I am once again working for Broward Public Schools. My current assignment is Grade 9 Biology Honors teacher. I am co-teaching with a superb science teacher, from whom I am learning a whole lot.
I worked as a co-teacher before in this same school district, but never really looked at any model to determine how I could best work under these circumstances. Recently a page was left in my mailbox informing me of different models I could use in this co-teaching position.
After reading it, I realized that I had used two different models each time I had the opportunity to co-teach. I used the alternative teaching method, where I would take a small group of struggling students over to a teaching station and work with them one on one in the group. I have also used one model where the lead teacher did all the teaching, and I did all the grading. In this case, the students knew that he was their teacher, but they also recognized me as a teacher with the authority as such.
The models all included parity, which signifies that you are observed as equals in the classroom, and one does not have to ask the permission of the other in order to direct students to perform.
What is Co-Teaching?Co-Teaching is two or more teachers sharing responsibility for teaching some or all of the students assigned to a classroom. It involves the distribution of responsibility for planning, instruction and evaluation of students.
Topics for Co-teachers to Discuss
One of the key factors to successfully co-teaching is the demonstration of parity, which entails alternatively engaging in the dual roles of teacher and learner, expert and novice, giver and recipient of knowledge or skills.
PARITY? HOW?
BOTH
1. Have names on board
2. Write on assignments
3. Have spa for personal belongings
4. Have lead role in classroom
5. Talk during instruction
6. Gives directions or permission without checking with the other
7. Work with all students
8. Considered teachers by students
DISCUSS
- Instructional content and expectations for students.
- Planning, including time to do it and who does which part.
- Instructional format, including who will do which part of the instructional delivery.
- Instructional routines
- Organizational routines
- The definition of "help."
- Discipline procedures for the classroom.
- Feedback, including when and how to discuss issues with each other.
- Student evaluation, including grading.
- Pet peeves.
- Other
SIX APPROACHES TO CO-TEACHING:
1. One Teach, One Observe
One of the advantages in co-teaching is that more detailed observation of students engaged in the learning process can occur. With this approach, for example, co-teachers can decide in advance what types of specific observational information to gather during instruction and can agree on a system for gathering the data. Afterward, the teachers should analyze the information together.
2. One Teach, One Assist
In a second approach to co-teaching, one person would keep primary responsibility for teaching while the other professional circulated through the room providing unibs=trusive assistance to students as needed.
3. Parallel Teaching
On occasion, student learning would be greatly facilitated if they just had more supervision by the teacher or more opportunity to respond. In parallel teaching, the teachers are both covering the same information, but they divide the class into two groups and teach simultaneously.
4. Station Teaching
In this approach, teachers divide teacher content and students. Each teacher then teaches the content to one group, and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group. If appropriate, a third station could give students an opportunity to work independently.
5. Alternative Teaching
In most class groups, occasions arise in which several students need specialized attention. In alternative teaching, one teacher takes responsibility for the large group while the other works with a smaller group.
6. Team Teaching
In team teaching, both teachers are delivering the same instruction at the same time. Som teachers refer to this as having one brain in two bodies. Others call eam teaching. Most co-teachers consider this approach the most complex, but satisfying way to co-teach, but the approach that is most dependent on teacher's styles.
