Co-teaching can be a great experience! It allows teachers to share the responsibility of a classroom. Students get much more attention. Classrooms run more smoothly and efficiently. When done effectively, it’s a win-win for everyone. In this article, I will provide you with co-teaching tips to help teachers work together to achieve the best co-teaching outcome!
What is Co-Teaching?
Co-teaching is also referred to as collaborative or team teaching. Co-teaching happens when two teachers equally divide the responsibilities of the classroom. This includes teaching, planning, paperwork, discipline, assessing, parent involvement, and intervention.
Co-teaching may consist of two teachers certified to teach the same subject (or grade level) in the same classroom. Many times, however, the team is made of one general education and one special education teacher.
School districts use co-teaching for a variety of reasons. First, co-teaching allows opportunities for more group work and one-on-one attention. This is especially helpful when classrooms have a higher percentage of students with disabilities. Classrooms also experience “synergy” with co-teaching. When two teachers bounce ideas off of each other, lessons are more solid and creative. Finally, many students with disabilities have IEPs that mandate a co-teacher in the classroom, especially for core subjects.
I would venture to say that most school districts (if not all) use co-teaching to some degree. I mean, it was a model in all of the 7 school districts in which I’ve taught. Unfortunately, however, I think school districts fall short on training their teachers how to co-teach. Even just a few tips on co-teaching would be helpful to make it more effective!
Benefits of Co-Teaching
According to Edutopia.com, co-teaching has many benefits:
- Students have access to more than one teacher to help address learning needs
- Two adults in the classroom can provide better classroom management
- Lessons may be more creative (two minds are better than one!)
- Learning is less disrupted when a substitute teacher is required
- Teachers can learn new teaching methods and strategies from each other
- Teachers’ workload is more attainable since it is split
Co-Teaching Models
Co-teaching works well when it is done correctly. However, teachers often receive little to no training on useful co-teaching tips and strategies. Successful co-teaching doesn’t usually happen naturally in the classroom. And co-teachers often work the first several weeks of the school year trying to define their roles and expectations of each other.
There are six basic co-teaching models:
- One teach, one assist. One teacher primarily delivers information. The other assists by distributing papers, monitoring student behavior and work, or asking the primary teacher to clarify a concept.
- One teach, one observe. One teacher delivers lessons. The other teacher observes student behavior, social skills, work ethic, etc. This strategy should only be used occasionally. It’s almost like benching a star basketball player so he or she can observe from the sidelines!
- Station teaching. Teachers divide the students equally and teach lessons that are independent of each other. Then, students rotate. This approach allows for smaller group settings which can be effective for learning.
- Parallel teaching. Teachers divide students and teach the same material. The groups don’t rotate, however. This method helps manage student behavior and increase student participation.
- Differentiated teaching. One teacher manages the majority of the students. The other teacher removes a small group of student to deliver specific instructional content. This is very useful for remediation or enrichment of students.
- Team teaching. Both teachers teach the content. Each teacher has an equally active role in the delivery of the content. This strategy should be used occasionally since struggling students may be overlooked with this method.
As you can see, there is no one best model for co-teaching. Many co-teachers use a variety of these methods depending on the teachers’ skills, comfort level of the content, and students’ needs.
Tips for Co-Teaching Successfully
My experience as a special education inclusion teacher gave me many insights into co-teaching. On any day, I had to understand each of my 6 co-teachers’ moods, content, and classroom dynamics. Unfortunately, none of the seven school districts I worked in provided training on co-teaching. None! I was left feeling like an intruder in the classroom. And my co-teachers felt like I was spying on them, waiting to report a mistake. Eventually, things warmed up. But it took almost a quarter of the school year to get to that point!
Therefore, here is my advice to you. For co-teaching to work peacefully, try these tips:
1. Decide Model Early
Decide at the beginning of the year which model works best for both teachers and the needs of the students. Some teachers I co-taught with were more comfortable allowing me to teach the material, even though my focus was on special education. Other teachers didn’t want to “hand over the reins”, so I served more as a support role in their classroom. Review the models and discuss potential pros and cons (here is a nice printable pdf of them from CSU Chico). You and your co-teacher may choose different models per unit, lesson, or classroom. That’s ok as long as you are both on board with what works well at the time.
2. Share Other Duties
Determine how to handle administrative duties. Who will grade, and how? Who will attend IEP meetings? Who will call parents? Who will discipline students? What is the discipline plan? This is perhaps one of the most important yet overlooked co-teaching tips. Co-teaching involves evenly splitting the responsibilities!
3. Get to Know Each Other!
Develop a relationship with your co-teacher. One of the best co-teachers I ever worked with was an ex-Army major known for strict classroom management and a very matter-of-fact personality. As I got to know him, however, I realized we had a lot in common. He ended up being the best co-teacher I’ve ever worked with! We established our model early in the year and there was no ambiguity, which fit both our personalities well.
4. Empathy
Be empathetic! One year in particular, every single one of my co-teachers had very divergent personalities. I had to learn best how to work with each one. Personalities clash sometimes, and teachers often compare credentials and try to “one up” each other. But try to see things from your co-teachers’ point of view. I had to remind myself that they were the subject matter expert, and I was the special education expert. My co-teachers were intimidated with me (a Ph.D.) in their classroom. They even told me so! I had to continue to put myself in their shoes to understand decisions I maybe didn’t agree with. Eventually, they realized I was on their side!
5. Include Each Other
Include each other in all classroom matters. One of my best friends is an inclusion teacher for an 11th grade English class. One day, her co-teacher changed her lesson plans at the last minute. My friend was not happy about the change. She wasn’t consulted, and the change included content she was not comfortable teaching. This caused a major rift in their relationship. One of the best co-teaching tips, therefore, is to include each other on all classroom and teaching decisions.
6. Be Respectful
Be respectful and professional. I’ve seen co-teachers meander through the hallway on their way to class, 10 minutes after the bell rang. I’ve known some co-teachers who just didn’t show up to their class. One co-teacher I knew would text or play games on his phone during instructional time. I’ve seen some get into heated arguments over content delivery (really?). The bottom line is that you and your co-teacher are the adults and role models in the class. Be respectful so that students can learn from your relationship.
7. Communicate
This sounds like an easy co-teaching tip. But communicating is one of the hardest things to do effectively. Co-teachers must effectively talk to each other in order to share ideas for lessons or discuss student needs. Co-teaching is an equal responsibility. Neither teacher should feel oppressed or less important in the classroom. Communicating clearly ensures that both teachers understand each other and have a clear vision of their roles in the classroom.
8. Plan Ahead
Co-teaching requires a lot of planning ahead. During lesson planning, decide which method is best and include it in your lesson plans. This way both teachers will know their roles. Decide on methods by weighing the students needs with the teachers’ knowledge and skills of the lesson. Also, to the extent possible, find a common time to plan together or plan with your co-teacher’s department. Make the best use of your time together (here’s ways to save some time) so that your lessons are well-planned and thought out with co-teaching in mind!
Final Thoughts
Many teachers enter the field because of the ability to work autonomously in their own classroom. And these same teachers may feel that co-teaching takes away this freedom. The benefits of co-teaching have been established in literature, though. Teachers should work hard to incorporate successful co-teaching strategies into their classroom. By implementing the co-teaching tips I’ve provided, you should be able to work successfully with your co-teachers!
I hope you enjoy the opportunity of co-teaching and the impact you are having on your students!