Co-Teaching in an Inclusive Setting By: Shanna Boucher & Brian Calnan

WE BELIEVE ……. Each individual can learn Each individual is valued Each individual is accepted for his/her unique abilities Inclusive schools promote respect for diversity Inclusion is not going away. It is the future of education. SMHS has a very high special ed population. The expansion of section 504 documents adds to the number of students that need to be taught in a different way. Good co-teaching addresses these needs and allows ALL students access to Tier 1 instruction from a teacher certified in the content area.

Co-teaching According to Dr. Marilyn Friend, co-teaching is a service delivery option of two or more educators that contract to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students. The co-teachers share mutual ownership, pooled resources and joint accountability for the group of students. Takes away the stigma of Special Ed. Reinforces that Special Educators are “Real Teachers,” not just TAs. Who wouldn’t want this?

What Makes It Co-teaching? Co-teaching starts with co-planning Co-teaching means that ALL the students are the equal responsibility of both teachers Co-teaching means both teachers deliver instruction, perhaps in different ways Co-teaching means co-assessing and shared grading If you don’t plan together, then you aren’t coteaching. This model means that the regular ed teacher is responsible for the success of the special ed students, and vice versa. The special ed teacher doesn’t necessarily have to be a master of the content, but needs to meaningfully contribute by modeling good note-taking skills, remediating and offering enrichment, creating visuals and organizational aids, etc. Don’t be afraid to let your special educator grade!! They offer a different perspective and can help you hone in on the key things you are assessing. What Makes It Co-teaching?

NO! THE HONESTY SLIDE Is it completely effective at first? Does it work if one or the other isn’t invested? Is it easy to work together immediately? Is it meant to punish general education teachers? Is it a burden? Co-teaching is a large initial time investment. It can be difficult to readjust your idea of how best to present material to take the other teacher’s ideas into account. But once you push past the initial awkwardness of sharing responsibility, co-teaching gets easier. NO!

6 Co-teaching Models One teach/one observe One teach/one drift, assist Parallel teaching Station teaching Alternative teaching Team teaching

One teach/one observe Recommended use: occasional One teacher delivers instruction One teacher observes and collects data to The purpose of this model is to collect data that will drive instruction and/or address behavioral issues Should really only be done if a student is being observed for a behavior plan or to gather data in a RTI model. This is useful if the gen ed teacher is worried that a student is having significant learning difficulties that are not behavioral.

One teach/one drift Recommended use: Seldom One teacher delivers content One teacher provides classroom support The purpose of this model is while one teacher is delivering content, the other teacher can provide support to students who are having a difficult time taking notes, grasping concepts, controlling their behavior or remaining focused. This is very common at SMHS. This is the lowest level of co-teaching. This can quickly turn into the special ed teacher acting as a para/tutor. It works well when the SET has little content knowledge in an area, or when a complicated process is being presented and the SET can introduce a template/visual/organizational tool that students can apply to the upcoming lesson(s).

Parallel Teaching The purpose of this model is: Recommended use: frequent Teachers divide students into two heterogeneous groups, and each teaches the same material to their group. The purpose of this model is: to provide students with a smaller student-teacher ratio increased opportunity for practice, participation and monitoring of student progress In order for parallel teaching to work, both teachers need to have the same level of comfort with the content material. Works especially well for reviews before assessment.

Station Teaching The purpose of this model is: Recommended use: Frequent Grouping is done by several different criteria: ability level, content, interest…. The purpose of this model is: to provide students with various methods and perspectives around a common theme To incorporate multiple intelligence teaching Provide small group instruction opportunities Provide kinesthetic breaks for students Talk about GET, SET. Easy to incorporate hands-on activities into learning. Provides great forum when choosing groups to set up peer mentor relationships.

Alternative Teaching Recommended use: occasional One teacher manages the large group while the other breaks off a small group to teach a particular skill or enrichment activity The purpose is to provide a small group of students with specialized attention (ex: remediation, pre-teaching, enrichment, oral testing). This type of teaching works well for both remediation of struggling learners/special education students/ELLs and for enrichment of advanced learners. Not always led by the SET. If a small group of students is struggling conceptually, the GET is probably a better coice to do the alternative teach, since they are the content experts. Use during warm-up exercises to pre-teach vocabulary (great for ELLs), review concepts taught the day before (students with memory issues/ADHD), remind students with LD about prerequisite/foundational math skills required for current topic.

Team Teaching Recommended use: Occasional requires both teachers to actively teach students at the same time. often one lecturing or leading a discussion, while the other models the skills that the students should be using during this time to stay organized. key element of teaming is that both teachers are fully participating in delivering the main content of the lesson. The purpose of this model is: To model teaming to students Make immediate curriculum adjustments Use a variety of presentation styles Will be modeling this technique Friday 4/12 PD. SET doesn’t necessarily need to know the content perfectly, but needs to teach with GET. Some examples: GET lectures about topic, SET models note-taking on overhead. Another example: GET and SET “tag team” teach- go back and forth from different areas of the room. This keeps kids focused and helps control behavioral issues in the back of the room. Great time to use the Mobi.

Why co-teaching works Develop relationships Structure Shared planning and evaluation Learn from each other Less boring Shared accountability 2 heads are better than one It’s fun Climate is improved Students become accepting Fresh ideas Less chance a kid falls through the cracks More modeling Peer tutoring Distribution of work load Presentation variety More creativity Co-teaching makes you a better teacher. You can learn new approaches and styles from your coteacher. It lessesns the planning and grading load. It helps you develop professional relationships and leads to a better morale and climate in the workplace.

Comparison of Mr. Calnan’s students’ 2012 MCAS scores Co-taught Period 6 Standard Period 7 Two subgroups: special education and ELL Class average: 238 Special ed student average: 240 ELL student average: 228 Non-subgroup average: 243 No subgroups Class average: 236 Non-subgroup average: 236 Comparison of Mr. Calnan’s students’ 2012 MCAS scores

References Friend, M. (2008) Co-Teach! A handbook for creating and sustaining effective classroom partnerships in inclusive schools. Greensboro, NC: Marylin Friend, Inc. Heineman Kunkel, S. (2004) Practical Inclusion Strategies Grades 6-12, Bureau of Education and Research

Discuss rationale ….different models are used depending on the goal of the lessons….