6 Approaches to Co-Teaching

The Approaches:
1. One Educator Teaches, One Educator Observes:
a. The educator who observes also collects data
2. Station Teaching: Teachers implement instruction in stations and/or centers while students rotate
3. Parallel Teaching: Students are in small groups and teachers implement the same material
4. Alternative Teaching: Educators teach the same material, but it is differentiated.
5. Team Teaching: Educators teach as a team. They will decide who teaches which topic, lesson,
and/or activity.
6. One Educator Teaches, One Educator Assists:
a. Occurs too often, even though both are certified educators

What Leads to Effective Co-Teaching?

• Teamwork and Planning
o Begin Early Prior to Classes
o “Must-have Conversations
o Acknowledge Strengths
o “Universal Design for Learning”
o Weekly Planning and “Touching Base”
o Remember: show respect
▪ Be open to different ideas
▪ No “My Way or Highway”
▪ Be equal partners

Prior to Beginning Co-Teaching “Must-Have Conversations”

• How do we introduce ourselves on the first day of school?
• How do we introduce ourselves to parents?
• How will we share the space within our co-taught classroom?
• Will we each have a desk/space to store our materials?
• How do we ensure that we exhibit professional behavior?
• How do we address instructional routines within co-taught classrooms?

Must Have Conversations May Include:

• What scoring procedures do we use for test/retest?
• How will we address contacting parents of students in our co-taught class?
• Will we both contact parents of students in the class to discuss grades, behavior, etc?
• How will we ensure that IEPs of students with disabilities and the student learning profiles of
students in our class are being implemented in our classroom?
https://www.cec.sped.org/News/Special-Education-Today/Need-to-Know/Need-to-Know-
CoTeaching
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/strategies-successful-co-teaching/