teachers as well.

Mrs. Bjerke is in here to help everybody.

You can ask her, you can ask me if you have questions.

- [Aj] Two teachers working together to meet the needs of

students that struggle in math.

It takes two adults so they can reach more students.

And then were sharing the load of the teaching

and great level material.

The core math teacher kinda holds the,

kinda more of the knowledge of that subject.

So she teaches more of it.

But as the class goes, I pop in ask questions,

kinda think in terms and then go around

and helping my students.

And we both work together to adapt it

or come up with ways to reach our students easier.

It helps more students be able to get great level material

presented at their level.

So then we only have to do as many pull-outs

where kinda the research classes.

I mean they widen the gap

for the learning where this allows them to be in

getting great level materials presented at their level.

The alternative to this yeah there's is pull out,

which I also teach to those classes.

The only alternative if we didn't have co-teaching,

would be that we would have to pull out

and try to modify the the curriculum at their level

where this is more presented at theirs.

They want their peers they don't feel like they're excluded.

- [Christi] I have a better understanding of the materials

just 'cause I've been doing this for four years.

I actually started at Whittier as a co-teacher

in the special ed department,

and fell in love with the curriculum so I moved to math.

And so I think it's good that I have

the special ed background

and it helps me in the co-taught classroom.

But together we plan, we talk about things that we wanna do.

We have bright ideas that don't always come to fruition.

As a classroom teacher,

I have to have knowledge of the special ed students.

What their accommodations are and what I need to do.

But it's always nice to have that second person

in the classroom to come up with different strategies

or maybe they suggest trying it a different way.

Or when he questions the students,

asking them a question in a different way

than what I would've thought about asking it.

Bouncing ideas off of them using them together,

which is something that I don't know if it'll work

talking it through with him.

Sometimes he thinks I'm crazy,

sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work.

So it's nice to have that second third person 'cause

there's a lot of movement in the morning with different

math teachers and talking about what we're doing that day

and why we're doing it and how we're doing it.

And so it's nice to have somebody who knows our students

and to bounce ideas off of them.

- [LeeAnna] Another benefit that I have found,

that we've done is flexible grouping.

So that flexible grouping allows us to take kids

that yes, they might be on an IEP,

they might not be on an IEP,

but they might need that additional support

and we can put them together.

And so there's some days that,

I might have one of my specialists come in

and they might not be working with a specific child

that they're supposed to be working with.

Based on the fact that,

we know how many hours each of our students need

for the required amount.

And we can work together to fulfill those hours.

So it's been pretty cool

because then we have that opportunity together

to work with the kids.

And so if I'm not able to get a kiddo to be able to,

if they're struggling with their reading

and I'm not able to do something to help motivate them,

one of my coworkers might be able to do that.

And one of my specialists and vice versa

sometimes we'll look at each other

and then say you know,

Oh, we're really struggling here.

I'm not sure what we need to do next.

I can just go right over there and say, let's try this

and they can do the same for me.

So it's been really helpful for us

to be able to build that comradery.

And then those kids, don't even know that

there's any difference between one from the other.

And so they just, it's another day.

All the people come in, all the people go out

and they know that more than likely

they're gonna be working in one of those groups.

Mostly for our kiddos who come in,

who are on an IEP, they have that label.

That label can be very scary to parents.

The older they get, the kids realize they have a label.

But when, we have the co-teaching occurring,

I don't even know if, the majority of my kids who are,

are qualifying for SPED even knowing that they are.

And that's the powerful piece for me

because it's rebuilt relationships, confidence.

It's shown them that they are a part of us,

they're not any different.

And I've been here for 12 years.

And so seeing that growth over time and how we've changed

and it's been a positive switch for me.

It had to require some growth mindset

on my part as well knowing that

there's gonna be people in here as I'm teaching,

I better be organized,

I better have myself ready to go.

And they might be a little louder

than I typically would expect at a certain time.

But the loudness is not them being off task,

rather It's more on task.

So that's been helpful for me too because then I can say,

yes I hear them, but at the same time they're on task.

They're doing what they need to be doing.

They're answering questions,

they're recalling whatever we're doing

whether it's reading or writing or math.

And so that's been really fun for us to see as well.

- We have seen an increase in students passing rates

in these classes where they struggled before.

Because regular education teachers have,

almost 100 students probably in a day that they see.

And our students are a very small percentage of that.

And so by, being able to have a teacher in there,

who's monitoring those students,

we can catch them and keep them caught up

before they fall so far behind,

that it's just impossible to get them caught up.

It also gives them some confidence

and also helps give them some skills.

Like for me as the Freshmen English teacher,

to kind of get those freshmen on the right path

for the rest of high school

in order to make sure they start off on a good foot.

Some students have to be pulled to be read to.

And so, they kind of I will talk to them privately like,

Hey, we have a test coming up.

After your teacher gives you your test, come with me,

just leave the room like to make no big deal of it.

They also, kind of know I'm the one to go to

if they're stuck with something

and they're not really sure.

So that piece is nice as well as having that

additional person who knows what they're doing

and that works in study hall too.

Like all of our students have the same study hall times

roughly between fourth and fifth period and so,

if their teacher has no idea what they did

they can send them to us or to me,

and then I can help them out.

Or the teacher will come ask me what they're doing but,

students, they kind of they know that I know

but then they don't have to say anything about it either.

Like they're struggling so I can kind of help them advocate

for their needs too.

- [Aj] They're with their peers,

they're not being pulled out.

They're not, again, back in the day

where they're always excluded.

And so getting the label of learning disability

you're excluded from all your peers.

While here they just feel like they're with everyone else.

Most of the people in here,

I would say half the students in here

don't even know I'm a special ed teacher.

They just think I'm another teacher in the room.

That's the other perk is they're learning from the students

that math is easier for them.

So then the different mindset, the problem solving

kinda hearing from them instead of just hearing from

the same group of kids that are all just struggling in math.

They do learn strategies from their peers.

'Cause the special ed kids bring a different mindset also.

So they might not, math might not come easy,

but they come up with a different way of thinking of stuff.

So it also makes the ones who really get it easy

to kinda slow down and rethink and then they can also teach.

So, the best way that we know as teachers

if a student can teach it,

they really have a material down.

So we do allow our students that excel

to kinda step back sometimes and help the other students

and kind of a win-win for both.

- [Christi] With the collaboration it is nice

for the lower level students to be able to speak

to somebody middle ranger or higher,

and bounce ideas off.

But I also think that the higher level thinkers

they benefit from the lower students just because,

they bring in a different idea.

So I think they feel more comfortable with each other

and they're able to talk to each other.

At the school I was at, I had to push in

and it was my first year of teaching.

I didn't know the math curriculum very well.

And I was hoping that they would help out more

and kind of lead me a little bit

or share some of their knowledge.

And I think from that experience it led me to,

wanna co-teach and be part of it

just because two brains are better than one.

- [Tanya] For the regular ed students,

some of them need that additional support.

And sometimes I can pick out the regular students

that they might wanna consider

some additional supports for additional services as well.

And they can ask for, they can ask me for my input too

the regular teachers can as well.

I like seeing how different teachers teach.

Like that's what a benefit I've gotten out of Whittier.

Oh that's really cool, I wanna try that

because we don't get to go out and see other teachers,

how they teach and just sit and watch them sometimes.

And it's just, it's built some good relationships

between the departments that we've worked with, with this.

Because they, sometimes have a different perspective

on special ed.

And then once you're able to kinda see

how we work and see what it looks like,

it kind of helps them understand,

how that department works

and how we are there to help them as teachers

and help their students settle in their classroom as well.

- [Aj] As a special ed teacher, you're coming in

and not knowing the material as well as a co-teacher

'cause they've taught it for years or that's all they have.

It's depending on how comfortable I am with the material,

I jump in more, I teach or most of the time I kinda sit back

and kinda think about questions that I can ask to kinda help

in particular my students are not even if they're special

or just kind of struggling students

what kind of questions should they be asking,

that they probably don't feel comfortable asking themselves.

And I'll raise my hand and ask those questions.

They're kind of my main role,

and going around and kinda observing

what they're doing with their work

and kinda seeing if they need help

and trying to be in their voice.

- [LeeAnna] I think the advice that I can give,

when it comes to co-teaching

is just to have that growth mindset and to give it a try.

It's scary and a little overwhelming at first.

There's still a little hesitation with some here

but we've come a long way in the time that I've been here.

But once you get there, you don't wanna ever lose it.

And so even when we have all of our supports

with our reading teachers coming in and our ELL and our SPED

it's just nice because anytime we see each other

in the hall, we're able to say,

"hey, this is what I worked on,

this is what I saw with the gains".

And we've seen student achievement rise

with all of these kids in growth.

And our main focus is always growth.

And to be able to have that language and that conversation

with a variety of teachers,

and we're all seeing the same thing.

it's been really powerful for us

when we see our scores slowly rising.

And it's not all about test scores

but it is nice to have that visual to say, this is working.

So that when we're going this is a little extra work,

we have to make sure we're making time with other people.

But at the same time we have that benefit

of knowing all the great things that are coming out of it.

And these students are feeling like they belong

and they love being in their natural setting,

their classroom.

And for them to know they're not gonna leave

and they don't have to leave.

And they see a variety of students

rotating between the groups.

They don't know any different.

They think that's just a part of how teaching works.

And so it's been really cool to see that it happened here.