PSU's Co-Teaching Resource Center
Co-teaching has been a model for student teaching for Portland State University's Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP) since 2011. In that time more than 500 teacher candidates, 300 cooperating teachers and administrators, and 65 university supervisors and faculty have completed training for supporting teams with implementing co-teaching strategies in their classrooms. Co-teaching workshop facilitators have included GTEP faculty and district partners. University supervisors support cooperating teacher and teacher candidate teams with implementing co-teaching strategies in the field.
What is Co-Teaching?
"While co-teaching is not a new phenomenon, its application in the student teaching experience is a new area of study. Co-teaching in student teaching enables two professionally-prepared adults to collaborate in the classroom, actively engaging students for extended periods of time. The co-teaching model of student teaching allows students increased opportunities to get help when and how they need it. It affords teachers opportunities to incorporate co-teaching strategies, grouping and educating students in ways that are not possible with just one teacher. The co-teaching in student teaching model may be implemented with any content at any grade level.
Co-teaching in student teaching provides a comprehensive and rigorous experience for teacher candidates, allows cooperating teachers the ability to remain actively involved, and enhances the quality of learning for P12 students. The co-teaching partnership enables cooperating teachers to provide consistent mentoring, giving teacher candidates the time and support necessary to gain skills and confidence required to teach successfully."
- Bacharach & Heck, Academy for Co-Teaching, St. Cloud State University
PSU's Approach to Co-Teaching
Both elementary and secondary Graduate Teacher Education Programs use the co-teaching approach across the yearlong student teaching experiences. This provides a well-mentored experience for teacher candidates and opportunities for cooperating teachers and teacher candidates to learn from one another as they collaborate.
This website serves as a resource center with information about co-teaching workshops, ideas for implementing co-teaching strategies in the classroom, tools and supports for collaboration, and references to the research on the success of this approach to learning to teach and continue to refine the craft of teaching.
To access the 1-hour Co-teaching Foundational Workshop Video click here.
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