Co-Teaching Jenn Hickey – Regular Ed. Teacher Christine Jones- Special Ed. Teacher

What is co-teaching?? Two or more adults Simultaneously instructing a heterogeneous group of students In a coordinated fashion “Collaborative teaching is a service delivery structure in which teacher with different knowledge, skills and talents have joint responsibility for designing, delivering, monitoring, and evaluating instruction for a diverse group of learners in general education classroom.” DeBoer & Fister, 1995.

Co-teaching is not One teacher acting like a helper Just “showing up” Ignoring the needs of students with IEP’s Teaching the same old way

What is the benefit to co- teaching?? Professional Growth Differentiation Teacher Access Behavior Management Student Engagement

Effective Models of co-teaching Lead and Support Duet Speak and Add/Chart Skills Groups Station Teaching Parallel Teaching Adapting

Lead and Support TEACHER A  Primary responsibility for planning a unit of instruction TEACHER B  Shares in delivery, monitoring and evaluation

Duet Model TEACHER A and B  Both teachers plan and design instruction. Teachers take turns delivering various components of the lesson.

Speak and Add/Chart Model Teacher A  primary responsibility for designing and delivering Teacher B  adds and expands with questions, rephrasing, anecdotes; recording key information on charts, smart boards, white board

Skills group Model Teacher A and B  Students are divided into 2-4 groups based on instruction level. Each teacher takes primary responsibility for planning for one or two groups. Instruction may take place in small groups or whole group differentiated levels.

Station Teaching Model Teacher A  Responsible for overall instruction Teacher B  teaches a small group specific skills they have not mastered

Parallel Teaching Model Teacher A and B  Both teachers plan and design. The class splits into two groups. Each teacher takes a group for the entire lesson.

Adapting Model Teacher A  primary responsibility for planning and delivering a unit of instruction Teacher B  determines and provides adaptations for students who are struggling

Part 2- The TEAM! Communication is the key to any healthy relationship! Co-teaching partnerships are like a marriage. Your co-teaching relationship might be the only healthy relationship your students might see during the day.

Questions to ask your co-teacher! My tolerance level ends when a student _________. To work effectively, I need ___________ in my classroom. I could not tolerate a co-teacher who ________. In my classroom, the following are non- negotiables:

The Teacher Dance Both teachers should not be in the same area of the classroom at the same time. If one teacher is moving towards the back of the classroom then the other teacher should be moving towards the front. Don’t be afraid to teach from the back of the classroom. Have the other teacher write the notes on the board. The student’s really like this technique because they get to see the lesson from another view. It also develops their listening skills and uses their senses. Hines 2006

Discipline Communication Is Key!! Make sure you decide before hand how you will handle certain situations and what the discipline will be for the certain situation. If one of the teacher’s had a run-in with a student earlier in the day make sure to tell the other teacher so that they can handle the discipline with that student if a problem arises. With a second teacher you have two sets of ears and eyes so you can usually eliminate problems before they even start. You can also pull a student outside of the classroom to talk to solve problems since there is still a teacher in the classroom.

In closing… Student Remarks Senior: “I like having an in-class support teacher in the room. I only have an extra teacher in math because she helps me understand more. Sometimes I don’t understand what my math teacher is saying or teaching so by having a second teacher he/she will help you understand at your own pace.” Freshman: “Having a second teacher in class is very exciting and very helpful. The second teacher is helpful because it gives other students a chance for help and call allow the first teacher to move about more freely in class. The second teacher is also better because he/she would have more time to explain the problems. Also, the teacher being on his/her own would half-way tell the explanation to save more time to put the work on the board.”