Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Editorial Team
Co-teaching is an approach adopted to provide education and enhance the learning experience of students, especially those in inclusive classrooms. It is based on the idea of pairing a general education teacher with a special education teacher to cater to the needs of all students, including students with learning difficulties and special needs. The co-teachers have specific roles and responsibilities and work collaboratively on certain aspects as well.
For successful learning and classroom engagement, it is very important for both the teachers to work as a team and compliment each other’s work. Before indulging in delivering education to the class, co-teachers should be trained and prepared and together plan the strategies they are going to apply. In addition to that, they should also work on building rapport with each other and engaging within themselves.
Co-teaching models: which one is most effective for a better outcome?
There is no single model that can be termed as most effective. Choosing a co-teaching model or a strategy depends on the goal of the lesson. Co-teaching requires teachers to know their students well. It also needs trust and understanding between the teachers.
There are many models of co-teaching. A study indicated that the One teaches -one assist model has been quite effective as one teacher explains the concepts, while the other teacher checks with the students who need help either in understanding or where they need guidance.
This is particularly helpful when the classroom has children with special needs.
Strategies to improve student outcomes
Co-teaching is a great way to improve the quality of education. Let us look at a few strategies for the same:
1. Plan ahead
Planning is important for co-teaching. Firstly, the plan for the preferred model of co-teaching is made. When you plan, you are able to be prepared for the implementation and any problems that may come up. Planning together is an excellent way to avoid conflicts and ensure that you both have the same objectives. It also helps you to avoid duplicating work, which can be very time-consuming.
It helps to share ideas, resources, and information with parents. This will ensure that they are aware of what is going on in their child’s learning environment as well as give them confidence in their own role as educators by knowing that their child is receiving quality teaching from qualified tutors.
2. Recognize student’s needs and skills
Assessment of the student’s strengths and weaknesses is done. A suitable learning plan for each is prepared based on the results. Provide differentiated instruction that addresses each student’s needs and skills.
For example, if a student has difficulty reading aloud and writing on paper, one could provide him with audio recordings of text passages that he can listen to while having the option of writing down his thoughts in class instead of reading them out loud.
3. Classroom management
Discuss classroom management. One of the most important aspects of co-teaching is communication. Communication is essential for any relationship, and it’s especially important when one is working with a group of students who may not be able to communicate efficiently. One needs to establish clear expectations from the beginning so that everyone understands what they should do at all times during class.
For example, if there’s an assignment due any time soon, it would be helpful if students knew this was coming up and could prepare accordingly—whether that includes getting extra time on their project or reading through some chapters ahead of time before class begins so they’re ready with questions and answers when it comes up in discussion.
4. Division of work
Create a plan to divide the responsibilities of the class and assign tasks accordingly. For example, if there are two teachers who each teach one part of the program, then each teacher will have specific responsibilities for that content area. One can also divide up other types of classes: say, social studies or science versus math; or English versus Spanish.
Once it has been decided on how to divide up work within the classroom (or even between classrooms), it must be clear where each person should go every day with assignments/projects/classroom management tasks, etc., so they know exactly what’s expected from them during each session together as well as individually.
5. Student evaluation
Evaluating student work is a standard part of teaching, but it can be tricky. Students often don’t know how to evaluate their own work, especially if they’re working with someone else. It’s up to the teacher and co-teacher to make sure that the student gets all of their needs met while still giving them feedback on what they did well and where they could improve.
The first step in evaluating students’ work is getting them involved in the process by letting them know that the teacher is interested in what they are doing so that it will encourage them to continue with their own projects instead of just dropping them off. This also gives students an opportunity for self-reflection about why their current project might not be working out so well; this helps the teacher understand where their weaknesses may lie as teachers which then allows planning for further improvement later.
Interesting activities for a healthy co-teaching environment
Co-teaching is a helpful concept for the special education sector. However, it can be tricky to build the right level of collaboration between teachers. Hence, teachers should use these activities to know each other and develop a sense of respect and belongingness towards each other.
1. I Appreciate You
Co-teaching involves equal amounts of effort by both teachers involved in the teaching process. Hence, this activity focuses on reflecting on each other’s support and presence for the successful delivery of special education.
- To conduct this activity, ask teachers to gather in a circle.
- Now, give them placards or chits to write about their experience.
- On this, ask them to write about their co-teacher.
- Here, they need to mention their support, assistance, collaborative skills, and other appreciative statements in general. Also, mention the name for whom it is written.
- Now, ask them to put these chits in a bowl.
- Each teacher picks on a chit and reads it aloud.
- While reading, first read the name of the teacher for whom it is written and then read the experience. This will motivate them to work as a team.
This interesting activity develops respect for all co-teachers in front of an entire community. It also strengthens relationships between them as they recognize each other’s efforts and values.
2. What’s in your plate?
This is an engaging activity to build unity among teachers. The activity also enables them to share their joys and pains by inspiring others to do the same.
- To conduct this activity, ask teachers to get some food on their plates. For example, they can get chocolate bars, snacks, muffins, or munchies.
- Now, let each teacher talk about their pain points and joys. For example, they can say the following.
- At times, I get exhausted with teaching.
- I love how kids are thankful to me.
- Now, as they say, a statement, ask them to eat what’s on their plate.
- Ask them to pass the plate and if others also feel the same, they share the food from that specific plate
Such an activity helps teachers understand and feel each other’s journey. It also helps create a uniform environment sharing common ups and downs.
3. Get your Pair
This is a fun activity that invites open communication between teachers. In this activity, you need placards. Write the common pairs found in the learning environment – paper/pen, table/chair, pencil/eraser, and as many as possible.
- To conduct this activity, distribute the placards between teachers.
- Let them all sit in a circle
- Each teacher gets one minute to find the correct pair.
- Here, the teacher can only ask yes/no questions to other teachers for finding the pair.
- They also need to decide the person whom they’ll ask the question out of all teachers.
- For example, if a teacher has a placard of paper, the question can be, “Does it have graphite it in?“
- After a minute, the next teacher gets the chance to begin questioning.
- The activity ends when everyone has found their pairs
Such a creative activity helps build connections between teachers. They also get a chance to be enthusiastic and frame the right questions to find the pair.
Wrapping up,
Co-teaching is a great way to learn and grow for both educators and students in the learning environment. In the process of co-teaching, teachers must develop a relationship with each other to compliment each other and provide effective learning to the students by being on the same page.
Co-teaching is quite beneficial but is a demanding approach as it requires both teachers to be compatible and work as a team. Teachers can adopt various strategies and models to take forward their lessons and collaborate for a fruitful learning experience. For co-teaching to be successful, certain activities for both teachers and students can be conducted to build rapport, create bonds and get to know each other better.
I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn