Co-Teaching Models - Handout PDF

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Co-Teaching Models Meeting the needs of 5th grade students with disabilities through co-teaching.

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co-teaching relationship, also known as a “push-in” arrangement, is where a general education teacher partners with a special education teacher or a specialist who may be certified in teaching English Language Learners. They usually will occupy the general education teachers classroom, and the students who have special needs require little to no pulling out because of the specialist or SPED teacher that is already in class.

Two teachers are co-teaching using a Team Teaching style. This is explained in great detail by Angela Perry, in her article titled Co-Teaching: How to Make it Work. She explains co-teaching through a few instances; a middle school social studies teacher may have an ELL teacher co-teaching with him during one class period because five students in that class are newcomers to the United States and speak only Arabic fluently. A high school teacher may have one or two sections of biology to which many students with IEPs for reading are channeled; a co-teacher who specializes in reading disabilities co-teaches in these classes. A 4th grade teacher may have two students with 504 plans and another three who have specific learning disabilities in her class; she

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works alongside a special education teacher daily during lessons in the four core academic subject areas (Perry, 2019). While co-teaching can appear as if one teacher may have more responsibility or is more important then the other teacher. In spite of what it may appear like, it is important to remember that in each style of teaching listed below, both teachers are important and share equal responsibility between each other because each teacher holds an area of expertise that are vital to their student’s success.

Alternative Teaching Angela Perry explains, “One teacher takes a small group of students and provides them more intensive or specialized instruction that is different than what the large group receives from the other teacher” (Perry, 2019). To have a successful partnership in this strategy, the teachers should make sure they understand their roles and responsibilities in the group they are teaching, and this can prevent the one from feeling that their partner overstepped a boundary or demeaned the others responsibilities.

One Teaching, One Supporting Angela Perry explains, “One teacher takes the lead in providing instruction while the other moves around the classroom, assisting struggling students. This help is not limited to students with special needs; the assisting professional is there to serve whomever needs support” (Perry, 2019). To have a successful partnership in this strategy, the teachers should always respect each other. Having mutual respect is vital to a thriving co-teaching partnership.

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Station Teaching Angela Perry explains, “Both teachers are actively involved in instruction as students are divided into groups and rotate from one station to the next. There may be stations where students work independently or with a paraprofessional in addition to the two stations the co-teachers facilitate” (Perry, 2019). To have a successful partnership in this strategy, the teachers should plan together. Planning lessons where each teacher tackles an important section of a topic allows for the students to grasp a difficult lesson in easy to digest chunks.

Parallel Teaching Angela Perry explains, “The class is divided in two groups and the same material is presented simultaneously by both teachers. The teachers plan the two groups deliberately to maximize the success of all students; this is not simply a “pull-out” or intervention group sitting in the same room” (Perry, 2019). To have a successful partnership in this strategy, the teachers should always communicate. When using this style of teaching, communication is key because each teacher will be taking on half of the students in the class. The teachers need to be on the same level of tackling the lesson to that the students are learning the content equally.

Team Teaching Angela Perry explains, “Both teachers teach the content at the same time in tandem or “tag team” fashion” (Perry, 2019). To have a successful partnership in this strategy, the teachers should always be flexible. Sometimes a teacher can be on a role with the content and take up most of the lesson. As long as the students are engaged and learning, support the partner and fill in any holes that students may slip through. On the other hand, one teacher’s way of teaching my not be how the other teaches, but each should try to incorporate each others style to allow the partnership to thrive

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Resources Perry, Angela. “Co-Teaching: How to Make It Work.” Cult of Pedagogy , Cult of Pedagogy, 25 Aug. 2019, www.cultofpedagogy.com/co-teaching-push-in/. Some Approaches to Co-Teaching. [PDF] (pp. 1-3). Retrieved from https://www.anderson5.net/cms/lib/SC01001931/Centricity/Domain/3345/CoTeaching%20Models.pdf

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