Supports
These friends chose to lay in the floor to complete the story map instead of working at the table.
Working Around the Room
One way we keep things flexible for our students is by finding different way to work. Some students have difficulty sitting at a desk/table for more than a few minutes at a time. In addition to planning activities that involve movement and taking brain breaks during transitions, we also allow flexible seating during independent and group work. All students have a clipboard they can take wherever they sit, and we have little rocking chairs, wobble cushions, lapdesks, and several rugs to lay on. For a student who is super uncomfortable being close to others we brought in a desk to use while others are at their tables. If students can receive the instruction they need while working comfortably, we are happy to accommodate.
Expected vs. Unexpected
Much of the phrasing we use come from Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking Curriculum. Here is a link about Social Behavior Mapping that also mentions a bit about expected vs. unexpected behaviors. When a student does something inappropriate to the setting, it can be labeled as an "unexpected behavior." When the student is complying, we give positive reinforcement by labeling the behavior as "expected." For example, in Social Club the students come in and are expected to sit at the kidney table. When 2 out of 3 students sit, Mrs. Riley will say, "I like the way x and y are sitting at the table They're doing what's expected. It's unexpected to come in the room and not sit at the table."
It's expected for these students to be reading on the brown rug.
We are so proud of these firsties for showing the guest reader they are thinking about her as she reads!
Whole Body Listening
Michelle Garcia Winner has a free webinar that reviews what Whole Body Listening is and how it can be taught meaningfully in the classroom. Can you tell we love her? We kept a poster above our morning meeting spot and could refer back on days we needed a little extra reminder of how to show others we are thinking about them. After all, we listen with more than just our ears!
Hidden Curriculum
Hidden Curriculum was a term I (Valerie) first heard at NestCon from Dr. Brenda Smith Myles. Coming from a regular education setting this was one of the first vocabulary terms I learned. An example of a hidden curriculum item could be that you _________
When some students don't understand a hidden rule, we may give an example or role play.
Brain Breaks
Fun things we do, such as GoNoodle, yoga, and track
Incorporating Student Interests
Both in academics, rewards, and powercards (Red Bird says "Voice of 2.")
Flexibility
How are we flexible? How do we teach the kids to be flexible? Note fire drills and mystery events
As any teacher knows, even the best laid plans sometimes have to change. Maybe the copier is broken, the music class has to be cancelled, or there is an unexpected assembly. When plans change for us teachers, we like to point it out to students in the moment, so the students know that it is our attitude that controls how we feel about a change. If we made the wrong copies, we may remark to each other, its ok, we can be flexible! We will do this later and change to a different activity now.
Another way we teach students to be flexible is to remind them that changes can happen within the school day. If we learn of a change and let them know, we usually say, that's ok, because we can be flexible! This way, it turns it into a positive and also lets them know that changes happen.
One way we incorporate student interests and include flexibility is choosing which battles to fight. Some students have extreme anxiety parting with a special object. If the object can help a student work, rather than become a distraction or problem to others (such as a paper bird, or unifix cube, we let the student hold it even though we may not see the reason it is so important. Sometimes allowing something seemingly small means a lot to a student and can ward off a big behavior. A great book that explains this concept is Pedro's Whale by Paula Kluth.
What are the top 3 supports that might be helpful in any classroom?
Make declarative statements.
"It's hard to hear directions when someone is yelling."
"We walk in the hallway."
Find a stopping point.
Don't expect or demand kids to immediately stop what they're doing and obey.
(the other thing I can't remember right now)
Managing the Workload
As co-teachers we can lean on each other, share the burden,
Discuss different models
How do we get the work done?
Interview with Mrs. Jewell
Q: What do you see as the pros of coteaching?
CHINAH: "When you work with someone who is better than you it makes you rise to the occasion" -Lady Gaga (this is how I feel about working with Valerie! I learn so much from her)
- Small group differentiation
- Strengths of two individuals and their separate interests and personalities
- Swapping addressing behavior problems (For example, one day Valerie was teaching a whole group lesson and one of our students climbed in her lap and sat on the book she was teaching from, unresponsive to directions to stop. She couldn't teach, so in that moment we swapped and I took over a taught the lesson while she addressed behavior)
- Encouragement for each other
- Thorough implementation of behavior plans
- Someone to bounce ideas off of, a second brain
- Better student to teacher ratio
- Social emotional support for each other, happier work environment, reduction of burnout
- Deeper knowledge of the SOLs (for Sped teacher)
- Deeper knowledge of accommodations/special education goals (for gened teacher)
- Share workload
- More hands to effectively execute data collection
Q: How do you manage data collection for your students with IEPs while co-teaching all day in one classroom?
CHINAH: Since I do have students on my caseload in other classrooms, I make sure to visit their classroom teachers often to discuss student progress. I also make sure teacher assistants have their data sheets to keep me updated on their goal progress. As for the IEPs in our own classroom, we are able to work together to work IEP goals into instruction, for example, if a student has a goal of writing to 100, we can have the whole class work on it as an activity.
Q: Do students and parents understand that there are two teachers?
CHINAH: We made it clear on business day that this class had two teachers. We both regularly post on ClassDojo, and we both attend parent meetings. We try to both instruct whole group times and small group times so students recognize us both as "the teacher". Rarely we do have students who ask one of us permission for something, and if she says no, they will try the other teacher. In these situations, we try to be observant when it happens and remind them that we are always going to be on the same page.
Q: What advice would you give new co-teaching teams?
CHINAH: Valerie and I went to a conference about 6 months before we began working as a team. We were able to chat on the ride up to the conference and get to know each other informally as well as discuss our work philosophy and preferences. This helped a lot to get to know each other ahead of time! We also came in during the summer to set up the room, which made our first week back less stressful. Co-planning has also been a huge help. Because we co-plan, we both know the lessons inside and out, and can take over at any time during the day, so we can truly co-teach.
Interview with Mrs. Lynch
Q: You have taught in the general education setting as the sole teacher for 11 years. How did you adjust your mindset and instruction to get used to having another teacher in the room?
VALERIE: I was intimidated at first, knowing there would be another adult in the room watching me teach. Also, it wasn't my classroom any longer and my biggest concern about this new adventure was that I wouldn't be comfortable giving up control.
The very first thing I did was change my way of thinking: it's our classroom. Chinah and I came in several times over the summer to set-up the room, and we listened to each other's ideas and suggestions to make it work for us.
The next step was to begin co-planning. I like co-planning because Chinah and I both know what we're teaching at any given moment and how we plan to teach it. We discovered pretty quickly that we're great together at brainstorming what we want to do, but I take care of the specifics. I think this satisfies my "teacher gene" and Chinah has enough SPED paperwork to work on it seems fair that I write the plans.
I was really surprised that teaching in front of another adult did not bother me as much as expected (anyone else get hives thinking about being observed?) and since she's always in the room it didn't take long to get used to (and really appreciate) having another teacher in the room, however, and now I can't imagine what I will do without her if we ever separate! Chinah is incredibly kind-hearted, organized, she remembers EVERYTHING, and is always optimistic... I love that she can find the positive in anything!
Q: If a regular-education teacher asks you for advice, what are the top strategies you recommend?
VALERIE: I've learned so much this year from many different resources. I am definitely not the same teacher I was a year ago. Allowing students to find a stopping point is a great technique that I've begun putting into practice. By giving students a minute or so to finish their activity instead of demanding they stop right away, many more kids comply. For example, while playing an app on the iPads I'll tell them to "finish up the level and find a good stopping point in the next minute." I know if I'm in the middle of something I don't like to be stopped immediately, so I definitely see the value in letting all kids finish their task.
Another thing Chinah and I do, which sometimes seems silly but works really well, is to talk to each other about a behavior instead of addressing a student. For example, a student is wandering around the room instead of sitting on the rug with the group. Instead of saying, "Come over and sit down." one of us will say "Mrs. Jewell, what is the class doing right now?" and the other will loudly reply, "Right now the class is sitting on the green rug for morning meeting. We will begin when everyone is sitting on the green rug." Unbelievably, it often works and the wanderer will join the group on the rug.
Positive reinforcement is a game-changer. I thought I did it before this year, but removing the negative language, such as "stop doing x" or "Don't do x", has made an incredible impact. For example, instead of telling our students to stop talking, one of us will say, "Everyone will know what to do when they hear the directions." Making statements in a positive way keeps everyone feeling positive while achieving the same results.
Q: What advice would you give new co-teaching teams?
VALERIE: Get to know your partner, both personally and professionally. Make a point to try different ways of co-teaching to see what works in your room. Figure out what's important to each of you and be flexible. Co-plan so you both always know what's going on. Don't get stuck in roles; switch things up. Make sure your students and parents understand that both teachers are equals.