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Introduction
Introduction
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Co-teaching models are to be used throughout Shepherd clinical experiences, to comply with the West Virginia Department of Education and Shepherd University expectations. The goal of using a co-teaching approach is to provide the Teacher Candidate a realistic teaching experience of planning, teaching, assessing, and reflecting, but with the support and collaboration of the Cooperating Teacher, who is still an active participant in the learning environment and engaged with the students as a co-teacher.
Co-teaching is a common practice in PK-12 classrooms; however, new teachers often do not have a deep understanding of the different models of co-teaching and/or how to put them into practice in a classroom. Cooperating Teachers may need to provide support to Teacher Candidates to help them develop their understanding and implementation of co-teaching strategies.
Co-Teaching Defined
Co-Teaching Defined
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Co-teaching is when two teachers work together in a single classroom to share in the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment of instruction. Co-teaching ensures smooth transitions as responsibility shifts between the two teachers throughout the semester. Planning should include a discussion of which model of co-teaching will be used for each lesson, with the roles and responsibilities of each co-teacher defined in advance.
There are six different models of co-teaching identified for use by Cooperating Teachers and the Teacher Candidates in their classroom during the clinical experience. The six models of co-teaching vary in the amount of responsibility each of the co-teachers takes on for a particular lesson, all the way from one teaching while one observes, up to the shared responsibility of team teaching. So, it is important to fully understand the differences between the six models to select the most appropriate model for the lesson to be co-taught.
The Teacher Candidate, in collaboration with the Cooperating Teacher, should endeavor to practice each co-teaching model multiple times during the clinical experience to broaden their skillset. A key aspect of co-teaching is that the teachers rotate within the roles of a given model, so the same teacher is not always the ‘lead’ when co-teaching. At first, it is expected the Cooperating Teacher takes the lead when co-planning and co-teaching, but there should be a gradual shift in responsibility to where, by the end of the clinical experience, it is expected that the co-planning, co-teaching, and co-assessing responsibilities may be led by the Teacher Candidate.
Benefits of Co-Teaching
Benefits of Co-Teaching
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The Academy of Co-teaching and Collaboration describe a multitude of benefits resulting from implementing co-teaching models, including:
Benefits for Students
Benefits for Students
Reduced student to teacher ratio
Greater variety of instructional options for students
Diversity of instructional styles
Increased time-on-task and student engagement levels
Greater student participation
Benefits for Cooperating Teachers
Benefits for Cooperating Teachers
Assistance in identifying and helping to problem-solve
More options for flexible student groupings
Greater opportunity for trying new things that would be unmanageable solo
Enhanced collaboration and communication skills
Assistance with classroom management
Benefits for Teacher Candidates
Benefits for Teacher Candidates
Greater amount of teaching time
Confidence boosting
Improved classroom management skills
Enhanced collaboration and communication skills
Deeper understanding of the curriculum
Increased opportunities to reflect and ask questions
Co-Teaching Models
Co-Teaching Models
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Below are the six models of co-teaching to be used in the classroom with Teacher Candidates.
One Teach, One Observe
One Teach, One Observe
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One teacher instructs, while the second teacher observes or collects data. For this model, it is key to have an identified purpose or focus for observation.
Explore the One Teach, One Observe Model in action:
One Teach, One Assist
One Teach, One Assist
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One teacher leads instruction, while the second teacher circulates to provide assistance to students by checking for understanding, providing guidance on their work, and/or monitoring behavior.
Explore the One Teach, One Assist model in action:
Station Teaching (Centers)
Station Teaching (Centers)
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Each teacher leads a distinct station while all children rotate through all stations. Instructional content is divided into components, and each component comprises a station. Students are placed into groups and spend a designated amount of time at each station. Often, there is an independent station in addition to the teacher-led groups.
Explore the Station Teaching Model in action:
Parallel Teaching
Parallel Teaching
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Each teacher addresses the same instructional content typically using the same instructional methods, but the class is split in half to reduce the teacher to student ratio. This co-teaching model could also be used to aid differentiation, for example, with modified pacing, examples, or materials.
Explore the Parallel Teaching Model in action:
Alternative (Differentiated)
Alternative (Differentiated)
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One teacher leads a whole class lesson while a second teacher pulls a small group for additional support or review. In this co-teaching model, the same content is taught using different instructional methods.
Explore the Alternative (Differentiated) Model in action:
Team Teaching
Team Teaching
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Two teachers work collaboratively to deliver the same content to the whole group. Both teachers are actively involved in the lesson, as they lead instruction, assist students, present information, and answer questions.
Explore the Team Teaching Model in action:
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