Working with a Co-Teacher “I not only use all of the brains I have, but all I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson

First things to consider… Do you and your co-teacher understand each other’s cultural backgrounds? When it comes to school, how is Taiwan different from the US or other Western countries? Discipline (Who handles it? What happens? How serious is it? What is the worst thing you’ve seen?) Teacher work hours Student study hours Saturday workdays vs. Monday holidays Student socio-economic challenges

More questions to consider… How should teachers interact with students? What responsibilities and rights do students have? When do you learn the school schedule? Daily Weekly Monthly Yearly WHAT DAYS DO I HAVE OFF?

Classroom Management and Administration I think that foreign teachers get the benefits of teaching without many of the drawbacks. Do you agree? If not, let me know why!

Classroom Management and Administration What did I dislike the most while teaching in the US? Boring/pointless trainings (heh heh heh) Meetings Paperwork Menial labor Annoying colleagues (heh heh heh) and over-bearing supervisors Do we have to deal with these as foreign teachers? Of course! But let’s add some more to this list…

Classroom Management and Administration Other “not so fun” things about teaching: Grading, grading, grading Dealing with parents Dealing with (more) administrators Dealing with serious discipline issues on a regular basis When working with your co- teacher, realize that he or she has more to deal with on the administration end – even if you may be teaching more classes. We all got into teaching to teach, so be sure to say thanks often! OK, but what about the classroom?

Models of Co-teaching Things to consider first: In Hsinchu County (like at any school system), we have too many students and a limited number of foreign teachers. As a foreign teacher, you might not get to know your students as well as your co-teacher. Average foreign teacher-student contact time is different. It mostly is about 1-2 days per week. Not enough for 40-45 minutes each time!

Models of Co-teaching More things to consider: English language levels of students will vary. My 1st and 2nd grade: range from pointing and yelling “外國人” at me to discussing the finer points of Hello Kitty. My 7th and 8th grade: range from trying to get me to unknowingly say funny things in Chinese (my tones are BAD) to FOR THIS REASON, do not expect all of these strategies to work for all kids! Use common sense!

MODELS (Vaugh, Schumm, & Arguelles, 1997; Honigsfeld & Dove, 2008, 2010). MODEL 1: One Group of Students One Lead Teacher and One Teacher "Teaching on Purpose" MODEL 2: One Group of Students Two Teachers Teach Same Content MODEL 3: One Group of Students One Teaches, One Assesses MODEL 4: Two Groups of Students Two Teachers Teach Same Content MODEL 5: Two Groups of Students One Teacher Pre-teaches, One Teacher Teaches Alternative Information MODEL 6: Two Groups of Students One Teacher Re-teaches, One Teacher Teaches Alternative Information MODEL 7: Multiple Groups Two Teachers Monitor/Teach *These slides borrowed from Honigsfeld and Dove’s PPT.*

Model 1 One Group: One Lead Teacher and One Teacher "Teaching on Purpose" 10

Model 2 One Group: Two Teachers Teach Same Content 11

Model 3 One Group: One Teaches, One Assesses 12

Model 4 Two Groups: Two Teachers Teach Same Content A,B,C A,B,C = 13

Model 5 Two Groups: One Teacher Preteaches, One Teacher Teaches Alternative Information A,B,C D,E,F ≠ 14

Model 6 Two Groups: One Teacher Re-teaches, One Teacher Teaches Alternative Information A,B,C D,E,F A,B,C ≠ 15

Model 7 Multiple Groups: Two Teachers Monitor/Teach 16

With a partner (or two), take 15-20 minutes to design 5 lesson plan concepts based around the different types of co-teaching. Explain the following: What are the strengths of this type of co-teaching? What are the weaknesses? Is it easy to implement? Is there a better way? What is the meaning of life? Why is the sky blue?, etc. GROUP WORK!

Other suggestions Use technology to aid in communication and planning. See what others do. E-mail Moodle Dropbox file-sharing Google Docs/Google Drive Slideshare Online ESL resources Waygook.org (Korea) Forumosa.com (Taiwan) Internet TESL Journal

Extra Information/Resources Video: “Co-teaching is a marriage” Article: Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove, ESL “Co teaching and Collaboration: Opportunities to Develop Teacher Leadership and Enhance Student Learning,” TESOL Journal, 1.1, March, 2010.