Kim Taylor Denise Arseneau Tammy Gallant Co-Teaching Kim Taylor Denise Arseneau Tammy Gallant

Agenda What is Co-Teaching Video Teacher and Students Benefits Implementation Considerations Collaboration/Video Six Models of Co-Teaching Activity Wrap-up

What is Co-teaching? Co-teaching is an approach to deliver instruction based on the philosophy of inclusion. Co-teaching encourages collaboration among professionals.

Co-teaching is: Co-Teaching is two or more teachers sharing responsibility for teaching some or all of the students assigned to a classroom. It involves the distribution of responsibility among teachers for planning, instruction, and evaluation for a classroom of students. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkloeyMrCi4

Every class has a variety of learners….. Every teacher is faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of a classroom filled with a variety of learners- their abilities, learning styles, motivation for learning etc. Collaborative teaching and learning is a must to meet the needs of the class where the students and the teacher both are benefited.

Teacher Benefits Both teachers develop new instructional techniques while teaching and sharing. New teachers can be given guidance and mentoring Effective modelling for students

Student Benefits Better address the diverse needs of students by creating ongoing effective programming in the classroom. A wider use of instructional techniques to better student learning More and better critical, planning and reflective practices by teachers Social skills improvement/better classroom management. A more ‘community’ oriented classroom Increase participation and independence of all students

Implementation Considerations Co-teaching partnership: Understand self and partner, Effective interpersonal, collaborative and problem-solving skills, flexible, familiar with the curriculum, trust and respect must exist, commitment to goals Administrative support: Must understand and support co-teaching model. Coordinate schedules. Pre-planning components: Physical arrangement, Curriculum goals and modifications, Instructional planning, Instructional presentation, Classroom management, Assessment Planning: Very important to have an agenda in order to use time effectively, share workload, resources and expertise, communicate effectively, assess effectiveness.

Key to Success The power of co-teaching comes from the collaboration. Co-teachers must ensure that their students see them as equals if they expect students to take them seriously and learn all they can from BOTH teachers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=53&v=v- NwMbJLKXw

Co-Teaching Models One teach, one observe Station Teaching Parallel Teaching Team Teaching One Teach , One Assist Alternate Teaching

Station Teaching -The teachers divide the lesson and each takes responsibility for planning and teaching part of it. -Students rotate from one station to another and receive the rest of their instruction from the other co-teacher. -A third station can be used for independent work or peer tutoring.

Station Teaching Disadvantages: Advantages: Noise Movement Shared Responsibilities and skills Students get to see different teaching styles Lower teacher-student ratios Equal status of both teacher and students can be maximized Disadvantages: Noise Movement Material that is sequential cannot be taught using this approach

TeamTeaching Teachers plan and share instruction of all students, whether it occurs in a large group, in monitoring students working independently or in facilitating groups of students working on shared projects

Team Teaching Advantages: Disadvantages: Enhances student participation Shared planning and instruction by both teachers for the large group Teachers are able to have instructional conversation with each other and students. Can be energizing and entertaining Disadvantages: If teachers are not comfortable working together in a classroom, the discomfort may be communicated to students. May not be comfortable for new partnerships of teachers. Loss of the valuable instructional technique of grouping

Parallel Teaching Teachers divide the class into two heterogeneous groups and then each one teaches the same information to one group.  While the content will be the same for both teachers/groups, the method of delivery can be different.

Parallel Teaching Disadvantages: Advantages: Lowers student-to-teacher ratio. Increased interaction among students and teachers. Enables teachers to more closely monitor individual students Disadvantages: Requires significant planning and teaching skill so that both groups of students will get the same instruction. Can be noisy and distracting and requires both teachers to similarly pace instruction

Alternate Teaching One teacher instructs a larger “Main” group, while the other teacher works with a smaller group for a specific instructional purpose

Alternate Teaching Disadvantages: Advantages: Can be stigmatizing if the small group always consists of the same students May diminish one teacher’s authority Advantages: Useful for enrichment and acceleration Pre-teaching and Re-teaching Is Inclusive

One Teach, One Assist One teacher takes the lead during instruction while the other circulates throughout the classroom to monitor student progress and provide assistance to individual students as needed.

One Teach, One Assist Advantages: Disadvantages: Allows the "assist" teacher to directly help and monitor the progress of individual students. Provides opportunities for each teacher to share roles and responsibilities when working with students. Disadvantages: -Can diminish the ‘assist’ teacher’s authority, especially if the same teacher always assumes this role.

One Teach, One Observe One teacher leads instruction while the other supports instructional process. (redirect attentions and answers questions).

One Teach, One Observe Advantages: Disadvantages: Requires little joint planning Both teachers can use this approach to deepen their shared understanding of students while learning about each other’s teaching styles. Disadvantages: If it is used exclusively, it can results in one professional, most typically the resource teacher or specialist, being viewed as the role of the assistant. For this approach to be beneficial, the educator should exchanges roles periodically.

Activity Show what you know!

Tips for Effective Co-Teaching Get to know your partner Create a workable schedule Ensure the results are measurable COMMUNICATE

Resources Books: Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2010). Interactions: collaboration skills for school professionals. (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River: Pearson. Muralaski, W.W. L. A. (2013). Leading The Co-Teaching Dance. Leadership Strategies to Enhance Team Outcomes.   Articles: Gately, S.E. & Gately, F. J. (2001). Understanding coteaching components. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(4), 40-47 Murawski, W. W. & Dieker, L. A. (2004). Tips and Strategies for Co-Teaching at the Secondary Level. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 36(5), 52-58 Murawski, W. W. & Dieker, L. A. (2008). 50 Ways to Keep Your Co-Teacher Strategies for Before, During and After Co-Teaching, TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 40-48. Education Support Services Teams: Instructional Coaching Model, Service of New Brunswick, Draft 2013. Website: What is co-teaching? (http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/6847_villa_ch_1.pdf retrieved May 1st 2011) Co-Teaching: Principles, Practices, and Pragmatics. (http://www.ped.state.nm.us/seo/library/qrtrly.0404.coteaching.lcook.pdf retrieved May 1st 2011) Maryland Learning Links - http://marylandlearninglinks.org/1015, You Tube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=53&v=v-NwMbJLKXw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkloeyMrCi4