Co-teaching: Teamwork to Support All Learners

1. Co-teaching:Teamwork to Support All LearnersKristall Day & Katelyn FishleyDiocese AcademyJune 20, 2018

2. Welcome • Who is here? • How many general education or content area teachers? Intervention specialists? • Elementary? Middle? High school? • How many of you co-teach? Who do you co-teach with?

3. Objectives • Define co-teaching • Discuss strategies and tools for nurturing an effective co-teaching relationship • Identify examples of co-teaching arrangements • Discuss advantages and disadvantages for each arrangement

4. Rationale for Co-teaching • 10 variables & impact student achievement: • clarity • enthusiasm • variety • task-oriented behaviors • content covered • student ideas during discussion • criticism (negative correlation) • structuring comments • variety questions • probing questions • (Rosenshineand Furst, 1971)

5. Rationale Narrowed • Rosenshine (1979) narrowed this list to the 2 MOST impactful variables: • content covered • academically engaged minutes Effective co-teaching is one way to address these!

6. Current Literature on Co-teaching • Increase of standardized test scores for Sw/D (Hang & Rabren, 2009) • Accelerated rate of achievement and access to general education (Walsh, 2012) • No negative impact of inclusive practices for student groups (Dessemontet & Bless, 2013) • Decrease in achievement gap for students with EAL designation (Pardini, 2006)

7. Co-teaching Defined • Critical Elements of the Definition: • Two or more professionals with different primary areas of expertise • Joint planning, delivery, and assessment of instruction • Emphasis on meeting the needs of diverse learners

8. But….. • We know that asking people to work together isn’t always easy! • Different philosophies, training • Personality clashes • Lack of time • Territory battles • Miscommunication

9. Stages of Co-teaching • Beginning • Guarded, careful communication • Compromising • Give & take • Collaborating • Open communication, mutual respect How do we get here as quickly as possible? • Gately & Gately 2001

10. Effective Co-teaching Includes.. • Shared vision & expectations • Structure • Time • Supportive and Positive Communication!!!!

11. Tools for:Shared vision and expectations

12. New to Co-teaching? • Tools to get to know yourself and your co-teaching partner: • S.H.A.R.E. • Questions to identify individual preferences • Preliminary Discussion Questions • Philosophies, routines, expectations • Teaching Style Inventory • Defining Critical Behaviors Discussion: Review the assessments. How can these be helpful?

13. Already Co-teaching? • Co-teaching Rating Scale • Self-assessment capturing components • Starting point for discussion • Target area(s) for improvement • Create a plan • Implement plan • Evaluate progress/ plan

14. Components of Co-teaching • Interpersonal communication • Physical arrangement • Familiarity with the curriculum • Curriculum goals and modifications • Instructional planning • Instructional presentation • Classroom management • Assessment • Gately & Gately 2001

15. Ratings scales include a version for supervisor, general education teacher, and special education teacher. How can these be used? • Gately & Gately 2001

16. Tools for:Structure

17. Co-planning and Assessment • Content • Big ideas/ standards? Common misconceptions? Minimum level of mastery? • Student needs • Adaptations? Accommodations? Modifications? Differentiation? • Lesson plans • Learning goal • Activities • Assessment • Co-teaching structure/ arrangement

18. Templates for Planning and Assessment • Curriculum snapshots • Individual Student Needs Summary • Weekly planner • Co-teaching structure planner • Daily lesson plan template

19. Co-teaching Arrangements • One Teaching, One Observing (Assisting) • One teacher has the primary responsibility for planning and teaching • Other teacher helps students or records data • Some advantages of this approach are: • Individual help • Keeps students on task • Saves time when distributing materials • Can observe behavior • Supporting can observe good teaching practices Discussion: Disadvantages?

20. Co-teaching Arrangements • One Teaching, One Observing (Assisting) • Some disadvantages of this approach are: • One teacher has more control than the other • One teacher is viewed as the teacher’s aide • May be distracting to some students • Students begin to expect immediate one-on-one assistance Discussion: Have you encountered any of these challenges? How can you overcome these challenges?

21. Co-teaching Arrangements • Parallel Teaching • Teachers plan jointly but split the classroom in half to teach the same information at the same time. • Some advantages of this approach are: • Preplanning provides better teaching • Smaller groups • Implementation of grouping strategies • Some disadvantages of this approach are: • Both teachers need to be competent in the content • Pacing must be the same • Must be enough space in the classroom • Can be noisy

22. Co-teaching Arrangements • Alternative Teaching • One teacher manages most of the class while the other teacher works with a small group inside or outside of the classroom. • Some advantages of this approach are: • Helps meet the personal needs of students • Both teachers can remain in the classroom • Some disadvantages of this approach are: • Stigma • Students may view one teacher as having more authority • Noise level must be controlled • There must be adequate space

23. Co-teaching Arrangements • Station Teaching • The classroom is divided into various teaching centers • Some advantages of this approach are:  • Teachers have clear responsibilities • Small groups • Cover more material in a shorter period of time • Fewer discipline problems • Grouping strategies • Maximizes the use of volunteers or extra adults in the room • Some disadvantages of this approach are: • Requires a lot of preplanning • All materials must be prepared and organized in advance • Noise at maximum level • Pacing • One or more groups must work independently

24. Co-teaching Arrangements • Team Teaching • Both teachers are responsible for planning, and they share the instruction of all students. • Some advantages of this approach are: • Each teacher has an active role • Students view both teachers as having equal status • Both teachers are involved in classroom organization and management • Teachers may try things in pairs that they wouldn’t try alone • “Two heads are better than one” • Some disadvantages of this approach are: • Preplanning takes a considerable amount of time • Teachers’ roles need to be clearly defined for shared responsibility

25. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCn4qDyuZVE Example

26. Tools for:Time

27. Ongoing Communication • Common planning • Consistent meeting time • Use of technology • Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, etc. • Consistent formats for documents • Advocate for time Discussion: Other ideas?

28. Maximize Time • Take time to have discussions to get to know each other • Create a plan • Implement the plan & collect data • Evaluate the plan • Make changes as needed • Celebrate successes

29. Monitor Progress • Tracking Our Progress through the 3 Stages • Co-planning, Co-teaching, Co-managing, Co-assessing Action Plan Discussion: Start small! Don’t tackle everything at once! What would be your priority?

30. Recommended Resources • https://www3.bucksiu.org/cms/lib/PA09000729/Centricity/Domain/64/AllHandouts%20Coteaching.pdf • https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/Co-Teaching%20Modules/Module%201/04%20Co-Teaching%20Workbook_Action_Plan_CESA_SI.pdf

31. Contact Kristall Day – dayk@ohiodominican.edu Katelyn Fishley– fishleyk@ohiodominican.edu