National Science Teachers Association

Strategies for co-teaching and teacher collaborations

Author(s): ELIZABETH BATTAGLIA and KATHLEEN BROOKS
Source: Science Scope , SEPTEMBER 2019, Vol. 43, No. 2, Tried and True Teaching Ideas
(SEPTEMBER 2019), pp. 80-83
Published by: National Science Teachers Association

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26899069

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TEACHER’S TOOLKIT
Strategies for co-teaching
and teacher collaborations
BY ELIZABETH BATTAGLIA AND KATHLEEN BROOKS
S
tudents with complex spe-
cial needs are frequently
placed in mainstream sci-
ence classes. The students are
often several grade levels below
their classmates in reading, and
are in the class with little or no
support. Sometimes the special
education teacher or a paraedu-
cator (teacher assistant) is in the
classroom, but due to a lack of
science content knowledge he or
she spends the class period in the
back of the room taking notes or
assisting the special education
students alone. However, the tal-
ents of that person can be put to
much better use.
Inclusive learning
communities
Inclusion is a philosophy that al-
lows students, families, education,
and community members to cre-
ate schools and other social insti-
tutions based on acceptance, be-
longing, and community (Kunkel
2012). Its goal is to establish collab-
orative, supportive, and nurturing
communities of learners by giving
all students the services and ac-
commodations they need to learn
80
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and respecting and learning from • fewer items placed on each
each other’s differences. page.
For students with disabilities,
In addition, we need to modify
we need to create lessons that al-
what we teach or assess. Because
low them to be part of the learn-
modifications reduce the amount
ing community. In the past, some
of material a student is required
viewed inclusion as simply plac-
to learn, they should only be pro-
ing individuals with disabilities in
vided to students who have dis-
the classroom. In this type of sce-
abilities and are on an Individual
nario, the special education stu-
Education Plan (IEP). IEP teams
dent is located in the general edu-
should carefully consider provid-
cation class, but not participating
ing modified materials for stu-
in the lesson. To create a learning
dents. If a middle school IEP team
environment in which students
determines a student with learn-
with disabilities work alongside
ing disabilities should receive
their peers without disabilities,
modified work, it will make it eas-
we need to modify how we teach
ier for the student to be successful
without reducing students’ work-
at that time. (However, students
load. For example, students can
could have challenges in the fu-
dictate their answers to a scribe
or tape recorder to be transcribed
ture when they attend high school
later. Other accommodations in-
or college and take a science class
with a curriculum that they never
clude
learned.) Modifications include
• extended time on tests,
• shortened vocabulary lists,
• word banks,
• less content covered on
• preferential seating, assessments,
• assistive technology, • alternative books or materials
• directions or test items read on the same theme or topic,
aloud by the teacher, • spelling support from a
• directions given in simplified computerized spell check
language, and program, and
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• word bank of choices for
answers to test questions.
Working together
The responsibility for teaching
and assessing students should
fall upon both the regular educa-
tion and special education teach-
ers. The science teacher is the
content expert. He or she under-
stands the curriculum and what
concepts students need to under-
stand, as well as the importance
of science process skills, such as
inquiry, hypothesizing, and data
collection, and the necessity to
incorporate engineering practic-
es into instruction.
On the other hand, the spe-
cial education teacher is a strat-
egy expert who can determine
instructional tools to help stu-
dents learn vocabulary and key
concepts. The special education
teacher also understands how
to customize instruction to meet
the needs of both students with
learning disabilities and gifted
students, who grasp concepts
easily but need to be challenged.
The special education teacher can
assist science teachers with reme-
diation for the lower-performing
students and enrichment for the
higher-performing students.
Paraeducators, or teacher as-
sistants, often work with small
groups of students or help the sci-
ence teacher with demonstrations
and other forms of instruction.
The teacher must make it known
to the paraeducator that their in-
put is welcome, and paraeduca-
tors must make their preferences
clear to the teacher so that they
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are not asked to do more than
they are comfortable doing.
Co-teaching versus
collaborative teaching
In a perfect world, the science
teacher and special education
teacher are given the opportuni-
ty to co-teach, but we realize this
is seldom the case. The ideal co-
teaching scenario is where both
teachers share instruction and
assessment equally and can use
advanced co-teaching strategies
to provide intervention, enrich-
ment, pre-teaching, and reteach-
ing through flexible grouping
(Kunkel 2012).
However, due to scheduling
issues, special education teach-
ers are not always assigned to
science classes, and if they are,
they may not be able to be in the
classroom on a consistent basis. In
this case, the preferred model is
collaborative teaching, where both
teachers work together to assist
in the learning process and pro-
vide students with “more flexible
options to content-based learn-
ing” (Grant 2014). For example,
the science teacher could email
his or her lesson plans weekly to
the special education teacher. The
special education teacher could
use the notes and pre-taught vo-
cabulary with individuals and
small groups in the classroom
and then make suggestions to the
science teacher for reinforcing the
vocabulary, such as repeating the
definition when using the terms
or asking students to define the
terms in their own words.
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No matter the situation, certain
ground rules should be addressed
between the teachers prior to in-
struction. First of all, the science
teacher must make the special ed-
ucation teacher aware of all class
rules, especially those regarding
safety. It is also important for
teams of teachers to privately and
respectfully resolve disputes over
classroom content. Both teachers
must agree to communicate pet
peeves immediately so that they
do not develop into insurmount-
able problems. They also need to
share their preferences, strengths,
and weaknesses. For example, if
the special education teacher is
uncomfortable with performing
demonstrations or prefers to work
with small groups of students,
this should be expressed immedi-
ately so that it can be taken into
account when planning.
Getting started
Effective co-teaching requires
the science teacher and the spe-
cial education teacher to receive
training in collaboration, co-
teaching, and differentiation of
instruction. Training is available
through educational institutions
and the web. This is often not
feasible due to time or cost; in
many cases the teachers need to
communicate as best they can.
When co-teaching, both teachers
should try to divide the lesson
when it comes to planning, ob-
taining materials, grading, and
carrying out responsibilities. The
science teacher should take the
lead when it comes to the science
content of the lesson, but the
September 2019 81
 | FIGURE 1: Data table about student behaviors
Student A
Prepared for class
On task (every 5 minutes)
Asked a question
Answered a question
Raised hand
Called out in class
Followed directions
Contributed to group work
special education teacher should
have input as to how it will be
presented.
If the special education teacher
is only going to be in the class-
room a few days per week, spo-
radically, or not at all, the teach-
ers need to decide how they will
communicate with one another in
order to collaborate in the lesson-
planning process. Will they meet
regularly? Will they communicate
via email? Will they use a folder
system? Whatever it is, they will
need to periodically evaluate their
communication system.
For example, in one of our class-
rooms, a folder system was put
into place because the special edu-
cation teacher was not available at
the start of the class, and there was
no time to stop and explain what
was happening when she did ar-
rive. The science teacher prepared
the folders, which contained a
copy of the lesson plan and copies
of student handouts, at the end of
the day as the classroom was being
set up for the next day’s lesson.
In addition, sticky notes can be
placed on the folder with a short
note regarding safety or differen-
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Student B Student C
tiation. For example, a note might
describe a particular learning
station that had a safety hazard
or a particular group of students
that might need additional sup-
port. The folders were placed in a
hanging file in a designated area
(see Online Supplemental Mate-
rials for an example folder). The
special education teacher or para-
educator could retrieve the folder
upon arrival, and within a few
minutes, he or she knew what to
expect that day or who to assist.
The system only took a few extra
minutes of planning but proved to
be a valuable tool.
Practical applications
Co-teaching
The science teacher should de-
termine the content of the unit,
including student lab activities,
and share this with the special
education teacher. Both teachers
should review the material and
brainstorm suggestions about in-
structional strategies. The teach-
ers should subsequently plan the
unit and determine which sec-
tions will be addressed by each
teacher. For example, the special
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education teacher may suggest
a vocabulary game to reinforce
the specialized science vocabu-
lary. While the science teacher is
instructing, the special education
teacher can ask questions of the
teacher aiming at clarification for
students. The special education
teacher can also help students
memorize information through
stories and mnemonic devices.
Collaborating
In this scenario, the science teach-
er should share the unit content
and planned instructional strate-
gies with the special education
teacher, who can then provide his
or her availability to assist with
instruction. If this is not possible,
the special education teacher can
still offer suggestions for the sci-
ence teacher to use. In addition,
the science teacher should share
all versions of notes and assess-
ments, including those meant for
typical students and for students
requiring accommodations or
modifications. The special educa-
tion teacher can then suggest revi-
sions for specific students to meet
their documented needs. He or
she may also offer suggestions for
note-taking or study and test-tak-
ing strategies for students to use.
Paraeducator
Because planning time is rarely of-
fered for teachers with paraeduca-
tors, the science teacher could use
the folder system with each para-
educator in the classroom. Folders
can include notes, handouts, and
specific requests from the teacher.
For example, the teacher asks for
special assistance at a specific sta-
 TEACHER’S TOOLKIT

tion during a group activity or for
help getting a student who has
been absent caught up with the
class. Paraeducators can also col-
lect valuable data for the teacher
by documenting actions, such as
student participation and behav-
ior (Figure 1). These data help the
special education teacher create
academic or behavioral plans.
Conclusion
There is no set formula for special
education and science teacher
collaborations. However, when
special education students are assist in meeting the needs of
in regular science classes, both high-ability students. •
the regular education and spe-
cial education teachers can learn REFERENCES
Grant, M.C. 2014. The new segregation:
from one another. Such an ar-
An analysis of current contexts of
rangement benefits all students. inclusive education. https://eric.
Special education students get ed.gov/?id=ED546449.
the instructional support they Kunkel, S.H. 2012. Advanced co-
need while in a regular classroom teaching practices: Strategies
while regular education students for success. Cromwell, CT: Kunkel
Consulting Services.
who struggle gain additional
support from other teachers. The ONLINE SUPPLEMENTAL
special education teacher can MATERIALS
offer strategies that the science Example folder—www.nsta.org/
teacher can use in all classes and Scope1909

Elizabeth Battaglia is the director of special education at Madison Public Schools in Madison, Connecticut. Kathleen Brooks
(kathy.bihr.brooks@gmail.com) is a retired middle school science teacher and program coordinator who currently works as a
science education specialist for Capitol Region Education Council in Hartford, Connecticut.

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