Co-Teaching: Building an Effective Model

ObjectivesParticipants will:• Learn basics of co-teaching, including approaches touse in the classroom• Recognize administrative support necessary for coteaching• Explore available co-teaching resources

Agenda• Define co-teaching• Benefits for teachers and students• Administrative support• Approaches to co-teaching• Co-planning• Utilizing paraeducators

Definition of co-teaching• Both share responsibility for planning, deliveringinstruction, assessment, and classroommanagement.• Both share responsibility for providing supports andaccommodations to meet the needs of ALL studentsin the classroom.LA DOE (2011)

ParityHow to communicate to students that both teachersare equals?Names are bothposted onboard/inclassroomSimilar furniture(desks, chairs,etc.)Both participatein gradingBoth work withALL studentsEquivalentteacher talkduring classCook & Friend (2004) in LA DOE(2011)

Louisiana Autism Quality Indicators• I1. Evidence of collaboration between special educationand general education teachers is present on lesson plans.• I3. Assessment of student work and progress reflects inputfrom multiple team members.• I14. As needed, individualized supports in the generaleducation classroom are delivered by more than twofaculty/staff/peers.

Shared responsibilitiesInstructionAdvocacyAssessmentData CollectionandRecordkeepingManagement ofBehaviorCommunicationAccommodationsand ModificationsParticipation inConferencesLA DOE (2011)

Benefits of co-teaching for the students• Placement in LRE• Higher expectations• Enhanced positive social outcomes• Increased engagement and involvement• Access to models of adults working cooperativelyand adults dealing with disagreements• More realistic classroom communities for allstudents.LA DOE (2011)

• St. Pierre and CatalannottoVideo clip 1

Benefits of co-teaching for the teachers• Increases teacher satisfaction• Enhanced opportunities for professional growth• Decreased feelings of isolation• Mutual appreciation of roles• More opportunities for creativity• More time for explicit teaching• Share responsibilities for workload• Reduced behavior problemsLA DOE 2011

• St. Pierre and CatalannottoVideo clip 2

ResourceFound at:http://www.lasig2.org/files/FINALcoteaching_Guide.pdf

Administrative support• Scheduling◦ Students◦ Teachers Teaching schedules Common planning time

ResourceLASARD AutismTraining Modules:CollaborationFound at: www.hdc.lsuhsc.eduFollow to the LASARDpage, then click onAutism TrainingModules

Co-teaching approaches• Station Teaching• Parallel Teaching• Alternative Teaching• Teaming• One Teach, One Observe• One Teach, One AssistFriend, 2008

Station Teaching• Use? Frequent• What? Small group instruction. 3 groups – eachteacher with a group and one independent.Students rotate and visit all stations.Teacher 1IndependentGroupTeacher 2Friend, 2008

Station Teaching Example• During an elementary math class, students arelearning about estimating. The students are dividedinto 3 groups and all students rotate to all 3 stations.◦ Group 1: Estimating distance – how many feet wide is theclassroom – with teacher◦ Group 2: Estimating repetitions – how many times you canjump in 1 minutes – with teacher◦ Group 3 – Estimating mass – how many crayons to balancethe weight on the scale – students work with a partner

Parallel Teaching• Use? Frequent• What? Teachers divide the class into 2 groups; eachlead same instruction for both groupsFriend, 2008

Parallel Teaching Example• In a 6 th grade Language Arts class, the studentshave read the first 4 chapters of Where the Red FernGrows. The teachers divide the students into 2heterogeneous groups, with students in each groupthat tend to talk frequently in discussions and thosewho tend to be quiet. Once in the 2 groups, theteachers discuss the same questions to checkcomprehension and explore the themes of the book.

Link to video• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hadT55umZU0&feature=related

Alternative Teaching• Use? Occasional• What? One teacher teaches to a large group whileother takes a small group for specific instructionalpurpose.Friend, 2008

Alternative Teaching ExampleIn a high school geography class, the teachersdetermine a small group of students would benefitfrom direct pre-teaching on the vocabulary to becovered. Some of the students in this group haveIEPs, and some not. While some studentsindependently complete a worksheet finding thedefinitions in the book (monitored by the specialeducation teacher), the general education teacherworks with the small group to target the vocabularyvisually and orally.

Teaming• Use? Occasional• What? Both teachers in front of classroom. Bothteachers fully engaged in delivery of the coreinstruction.Friend, 2008

Teaming ExampleAt the beginning of an algebra class, the specialeducation teacher leads during review of materialcovered and the general education teacherdemonstrates concepts on the smartboard and asksquestions. The general education teacher then takesthe lead introducing a new concept, and the specialeducation teacher moves to the smartboard to workexamples and ask questions.

One Teach, One Observe• Use? Occasional• What? Data gathered on academic, behavior, and/orsocial skills• When? Periodically as concerns arise (e.g.,disruptive behaviors) or specific types of informationneed to be gathered (e.g., student sentence useduring group discussions).Friend, 2008

One Teaching, One Assisting• Use: Seldom• What? One teacher leads instruction while otherprovides support (e.g., monitors student work,addresses behavior issues, answers studentquestions)Friend, 2008

One Teach, One Assist exampleDuring a science lab, the general education teacherprovides instruction and directions regarding anexperiment, and the special education teacher movesaround the classroom to monitor if each student iscompleting the experiment correctly.

Co-teaching approaches• Try a variety of approaches, even in the same day• Don’t rely on “one teach, one assist” too frequently◦ Role of support teacher becomes more like a paraprofessional◦ Students don’t benefit from having 2 credentialed teachers inthe classroomFriend, 2008

Review of co-teaching approachesWhile Ms. Acker reviews yesterday’s homework withmost of the students, Ms. Vaughan works with a smallgroup of students to review concepts they did notmaster on an assessment.◦ Team Teaching◦ Parallel Teaching◦ Alternative Teaching◦ Station Teaching

Review of co-teaching approachesMr. Johnson leads a small group of studentsdiscussing a novel about the industrial revolution. Ms.Boxer leads a small group to review material from thetextbook. Another small group independentlyexamines old newspapers and pictures from the early1900s. The students rotate to all 3 groups.◦ Team Teaching◦ Parallel Teaching◦ Alternative Teaching◦ Station Teaching

Planning Process ExampleGen ed and special edteachers decide which coteachingapproaches to use,how to group students, whichaspects of the instructionmay pose difficulties, andwhich projects may beoverwhelming for students.Individual studentsdiscussed.Friend, 2008During themeeting:Before themeeting:After themeeting:Gen ed teacher gathers keyinfo about upcomingcurriculum, projects, &activities and brings this tothe meetingSpecial education teacherprepares the differentiatedmaterials and strategiesnecessary for the instruction,plan for meeting IEP goals withinthe curriculum.

Sample Planning AgendaSample for 1 hour planning periodUpcoming curriculumtopics/units/lessonsCo-teaching arrangements andassignmentsChallenges and strategies to helpstudents succeedIndividual student matters8 min17 min15 min15 minHousekeeping/Logistics5 minFriend, 2008, p. 149

Lesson Planning ExampleDieker, 2006, pp. 2-3

Utilizing Paraeducators inGeneral Education Classroom• Work with small groups of students• Review concepts previously taught• Assist with monitoring students• Creating worksheets/manipulatives/other materialsas teacher directs• Supporting ALL students as directedFriend, 2008

Utilizing Paraeducators• Co-teaching involves 2 certified teachers – not ateacher and paraeducator• Paraeducators should not be responsible for largegroup instruction, planning or delivering initialinstruction, interpret assessment results, makeinstructional decisions, nor assume primaryresponsibility for a group of studentsFrench (2003) as cited in Friend (2008)

Wrapping up…• Co-teaching involved shared responsibility between2 teachers to meet the needs of ALL students in theclassroom.• Administrative support is important to the success ofco-teaching.• There are 6 approaches to co-teaching.• Co-planning is key!• Use paraeducators to support students as directed.

Q&A

Resources• Maryland’s Co-Teaching Network◦ http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/20619• K8 Access Center Co-teaching Archives◦ http://www.k8accesscenter.org/index.php/category/co-teaching• Co-Teaching Connection◦ http://coteach.com/• Power of 2 resources◦ http://www.powerof2.org/

ReferencesDieker, L. (2006). The co-teaching lesson plan book (3 rd ed.). Whitefish Bay, WI:Knowledge by Design.Friend, M. (2008). Co-teach! A manual for creating and sustaining classroompartnerships in inclusive schools. Greensboro, NC: Marilyn Friend, Inc.Louisiana Department of Education (2011). Louisiana’s co-teaching resourceguide. Retrieved fromhttp://www.lasig2.org/files/FINALcoteaching_Guide.pdfMurawski, W. W., & Dieker, L. A. (2004). Tips and strategies for co-teaching at thesecondary level. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 36(5), 52-58.