Co Teaching As A Teacher

Reflecting back over the years since receiving my initial National Board Certification, I clearly see that the mentoring roles I have been a part of have been the most rewarding. Mentoring has enabled me to collaborate with others new to the profession as well as with veteran teachers in the classroom. Through this collaboration in a variety of settings, I have been able to improve the effectiveness of my teaching practices which in turn has had a positive impact on my students. A study from Teacher Collaboration in Instructional Teams and Student Achievement by the American Educational Research Journal (2015) states that the quality of teacher collaboration positively influences teacher performance

Co-teaching is important, especially in the school I did my special education field experience at because they are full inclusion. This school district did co-teaching for math and reading. Students receive their assistance with in the classroom while the teacher is instructing class. It takes a lot of planning and collaboration with the classroom teacher, I believe this is not the most beneficial way to teach students that have learning needs. it can become very distracting for the student because what is going on around them. Learning with their peers is important, the instructions their receiving in the classroom are above their level. I wonder how this is providing the best education possible?

The article goes into great detail over the fact that co-teaching, when implemented correctly, has the potential of really enhancing the learning of all students (Conderman & Hedin, 2014, p.359). Before any co-teaching can happen though the article elaborates on the fact that a teacher needs to know who their students are. And when differentiating instruction a teacher needs to be able to address a “students’ unique strengths, interest, skills, and readiness” (Conderman & Hedin, 2014, p. 353). After all helping each child learn, whatever that looks like, is the ultimate goal, and this article shows how teachers can do this with a co-teacher.

Teacher Collaboration measures the degree to which teachers engage in constructive dialogue that furthers the educational vision of the school.

Roberts, S. & Pruitt, E. (2003). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

I approach collaboration as a team player, and I believe students need more than one person to guide them to their full educational potential. Also, active and prepared participation of weekly PLC meetings with the teachers of my special education students to plan collaborative curriculum have increased results in math and reading substantially. Participating in co-teaching furthers my repertoire of knowledge to assist my students. I have learned a vast amount from sharing and consulting with colleagues regarding students, observing mentoring teachers, and planning activities to ensure growth in students.

Unfortunately, thorough research on the impact of professional development on student achievement is limited because it is challenging, complex and expensive to study. Nonetheless, Hoaglund, Birkenfeld, and Box, (2015), conducted a study that illustrated that learning communities are viable tools for providing professional development to both pre-service teachers and current teachers. Their study showed how a group of pre-service teachers and their supervisors participated in a professional experience learning community for two terms prior to the pre-service teacher’s junior year at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results of the study indicated that all participants valued the experience and consequently were able to gain and identify some benefits of a professional learning community (PLC). Participants specifically reported a greater appreciation of collaboration with more experienced educators as a practical way of solving issues and implementing processes and procedures for increasing student achievement. The activities incorporated within the

One factor that plays a huge role in successful implementation of integrated co-teaching and has better outcomes for students is when the co-teachers are trained and work together. Magiera and Zigmond (2005) preformed a study at four middle schools in New York that focused on the instructional practices for students with and without disabilities; with teachers who were not trained in integrated co-teaching

Collaboration between teachers is a key component to professional development that will lead to higher student achievement. There is a need for schools to set up time for teachers to be able to collaborate together. This allows for teachers to help each other, matchup content, teach each other new and best practices, troubleshoot student issues just to name a few of the areas that collaboration time can help foster within a school. The key is to build time for teachers to be able to collaborate during the school day or week. This collaboration time needs to be between grade levels, departments, and cross curricular when needed. For many schools this is an afterthought to the school schedule or a fleeting thought after the master schedule is completed. A principal needs to keep an open mind to any strategy that will enable the teachers to be able to collaborate for the good of the students and the school.

Co-teaching is exactly what it sounds like, it is a team of two teachers who use their combined efforts to better the education of their students. We are a team, and as such we will share the

Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current

According to Hourcade & Bauwens “Co-teaching allows teachers to respond effectively to diverse needs of students, lower the teacher ratio, and expand the professional expertise that can be applied to the student needs.” Co-teaching allows a better opportunity for children to get the information needed in the classroom, this concept minimizes the risk of “children being left behind in education.” That is because, there are two teachers present in the classroom to tend to every child’s need. Co-teaching also can allow each child to have more “one on one” time with the teacher for the teacher to make sure each students understands the content completely.

According to the article, Work Together But Only if You Want To, the author debates the idea that even though teaching is a profession where individuals mostly work alone, that doesn’t mean a professional learning community cannot exist and even thrive.

The first is where one teaches and one observes, a useful model when observation and data collection is necessary, but it does not give both teachers equivalent responsibilities. Station teaching breaks students into small groups and has them rotate to several teacher-led and/or independent work stations, a model which involves both teachers but can be noisy and distracting for both teachers and students. In parallel teaching, students are divided into two equal groups and each partner teaches the same material; this method ensures diversity and lowers teacher-student ratio, but requires that both teachers have similar content knowledge and teach at a similar pace. In alternative teaching, one teacher works with a small group of students who need additional instruction, while the other teacher works with the remaining students; this benefits those students who need more intensive instruction, but it can stigmatize them if they are always placed in this small group instruction. One teach while one assists is a method that allows for students to be supported during a lesson, but it can be over-used with the eventual result of having little benefit over a one-teacher classroom. The final and possibly the most effective method is team teaching, where both teachers equally share planning and instruction. This method allows teachers to draw off one another’s strengths and provides greater diversity of teaching, but it may be difficult for

In the seventeenth devotion, John Donne correctly penned, “no man is an island”, teachers benefit more only when they participate in the CPD as a group with a common goal. According to Bolam et al. (2005), CPD is effectively conducted through a Professional Learning Community which he defined as, “the capacity to promote, and sustain the learning of all professionals in the school community with the collective purpose of enhancing student learning.” Several studies have shown effective cooperation efforts should encompass policies that encourage transparent practices in a way that promote