Transitioning From College to the Classroom Using Co-Teaching Programs

Presenter:

Shannon J. Holden

Republic R-III Schools

Overview of Today’s Session

• What is Co-Teaching?

• How was Co-Teaching first used?

• How school districts are using Co-Teaching now

• Isn’t Co-Teaching Expensive?

Overview of Today’s Session

• Six types of Co-Teaching

• Advantages/Disadvantages of each

• How Co-Teaching keeps teachers in the profession

What is Co-Teaching?

• Co-Teaching is otherwise known as Collaborative Team Teaching – a strategy where two instructors split teaching responsibilities in an attempt to differentiate instruction & engage students in the material being taught

How was Co-Teaching first used?

• Co-Teaching was first used in the Special Education department

How is Co-Teaching Being Used Today?

• School districts are working with Universities to structure their student-teaching programs

• School districts are using Co-Teaching to induct and train new teachers

Why is This Necessary?• Traditional pre-service teacher training

programs are ineffective

• Traditional novice-teacher induction programs (mentoring, etc.) are not effective

• Almost half of all novice teachers do not make it five years in the classroom

Student Teaching in the “Olden Days”

• Cooperating teacher volunteered to mentor a student teacher in order to “take a break” from teaching

• Cooperating teacher handed classes to student teacher – then left the room

• The rationale was that the student teacher needed to be alone to “establish herself” as the authority figure in the classroom

Isn’t Co-Teaching Expensive?

• Yes, Co-Teaching IS expensive

• You are lowering the teacher-student ratio

• Extra teachers will need to be hired

• What is the alternative?– Unprepared teachers are costly as well!

The Costs of Unprepared Teachers

• High teacher turnover

• Poor instruction

• Lower standardized test scores

• Increase in number of lawsuits

• Increase of time spent by administrators remediating under-trained staff

Six Types of Co-Teaching

• One Teach, One Observe

• One Teach, One Assist

• Station Teaching (Rotational Teaching)

• Parallel Teaching

• Alternative Teaching

• Tag Team (Traditional Co-Teaching)

Six Types of Co-Teaching

• Each type of Co-Teaching has its “Pros” and “Cons”

• As a novice teacher, listen to the descriptions of each type of Co-Teaching

• Think to yourself “Which type of Co-Teaching would help me grow the most?”

One Teach, One Observe

• One teacher (usually the stronger of the two) does all of the teaching

• The other teacher floats or observes the class

One Teach, One Observe (Pros)• Minimal coordination or collaboration is

necessary

• Allows the stronger teacher to deliver high-quality lessons without interruption

• Can conceal the weaknesses of the weaker partner in a particular subject area

One Teach, One Observe (Cons)• Does not fully utilize each teacher

• Can create an authority problem for the observing teacher if done regularly

• Can create contempt or frustration from the lead teacher if used too often (unless it is by mutual choice)

One Teach, One Assist

• One teacher instructs while the other teacher manages behavior or assists individual students as needed

• In my school, this is the prevalent format for our Class Within a Class (CWC)

One Teach, One Assist (Pros)

• Allows a strong teacher to deliver lessons without interruption

One Teach, One Assist (Cons)

• Does not make full use of two teachers

• Can result in establishing the assisting teacher as the disciplinarian (which may lead to negative student feelings towards that particular teacher)

One Teach, One Assist• Beware of a situation where a co-teacher

hovers over a specific student or group of students – stigmatizing both the students and the co-teacher

• Beware of one teacher becoming the photocopier or in-class paper grader instead of instructor

• Beware of resentment because of the unequal status of the teachers

Station Teaching (Rotational Teaching)

• Each teacher is responsible for a particular portion of the lesson (or a different lesson entirely)

• Students are divided into two or more groups

• The students travel from station to station, or the teacher may travel from group to group in order to present their portion of the lesson

Station Teaching (Pros)

• Each teacher can plan independently for a lesson that fits their strength

• Each student is exposed to similar material, but groups can be differentiated by level

• Makes good use of both teachers for management purposes

Station Teaching (Cons)

• Requires good timing between the two teachers, which will take practice

• Requires management of students as they work independently

• Depending on your classroom space, may be logistically difficult

Parallel Teaching

• The class is split in half, and each teacher presents the same material (lesson)

Parallel Teaching (Pros)• More individualized instruction/attention due

to a smaller group

• Can provide control for socially-based behavior problems between students

Parallel Teaching (Cons)

• Also requires excellent timing, which will require practice

• Requires collaborative planning, which will take time

• Requires each teacher to be equally strong in the material being presented

Parallel Teaching• Beware of creating a special class within the

class and lowering student achievement by homogeneously grouping lower performing students together

• Keep the noise at acceptable levels (difficult when multiple activities are happening at the same time)

Alternative Teaching

• One teacher teaches a lesson to the larger group of students

• One teacher teaches a different lesson to a smaller group of students

Alternative Teaching (Pros)

• Provides excellent differentiation opportunities

• Provides opportunities for remediation and enrichment for those who need it

• Can provide behavior control in the smaller group setting

Alternative Teaching (Cons)• Must not categorize one group of students by

constantly putting them together

• May reduce the efficacy of inclusion by separating specific students with special needs

• May reduce students’ exposure to the general education curriculum

Alternative Teaching• Beware of one teacher being typecast as the

“expert” or “real teacher”

• Beware of failing to plan for “role reversal” so that both teachers are able to teach the large group

Tag Team Teaching (Traditional)

• Both teachers plan and deliver lessons together, with each teacher equally responsible for the material in the lesson

• This can occur either spontaneously or scripted

Tag Team Teaching (Pros)

• A great way to model a respectful working relationship between two adults

• Allows both teachers to give their input on specific topics

• Can allow the teaching of two ideas or strategies at the same time

• Promotes respect for both teachers in the team

Tag Team Teaching (Cons)

• Requires a rapport between the two teachers that cannot be rushed or faked

• Requires meticulous planning as a team, which takes a lot of time and effort

Potential Problems

• Beware of not monitoring the students who need it

• Beware of too much teacher talk, repetition, and lack of student-student interaction

For ANY of These Models to Succeed, Both Teachers Must:

• Establish rapport

• Identify your teaching styles and use them to create a cohesive classroom

• Discuss strengths & weaknesses

For ANY of These Models to Succeed, Both Teachers Must:

• Discuss Individualized Education Plan (IEP) & regular education goals

• Formulate a plan of action and act as a unified team

• Take risks and grow!

How Co-Teaching Keeps Teachers in the Profession

• Co-Teaching results in student teachers being better prepared to embark on their teaching career

• Co-Teaching results in new hires being inducted the correct way

How Co-Teaching Keeps Teachers in the Profession

• Co-Teaching invigorates veteran teachers by exposing them to fresh ideas

• Co-Teaching takes antiquated “Mentoring” programs to a whole new level

How Co-Teaching Keeps Teachers in the Profession

• Co-Teaching provides a higher level of instruction for students

• Co-Teaching provides opportunities for educators to form professional relatonships that last a lifetime

Possible Uses of Co-Teaching

• Student Teacher is “Teacher A”

• Cooperating Teacher is “Teacher B”

• See next slide for possible co-teaching schedule

Possible Uses of Co-Teaching• Week 1 – One Teach (B), One Observe (A)

• Week 2 – One Teach (B), One Assist (A)

• Week 3 – Station Teaching (A & B)

• Week 4 – Parallel Teaching (A & B)

• Week 5 – One Teach (A), One Assist (B)

Possible Uses of Co-Teaching• Week 6 – One Teach (A), One Observe (B)

• Week 7 – Traditional Co-Teaching• Teacher A & Teacher B alternate topics during lesson

• Week 8 – Teacher A (Solo)

The Combinations are Endless!• The preceding slides are just an example of

the ways each co-teaching type can be utilize to help student teachers learn

• Each student teacher is unique, and schedules could be individualized if needed