Access Center Webinar: Co-Teaching September 14, 2006

1. Access Center Webinar:Co-TeachingSeptember 14, 2006 Stacia Rush, Ph.D. Amy Klekotka, Ph.D.

2. Defining Co-Teaching Co-teaching occurs when two or more professionals jointly deliver substantive instruction to a diverse, or blended, group of students in a single physical space (Cook and Friend, 1995, pg 1)

3. Three Major Models • Consultant model • Coaching Model • Collaborative (or Teaming) Model

4. Most Common Approaches • One Teaching, One Drifting • Parallel Teaching • Station Teaching • Alternative Teaching • Team Teaching

5. One Teaching, One Drifting • One teacher plans and instructs, one teacher provides adaptations and other support as needed • Requires very little joint planning • Should be used sparingly • Can result in one teacher, most often the general educator taking the lead role the majority of the time • Can also be distracting to students, who may also become dependent on drifting teacher

6. Parallel Teaching • Teachers share responsibility for planning and instruction • Class is split into heterogeneous groups and each teacher instructs half on the same material • Content covered is the same, but methods of delivery may differ • Both teachers need to be proficient in the content being taught

7. Station Teaching • Teachers divide the responsibility of planning and instruction • Students rotated on pre-determined schedule through stations • Teachers repeat instruction to each group that comes through--though delivery may vary according to student needs • Approach can be used even if teachers have very different pedagogical approaches • Each teacher instructs every student

8. Alternative Teaching • Teachers divide responsibility for planning and instruction • The majority of students remain in large group setting, while some students work in a small group for pre-teaching, enrichment, re-teaching or other individualized instruction • Allows for highly individualized instruction to be offered • Teachers should be careful that the same students are not always pulled aside

9. Team Teaching • Teachers share responsibility for planning and instruction • Teachers work as a team to introduce new content, work on developing skills, clarify information, and facilitate learning and classroom management • This requires the most mutual trust and respect between teachers, and that they are able to mesh their teaching styles

10. Sounds good…now what? Getting co-teaching started at the building and classroom levels

11. Action Steps • Administrators should provide information, encourage proactive preparation from teachers • Assess level of collaboration currently in place • Pre-plan • Implement slowly…baby steps!

12. Planning Strategies for Effective Co-Teaching Efforts

13. Pre-Planning • Requires thoughtful planning time • Administrative support is essential • Here is where the alignment of special and general education occurs • Make this time as focused as possible • Take turns taking the lead in planning and facilitating

14. 2 stages in classroomco-planning • Getting to know each other • Weekly co-planning

15. Getting to know each other • Ease into working with one another • Deal with the “little” things first • These typically become the deal-breakers down the road and preventing these road blocks early can make your lives easier

16. Getting to know each other • Important to spend time talking and getting better acquainted with each other’s skills, interests, and educational philosophies • Semi structured preliminary discussion can facilitate this process • Discuss current classroom routines and rules

17. Weekly Co-Planning • Effective weekly co-planning is based on regularly scheduled meetings, rather than “fitting it in.” • Important to stay focused • Review content in advance of meeting

18. Collaborative Scheduling • Collaborative Scheduling A • Collaborative Scheduling B • Collaborative Scheduling C

19. Collaborative Scheduling A • Special educator divides teaching time between two different classes in the same day

20. Advantages • Enables students with disabilities to access a broader range of general education classrooms, including AP and honors • Ensures the availability of direct support from a special educator for critical parts of the instructional programs • Improved ratio of students with disabilities to students without disabilities

21. Challenges • Requires effective consulting skills on the part of the special educator • Larger danger that the special educator will not be seen as an equal partner to the general education partner • Possibility for disruption to the class routine exists

22. Collaborative Scheduling B • The special educator divides time between two different classes • The involvement of the special educator varies by days of the week, not within classes in the same day

23. Advantages • Similar to Scheduling – A • Co-teachers report an ability to implement a full range of co-teaching models because of the planned involvement of both teachers in complete classes on certain days of the week

24. Challenges • Similar to Scheduling –A • Need to be cognizant of the presence of two teachers on only certain days of the week. • Students with specific support and accommodation requirements have to be well aligned to the schedule

25. Challenges (cont’d) • Requires ability by general educator to implement IEP requirements in the absence of the special educator • Special educator burn-out is an issue, because of the greater demand of knowledge of general ed. curriculum • Requires supervisory judgment regarding which teachers can effectively plan and implement this model

26. Collaborative Scheduling C • The special educator serves as a resource to the interdisciplinary team • His/her schedule is established weekly on the basis on instructional activities • Requires the greatest amount of flexibility and planning by an interdisciplinary team of teachers

27. Advantages • Special educator is present when needed most for instructional support • Instructional need dictates the cooperative teaching role, not the calendar or time of day • Most responsive to student needs and schedules

28. Challenges • Requires the highest degree of planning and buy-in by a team of teachers

29. How Does Co-Teaching Look In the Classroom?

30. Three stages of co-teaching relationships • Beginning stage • Compromising stage • Collaborative stage

31. 3 stages of co-teaching as they apply to: • Physical Arrangement • Familiarity with the Curriculum • Curriculum Goals and Modifications • Instructional Presentation • Classroom Management • Assessment

32. Physical Arrangement

33. Physical Arrangement:Beginning Stage • Impression of separateness • Students with disabilities vs. general ed students • Little ownership of materials or space by special educator • Delegated spaces which are rarely abandoned

34. Physical Arrangement:Beginning Stage(cont’d) • Invisible walls • A classroom within a classroom

35. Physical Arrangement:Compromising Stage • More movement and shared space • Sharing of materials • Territoriality becomes less evident • Special ed teacher moves more freely around the classroom, but rarely takes center stage

36. Physical Arrangement:Collaboration Stage • Seating arrangements intentionally interspersed • All students participate in cooperative grouping assignments • Teachers are more fluid in an unplanned and natural way

37. Physical Arrangement:Collaboration Stage(cont’d) • Both teachers control space – like an effective doubles team in tennis – the classroom is always “covered” • Space is truly jointly owned

38. Familiarity with the Curriculum

39. Familiarity with the Curriculum:Beginning Stage • Special educator may be unfamiliar with content or methodology used by the general education teacher • General ed teacher may have limited understanding of modifying the curriculum and making appropriate accommodations • Creates a lack of confidence in both teachers

40. Familiarity with the Curriculum:CompromisingCollaborative Stages • Special educator acquires a knowledge of the scope and sequence and develops a solid understanding of the content of the curriculum • Special educator gains confidence to make suggestions for modifications and accommodations

41. Familiarity with the Curriculum:CompromisingCollaborative Stages • General ed teacher becomes more willing to modify the curriculum and there is increased sharing in planning and teaching • Both teachers appreciate the specific curriculum competencies that they bring to the content area

42. Curriculum Goals and Modifications

43. Curriculum Goals & Modifications:Beginning Stage • Programs are driven by textbooks and standards, and goals tend to be “test-driven” • Modifications and accommodations are generally restricted to those identified in the IEP/ little interaction regarding modifications to the curriculum • Special educator’s role is seen as “helper”

44. Curriculum Goals & Modifications:Compromising Stage • General educator may view modifications as “giving up” or “watering down” the curriculum

45. Curriculum Goals & Modifications:Collaborative Stage • Both teachers begin to differentiate concepts that all students must know from concepts that most students should know • Modifications of content, activities, homework assignments, and tests become the norm for students who require them

46. Instructional Presentation

47. Instructional Presentation:Beginning Stage • Teachers often present separate lessons • One teacher is “boss,” one is “helper”

48. Instructional Presentation:Compromising Stage • Both teachers direct some of the activities in the classroom • Special educator offers mini-lessons or clarifies strategies students may use

49. Instructional Presentation:Collaborative Stage • Both teachers participate in the presentation of the lesson, provide instruction, and structure the learning activities • The “chalk” passes freely • Students address questions and discuss concerns with both teachers

50. Classroom Management