Co-Instructing

“By beginning with the expectation that the ‘co’ in co-teaching truly means that both teachers should deliver instruction, co-teachers can become creative in how they go about their work. They should blend the approaches, create variations of them, and ultimately, reach the needs of their diverse students.”

Marilyn Friend, 2008

Co-teaching requires both teachers to utilize their expertise to provide quality instruction to all the students in their classroom. The general education teacher is the primary content expert while the special education teacher is the primary strategy specialist. The co-teaching approaches are a tool to help deliver universally designed lessons with each teacher's expertise (p10) in mind. Approaches should be chosen based on the content for the lesson with a focus on the intensive approaches: station, alternative and parallel. This means it is not enough for two teachers to be in the same space. Both must actively be involved with instruction.

Co-Teaching Approaches

The co-teaching approaches are the tools to deliver instruction crafted with universal design for learning in mind that addresses the specially designed instruction students with disabilities need.

Resources to Consider for Co-Instructing

Picture of Stetson Distance Learning Options

This resource from Stetson & Associates Inc. suggests strategies, distance learning options, and web links to support them based on co-teaching approaches.

Picture of Book What really Works with UDL for Learning

Chapter 9 describes how to utilize the UDL framework with the co-teaching approaches.

Picture of chart3 Ways to Use Video Conferencing with students in remote learning

This website, 3 Ways to Use Video Conferencing with Students Learning Remotely, helps you think through managing small groups and conferencing with students online.

The image above links to the Google slides.

Station Rotation Virtually? No Way…YES way!

Station Rotation Virtually with @MsBDuncan

Brigid Duncan created this virtual station rotation after completing #DitchSummit20 over Christmas break. Many wonderful eduleaders shared keen advice on student engagement tools, strategies and pedagogy that can work in a hybrid, concurrent, or full virtual classroom. One thing that really stood out to her was being able to give students choice and color coding. Remember 2C’s : “Choice and Color Code”.

Additional Resources

Co-Teaching in a Virtual Environment 33:52 recorded webinar by Wendy Murawski

Maryland Learning Links overview of co-teaching

UDL Aligned Strategies

What is Active Learning youtube video

What Can Co-Teachers Do As A Virtual Team? by Elizabeth Stein

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