Co-Teaching and Collaboration

• Teaming is the preferred method of co-teaching. There is no one preferred method- each of the different approaches has its time and place and should be part of a successful co-teaching partnership.
• A paraprofessional can co-teach in a general education or self-contained classroom. Paraprofessionals play an important role in the classroom, but they should have significantly different duties than an intervention specialist.
• Providing accommodations to students in a general education classroom constitutes co-teaching. In fact, while accommodations are important, the intervention specialist must be providing specially designed instruction even within a co-teaching environment.
• Without daily common planning time, co-teaching is impossible. With the technology available to us, occasional face to face time can easily be combined with online options for planning and collaborating.

Inclusion- a belief system or philosophy that all students are part of the learning community and make valuable contributions even if their abilities differ. (Marilyn Friend, 2008)

Benefits of Co-Teaching

1. Students with disabilities are provided access to the general education curriculum and general education setting.
2. Students with disabilities will still receive specialized instruction.
3. Students will have the opportunity to be taught in an intense, individualized manner if needed.
4. Greater instructional intensity and differentiated instruction.
5. Teachers will learn from each other's expertise and expand the scope of their teaching capacity.
6. Reduces negative stigma associated with pull-out programs.
7. Students with disabilities may feel more connected with their peer group.

• One partner leads the instruction, while the other partner collects data through observation
• Monitoring progress is based on preset criteria
• Co-teaching partners pre-determine specific observational information to gather during instruction and together analyze the data for instructional decisions
• This approach should be used less than 10% of the time
• Roles are to be exchanged to maintain teacher parity

• Co-teaching partners divide instructional content into two or more segments, with each partner taking responsibility for delivery of instruction within a station
• Students will access both co-teaching partners by rotating from one station to the next, with one station for independent work
• This approach is recommended around 20% of the time
• Co-teaching partners should not use this approach when content is required to be taught in a sequential order

• use timers and signals
• practice routines and procedures
• use colored index cards at each station that describe student roles
• provide table tents with directions
• always have something students should turn in

• Each co-teaching partner takes an active role by dividing the class into two groups and teaching the same content simultaneously
• This approach allows more supervision of student learning
• Also provides students with a greater opportunity to participate and interact with their peers
• This approach should be used 20% of the time

• group students by preferred learning style
• ensure heterogeneous grouping for this approach
• use a deck of cards and call suits or matching cards for grouping
• include brain breaks
• use a timer to keep everyone on track

• One co-teaching partner takes responsibility for instructing the large group, while the other works with a small group for a specific instructional purpose
• The temporarily formed group may be based on enrichment, pre-teaching, interest area, re-teaching, etc.
• This approach might be used 20% of the time
• Roles should be exchanged to maintain teacher parity

• Use mini dry-erase boards, plickers, or another quick and easy way to formatively assess student progress
• Take advantage of technology in the alternative small group
• Create individual folders of student work
• Provide adapted version of fiction or informational texts if needed

• Both co-teaching partners are fully engaged in leading the delivery of core instruction at the same time
• Co-teaching partners are delivering the same instruction simultaneously
• Co-teachers should have equal roles
• Each teacher speaks freely during class
• Each teacher moves among all students
• This approach should be used around 20% of the time. Too much team teaching will result in reduced student involvement and participation

• one teacher lecturing while the other teacher completes a graphic organizer of the material
• one teacher lecturing while the partner is writing notes for the class
• Both teachers role playing a discussion or debating an issue
• One teacher lecturing and the partner asking questions to clarify information
• Both teachers lecturing, using a signal to determine whose turn it is to talk

• One teacher is primarily responsible for delivery of core instruction, while the other co-teacher circulates through the room providing support to students as needed
• This approach is the most commonly used, but the least preferred
• This approach should be used less than 10% of the time

Co-teaching is generally defined as two teachers physically present in a heterogeneous classroom with joint and equal responsibility for classroom instruction.

Collaborative consultation occurs when a special education teacher serves in a consultative role to a core content general education teacher who carries the primary responsibility for instruction. This model allows a special education teacher to partner with multiple general education teachers without being physically present in the same classroom at the same time.