Co-Teaching

Educators

Definition: Co-teaching is a service delivery model that utilizes a licensed special education and general education teacher for the purpose of providing both intensive and milder supports, including the possibility of delivering SDI.

What Co-Teaching is:

Co-teaching happens in a shared classroom.
The focus of co-teaching is access to the core for all.
A co-teacher’s roles will vary depending on student needs.

Co-teaching is NOT:

Using one of the teachers as an assistant.
Alternating the lead role, turn-taking.
Time for one of the teachers to complete administrative work while the other teacher is teaching.

Models of Co-Teaching

The following recommendations come from Marilyn Friend’s book: Co-Teach! Building and Sustaining Effective Classroom Partnerships in Inclusive Schools, 2019. For more details reference her book.

One Teach, One Observe

Recommended usage: frequent, but for brief periods of time

Definition: One teacher manages the instruction of the entire group, while the other teacher systematically gathers data the two teachers decided was important.

Station Teaching

Recommended usage: frequent; (roughly 40% of the time)

Definition: Teachers divide the content to be addressed into three to four segments and group students so each small group rotates through each station. Students can be grouped using flexible grouping strategies. Some stations may be run by a teacher, some may be independent, and some may use technology.

Parallel Teaching

Recommended usage: frequent; roughly 30% of the time

Definition: The class is divided in half and the teachers lead the same instruction with both groups. Students can be grouped by skill level; the same content can be delivered using different strategies. The goal of this model is to provide more opportunity for students to participate and provide closer proximity to the teacher.

Alternative Teaching

Recommended usage: Occasional; up to 30% of the time

Definition: Most students are instructed by one teacher while a small group receives intensive instruction by the other teacher. This model could work well for delivery of SDI.

Team Teaching

Recommended usage: occasional

Definition: Both teachers co-teach the whole class and equally share the leadership of the instruction..

One Teach, One Assist

Recommended usage: seldom (or less)

Definition: One teacher leads the whole group, while the other teacher supports individual students within the whole group. This should be used rarely as it lends itself to placing one teacher in an assistant role.