Co Teaching Explained

Summary

Co-teaching is an inclusive approach where general and special education teachers collaborate in the same classroom to support diverse learners, including students with disabilities. By sharing planning, instruction, and assessment, co-teachers ensure all students have access to the general curriculum. Various co-teaching models, such as station teaching, parallel teaching, and team teaching, offer flexibility in addressing students' needs. Effective co-teaching requires strong collaboration, mutual accountability, and regular planning time. While some models, like one teach one assist, may be less effective, co-teaching can greatly enrich learning when implemented thoughtfully.

Takeaways

• 👩‍🏫 Co-teaching is a method for delivering special education services in the general education classroom.
• 👨‍🏫 It involves two teachers working together, sharing planning, instruction, and classroom management.
• 👥 Co-teaching allows for diverse groups of learners, including students with disabilities, to learn in the same environment.
• 🔄 In a co-teaching setup, both teachers are equally responsible for instruction, classroom culture, and environment management.
• 📚 Special education requires specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities.
• 💼 Co-teaching is like a business partnership where teachers bring different but complementary skills to enhance learning.
• 🏫 Station teaching involves students rotating between groups, with each teacher leading a different station.
• 🔀 Parallel teaching divides the class in half, allowing each teacher to instruct the same material to smaller groups.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Alternative teaching helps address varying learning needs by splitting the class into larger and smaller groups.
• 🎯 Team teaching involves both teachers working together to teach and monitor the entire class simultaneously.

Q & A

What is co-teaching?

Co-teaching is a practice where two teachers work together in the same classroom, sharing the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction, as well as the physical space, to provide special education services within the general education classroom.

Why is co-teaching used instead of separate classrooms?

Co-teaching is used to provide special education services within the general education classroom to avoid sending students to a separate classroom or school, thereby increasing learning opportunities for a diverse group of learners, including those with disabilities.

Who typically pairs together in a co-teaching relationship?

Special education teachers often pair with general education teachers in a co-teaching relationship.

What are the responsibilities of co-teachers?

Co-teachers are equally responsible and accountable for the instruction of all learners, establishing the social-emotional culture of the class, and managing the physical environment.

How is special education defined in the context of co-teaching?

Special education is defined as the delivery of specially designed instruction, which involves adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of students with disabilities and ensure access to the general curriculum.

What is the nature of the co-teaching partnership?

Co-teaching is likened to a business partnership where educators understand their different but complementary knowledge and skills, aiming to use their strengths to create richer teaching and learning experiences.

What are the different co-teaching models mentioned in the script?

The co-teaching models mentioned are station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, team teaching, and one teach one assist.

How does station teaching work?

In station teaching, each teacher leads a group of students, with some stations requiring independent work and others offering small group work. Students rotate from group to group, ensuring each teacher meets with all students.

What is parallel teaching and how does it benefit students?

Parallel teaching involves co-teachers dividing the class in half and teaching the same material simultaneously to each group, allowing each teacher to instruct a smaller number of learners and providing more learner participation and individualized support.

How does alternative teaching differ from other models?

Alternative teaching is used when some students have learning needs different from the rest of the class. Teachers divide the class into two groups, one larger and one smaller based on learning needs, with one teacher leading instruction in the larger group and the other focusing on the smaller group.

What is team teaching and what does it require?

Team teaching is a structure where both teachers collaborate to simultaneously teach, monitor, and coach learning for the whole class. It requires careful planning and a strong relationship between teachers.

Why is the one teach one assist model considered less effective?

The one teach one assist model is considered less effective because it involves one teacher leading the lesson while the other provides support, which can lead to an imbalance in roles and responsibilities over time if roles do not vary.

What is essential for successful co-teaching?

Successful co-teaching requires careful collaboration and purpose, with co-teachers needing regularly scheduled uninterrupted planning time to ensure the specially designed instruction needed to meet the learning needs of all class members.