Co-teaching

Co-teaching is an inclusive instructional model that allows teachers to meet multilingual students' language and content learning needs in a general education classroom.  Two (or more) teachers share the responsibility of the planning, delivering, and assessing standards-based instruction. Each teacher guides the instruction from the knowledge base of their specialty or content area. 

A co-teaching model creates a more inclusionary and equitable experience for students identified for English Learner program services. Through co-teaching, multilingual students and their instructional needs are included in the content classrooms with the interweaving of the professional capacity of the two teachers - grade-level content instruction fortified with language support. 

In a co-teaching model, components of the pedagogy of teaching are enhanced to create a culturally and linguistically inclusive experience for students. Components of pedagogy fall into the categories of Environment, Instruction, and Content.  See below for essential components of co-teaching in each category and resources to support you. 

Instruction

Content

Mutual Goals

Shared Resources

English Language Development Standards

Grade-level standards-based instruction

WIDA 2020 Standards Framework

Step by Step Guide for Integrating the ELD Standards into Instruction


CLICK link to find sessions of: Co-teaching Professional Development 

Co-planning Time: Instructions for Current Co-teachers 

After attending a district co-teaching training together, you and your partner can receive 8 hours of paid co-planning time each trimester.  You may take the planning time:

To take a sub day: 

To timecard: 

Co-Teaching Frameworks and Resources 

Co-Planning

Co-teachers  purposefully and consistently plan together.  They plan for  content and language, lesson sequence, and essential practice strategies.  They come to the planning meeting already prepared (knowledge of content/curriculum student data, etc. ) to contribute so that planning is optimally efficient.  

ELD Standards & Content

Co-teachers design and implement lessons and units that  utilize content and language standards.  The content standards are aligned with key uses (i.e. explain, inform, argue, or narrate) and teacher models, providing examples and differentiation utilizing language forms, functions and specific examples to build comfort using the language structures at the word, sentence, and discourse dimensions.

Classroom Arrangements

Within  a specific unit of study a co-teaching team utilizes several of the classroom arrangements that are specifically aligned to the purpose and content of each lesson

Essential Practices

Co-teachers regularly and consistently embed a variety of Essential Practices for MLs in Environment, Instruction, and Content within daily instruction. They choose strategies that align with language and content goals and see an  impact on student engagement and learning. 

Assessment

Co-teachers are both involved in assessments; data is discussed in a purposeful way at planning meetings.  They co-create assessments that take into account both content and language learning

Co-Reflection

Co-teachers set aside time to engage in on-going reflecting about their co-teaching.  During this time they: Talk about beliefs/issues affecting co-teaching; Dialogue about their teaching relationship; Analyze the effectiveness of co-taught lesson; Consider new ideas and  future plans; Discuss Trust; Connect around work style and personality ; Discuss shared space ; Build communication.