1. Co-Teaching:
An Inclusive Model
Heather Lane and Sara Staub
South Western School District
June 18, 2012

2. Agenda
 Teacher Introduction
 Essential Questions
 Activator: What Co-Teaching Is and Is Not…
 Teaching:
 4 Types of Co-Teaching
 Jigsaw Activity and Discussion/Self-Reflection
 Collaborative Culture leads to a Cooperative Process
 Summarizer: Advantages and What Co-
Teaching Is and Is Not…

3. It all started here…

4. Co-Teaching: An Inclusive Model
Essential Questions
 What is Co-Teaching?
 How can we use co-teaching to
effectively increase student achievement
in all subject areas within the inclusive
classroom?

5. Activator white worksheet
What Co-Teaching Is and Is Not
T-Chart
Complete Top Half
Sharing

6. What is co-teaching? green paper
 Co-Teaching is…
 Two or more people sharing responsibility for teaching
some or all of the students assigned to one classroom.
 A fun way for students to learn from two or more people
who have different ways of thinking or teaching.
 A creative way to support and connect with others and
to help all children learn.
 A way to make schools more effective.
 Like a marriage because it’s not always 50/50, it takes
time to develop a relationship, there will be differences,
and you may need a marriage counselor (consultant)
from time to time.

7. Why do we co-teach?
Two federal laws govern education of children with disabilities. Neither requires inclusion,
but both require that a significant effort be made to find an inclusive placement.
 IDEA – The law requires that children with disabilities
be educated “to the maximum extent appropriate” in
the “least restrictive environment.” LRE is the regular
education classroom.
 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973- Section
504 requires that a recipient of federal funds provide
for the education of each qualified handicapped
person in its jurisdiction with persons who are not
handicapped to the maximum extent appropriate to
the needs of the handicapped person.
http://www.weac.org/resource/june96/speced.htm

8. Models for Co-Teaching
 Supportive
 Parallel
 Complementary
 Team
Can move in and out of the various models for any lessons and subject.
As the co-teaching skills and relationships strengthen, co-teachers
move into complementary and team-teaching models more often.

9. Jigsaw Activity yellow worksheet
 Move to Home Group according to your folder color
 Once in Home Group, refer to letter on your folder (A, B, C, D) to
determine your Expert Group
 Move to Expert Group to complete your part of the Co-Teaching
Chart
 A - Supportive
 B - Parallel
 C - Complementary
 D - Team
 Move back to Home Group to share and complete remaining
parts of the Co-Teaching Chart
 Whole group discussion (cream paper)

10. Supportive Co-teaching Model
 One teacher assigned primary responsibility
for designing/delivering a lesson. Other
member provides support to some or all the
students in the class.
 One teacher leads, the other supports.
 “Sage on the stage, guide on the side”.

11. Parallel Co-teaching
 The teachers divide the class into groups and teach
them simultaneously (same or different information).
 The student to teacher ratio is low.
 More time is devoted to learning versus students
waiting for help.
 Opportunities for re-teaching are immediate.
 Support for the teacher is present.
 Communication is constant.
 Behavior problems can be minimized.

12. Parallel Teaching Video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyxLvaScI0Q
 Thoughts, comments, discussion?

13. Examples of Parallel Co-teaching
structures
 Split class (writing)
 Station Teaching/Learning Centers (Math
Workshop)
 Co-teachers rotate, rather than the students
 Cooperative Group Monitoring
 Supplementary Instruction (morning math)
 Guided Reading Instruction

14. Complementary Co-teaching
 When co-teacher does something to enhance
the instruction provided by the other co-
teacher
 Both teachers share in the delivery of the
information

15. Complementary Co-Teaching examples
 One teacher verbally gives directions, the other
writes the directions on the board
 One teacher might paraphrase the other co-
teacher’s statements
 One teacher teaches the lesson, the co-teacher
demonstrates how to take notes on key points
 Inclusive Math Lesson

16. Team Teaching Co-Teaching
 When two or more people do what the
traditional teacher used to do.
 Both share responsibility for planning,
teaching and assessing progress of students in
the class.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYQZJjGlt8A

17. If one is doing this…The other can
be… pink paper
 Refer to t-chart outlining examples of all
models of co-teaching

18. Co-Teaching, when done right…
 Co-teaching is a fluid process and classroom
teaching configurations should change and be
responsive to curricular and students’ needs.
 Contains 5 elements: face-to-face interaction,
positive interdependence, interpersonal skills,
monitoring, and accountability
http://www.vcld.org/pages/newsletters/00_01_spring/coll_teach.htm

19. Cooperative Process – 5 elements
 Must have a collaborative culture before establishing a
cooperative process
 Face-to-Face Interactions
Co-teachers decide when and how often they will meet and develop a system for
communicating information when formal meetings are not scheduled.
 Positive Interdependence
Co-teachers create the feeling that they are equally responsible for the learning of all
students to whom they are now assigned.
 Interpersonal Skills
Include the verbal and non-verbal components of trust, trust building, conflict
management, and creative problem-solving.
 Monitoring Co-Teaching Progress
Frequently debriefing about the successes and challenges of co-teaching lessons.
 Individual Accountability
This is a form of acknowledging the importance of actions from each co-teacher.

20. Advantages to Co-Teaching blue worksheet
 Advantages to the General Educator
 Advantages for the Special Educator
 Advantages for ALL Students
http://www.vcld.org/pages/newsletters/00_01_spring/advant.htm

21.  For General Education Teachers:
 Open communication lines early
 Realize many co-teachers feel just as uncomfortable as you with the situation--they might
even feel as if they are invading your classroom
 Don't assume the co-teacher wants to take over.
 Don't assume the co-teacher is judging you.
 Share your beliefs and expectations with the co-teacher so that they know where you're
coming from.
 Ask what the co-teacher's expectations are for you.
 For Co-Teachers:
 Open communication lines early
 Realize that the general education teacher feels ownership of their class--put them at ease
by telling them you are not planning to take over.
 Share your educational beliefs and expectations.
 Ask what the general education teacher expects of you.
 Make sure to explain any absences you might have from the classroom while on campus.
 Discuss all student modifications with the general education teacher--get them to have a
stake in the modification.
 Do not change the grading scale, etc. without first discussing this with the general education
teacher.
 For Both Teachers:
 Realize you’re both educational colleagues--in the same boat
 Be professional.
 Learn to get along.
 Remember…You are there for the students!
http://712educators.about.com/cs/specialeducation/a/coteaching.htm

22. Summarizer white worksheet
 Complete bottom portion of What Co-Teaching
Is and Is Not… T-chart
 Questions?
 Contact Information:
 Heather Lane – Heather_Lane@swsd.k12.pa.us
 Sara Staub – Sara_Staub@swsd.k12.pa.us

23. Citations
 Karen Cataldo and Eric Klansek, South Western School District
teachers
 Villa, Richard A., Jacqueline S. Thousand, and Ann Nevin. A Guide
to Co-teaching: Practical Tips for Facilitating Student Learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2008. Print.
 http://www.weac.org/resource/june96/speced.htm
 http://www.vcld.org/pages/newsletters/00_01_spring/advant.htm