SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

Contribute two tips for successful co-teaching to the class Google document by the assignment due date. Be sure to describe
the tips in your own words (dont copy and paste!) More detailed instructions and an example are provided at the top of the table.

Note: If the table runs out of rows, just place your cursor in the last row, then click on Table then Insert Row Below

Student Name Tip Name Tip Description & Example Reference (APA format)

Your Name Provide a short (1 Provide a detailed description and an example of how the tip Provide the reference where
word or more) can be applied in a co-teaching situation you found the co-teaching tip
title that briefly (using APA format).
describes the tip

Edith Example Shared Planning Co-teachers can use a shared planning document on Google Drive, Sacks, A. (2014). Eight tips For
Document which allows them to simultaneously add, delete, edit, and comment making the most of co-
on material. teaching. Education Week:
Teacher. Retrieved from:
For example: I co-teach a weekly social skills class with a classroom http://www.edweek.org/tm/articl
teacher. In a shared Google doc, we each sketch out initial ideas for es/2014/10/15/ctq_sacks_cote
skills to to be taught and comment on them. aching.html
We next schedule the order of the lessons. As the area is my
specialty, I will typically suggest an order that logically scaffolds the
skills, but he will occasionally suggest changes so that a lesson will
align with an upcoming activity (e.g., a field trip or assembly).

Then each week we sketch out the content of the lesson, including
how we will teach each element. (Is one of us going to explain
something with a Powerpoint or on the whiteboard? How will we
model the skill? Are we going to have a group discussion? How are
we going to prompt the students? How are we going to use
reinforcement when the students practice the skill?) We also plan
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

ways we will assess the skill, and ways it can be reinforced

throughout the week (outside social skills lesson time).

Amy Laytimi General tips for co- This article is short and easy to read. I chose it because it brings up Sacks, A. (2014). Eight tips For
teaching issues that you dont know you have until you have them. For making the most of co-
instance, you have to consider your dialogue in front of students. teaching. Education Week:
Students are very perceptive and pick up on any tension that could Teacher. Retrieved from:
possibly arise between adults. Learning to be flexible and bite your
tongue, when your co-teacher takes the class in an unanticipated
direction is a sign of maturity. Other conversations are important, too, https://www.edweek.org/tm/arti
such as--When do we let students go to the bathroom? Ive never cles/2014/10/15/ctq_sacks_cot
co-taught before, and this is an excellent pre-co-teaching blueprint. eaching.html
It encompasses many facets to co-teaching--equitable grading,
dividing instructional responsibilities, communicating behind-the-
scenes, and more.

Amy Laytimi Team Teaching This web-site is great for providing tips for different styles of co- Friend, M. (2011). Co-teaching:
teaching--parallel, one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, etc. using the six student
I chose to focus on team-teaching. An example given was approaches to enhance student
modeling. The teachers themselves modeled classroom protocol, outcomes. Inclusive
using an I do, you do, we do, approach when demonstrating how Classrooms Project: 6 Inclusive
they wanted students to work with partners or in small groups. Structures. Retrieved from:
Having teachers model shows students that their teachers are a
team, which reinforces the skills to be learned as they receive an
active and visual representation from their teachers. Teachers can http://inclusiveclassrooms.org/i
have a little fun by turning their modeling into a skit, as well, nquiries/6-co-teaching-
depending on the subject matter of the lesson. structures

Ruochen Shen Planning Co- Planning co-teaching determines what standards will be addressed Murawski, W. W., & Dieker, L.
Teaching proactively during the class. Moreover, when the general education
teacher and the special education teacher plan co-teaching, their main A. (2004). Tips and Strategies
job is determining what instructional techniques will be most efficient
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

and adequate in helping all students meet academic standards for Co-teaching at the
(Murawski & Dieker, 2004). Different areas of expertise are able to
help the planning by using each educators strengths in order to make Secondary Level. Teaching
sure that the lesson is appropriately differentiated (Murawski &
Dieker, 2004). In order to make this happen, I would like to do Exceptional Children, 36(5),
enough preparation before the planning meeting. For example, as a
special education teacher, I will send an email two days before a 52-59
planning meeting. In the email, I will ask the general education
teacher to send me an overview of content, curriculum, and standards
that will be addressed in the meeting. After receiving this information,
I will reflect and make possible modifications that base on the
students Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and learning
objectives. However, in the planning meeting, the discussion will be
focused on how to present the content in order to maximize all
students learning.

Ruochen Shen Dissucss Goals Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals are important for the Marston, N. (2017). 6 Steps to
students with disabilities, so the general education teacher is not only
responsible for the regular education goals but also responsible for Successful Co-Teaching:
creating IEP goals (Marston, 2017). However, it will be hard for a
teacher to educate a student when they are unaware of the students Helping Special and Regular
needs. Therefore, at the same time while the special education teacher
and general education teacher are discussing the modifications and Education Teachers Work
accommodations, they need to discuss the goals and objectives in
order to ensure student success in the classroom (Marston, 2017). For Together. National Education
example, as an special education teacher, I will set up a face-to-face
meeting with the general education teacher two weeks before a Association. Retrieved from:
students annual IEP comes up, and we are going to discuss the
students growth from the past year, her/his strengths, and regular http://www.nea.org/tools/6-
education goals for the next year. After discussing this information, I
will address the new IEP goals, objectives and accommodations in my steps-to-successful-co-
opinion, and then we will create rough draft IEP goals for the student.
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

During these two weeks before the real IEP meeting, I will have time teaching.html
to discuss the new IEP goals with the students parents and finish the
final draft with the general education teacher. Therefore, the general
education teacher will have better ideas about the student (e.g.,
strengths, IEP goals, modifications, etc.) when we discuss teaching
strategies in co-teaching meetings.

Patrick Gonzalez Practice it One Tip that this article talks about is how if co-teaching is taught and
practiced while learning in the universities then it will be better
implemented afterwards. This is very true because one of the practicums
here at KU has student co-teaching and during the observations it is so
helpful and I have seen that my own confidence in co-teaching has
increased through having that be a requirement and also receiving the
support from staff at the university to help me better my co-teaching
techniques.

Bacharach, N. L., Heck, T. W., & Dahlberg, K. R. (2008). What makes co-
teaching work? identifying the essential elements. College Teaching
Methods & Styles Journal, 4(3), 43-48

Patrick Gonzalez Indistinguishable In this article it talks about one of the positives of successful co-
teaching is if the general educator and special educator are
indistinguishable as well as the students that receive sped services.
This is a great sign of good co-teaching. In classes with co-teaching
I have seen this where I had no idea and Some that I knew
immediately. When they are indistinguishable it seems as there are
two teachers in the room while if it is distinguishable usually that
means that one is dominating and the other serves more as an aide.
Abbye-Taylor, S. (2014). Characteristics of successful co-teaching
experiences in classrooms with general and special education students
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

Audra Jones Parallel Teaching Parallel teaching is when the classroom is split into two separate Inclusive Classrooms Project.
groups. These groups can be leveled, mixed level, mixed interests, a (nd). Retrieved November 20,
mix of students that enjoy speaking and those that are quiet. It is for 2017 from:
the teachers to decide as a team how the groups will be divided in http://inclusiveclassrooms.org/i
order to fit the purpose and students. The teachers will work with nquiries/navigating-ict-
their groups simultaneously and over the same content. According to world/parallel-teaching
inclusiveclassrooms.org, Students must get comparable instruction
(Inclusive, nd).

Example:

I used this co-teaching strategy while student teaching a fifth grade

classroom. My supervising teacher and I decided we would have a
small group with her and I would teach the whole class and she
would modify the lesson for the small group of students. As I was
teaching students were also allowed to go to the small group, as they
felt necessary. When teaching I did have a few students that did
move to the smaller group to get a more modified version of the
lesson. We used this strategy for most of our co-teaching because it
most successful.

Audra Jones Co-planning Co-planning must take place for students to be successful during co- Special Connection. (nd).
Templates teaching. Time should be set aside for the co-teachers to plan Retrieved November 20,
lessons, decide roles and responsibilities, discuss any 2017 from:
accommodations/modifications that need to take place, and decide http://specialconnections.ku.
the type of co-teaching strategy that will take place for specific edu/
lessons. There is a co-planning template as well as many other
resources available on www.specialconnections.ku.edu (see
reference information).
Here is a link to more great co-
Example: planning templates:
During my practicum this semester when working on the co-planning https://www.rtsd.org/Page/109
and co-teaching assignment I used a few different documents. One
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

document had a list of roles and responsibilities and columns to show

which co-teacher will be responsible for each. I also used a template
very similar to the one on the special connections website for the
planning of specific activities and to show what accommodations
needed to take place.

Alison Charboneau Plan of Action Marston, N. (2017). 6 Steps to

Formulate a plan of action and act as a unified team. You have to Successful Co-Teaching: Helping
make decisions constantly throughout the year, so if you formulate a Special and Regular Education
plan of action in the beginning of the year, disruptions will be Teachers Work Together. National
Education Association. Retrieved
minimal. Consider the following items in your plan of action: from:http://www.nea.org/tools/6-
Scheduling, Expected classroom behaviors, Classroom procedures, steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html
Consequences of not following rules and procedures, Grading, and
Communication between home and school.

This could look like: A specific planning meeting prior to the start of
school between co-teachers. Ideally, there would be a written format
or template for responsibilities to be clearly stated and designated in
a way that can be referenced in the event that questions arise. The
team would time to talk about how they plan to deal with problems in
a way that wont discredit them in front of students.

Alison Charboneau Conflict Resolution To reduce the impact of inevitable conflicts, teachers should develop a Brown, Nancy Beyers. (2013). Tools
process for conflict resolution that they both can agree to. Once this process and strategies for making co-
is determined, co-teaching teams should put it in writing. This way, both teaching work. Intervention in
teachers know that if conflict arises there is a fair and equitable process in school and clinic. Vol.49 (2).
place that allows them to air their thoughts and feelings. Retrieved from:
http://journals.sagepub.com.www2
An example of a conflict resolution process includes teachers working .lib.ku.edu/doi/10.1177/105345121
together to fill out this form to come to a reasonable solution or compromise. 3493174
Conflict Resolution Form

Jayme Dunlop Individualized You and your co-teacher partner will both contribute a variety of Murawski, W. W., & Dieker, L. A.
Lesson Plans assignments to create a menu that allows the students to self-select
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

(ILPs) projects or papers that they are interested in. This allows for (2004). Tips and strategies for co-
differentiation and encourages students to pick an assignment that
best meets their particular learning style and to demonstrate their teaching at the secondary level.
gifts and talents. The categories may be: Visual, Auditory, Group, Teaching Exceptional Children,
Kinesthetic, Expressive, and Individual. Each of these should have
one assignment/project/paper per learning objective. Allowing 36(5), 52-59.
students to choose which activities they will complete for each
objective will allow them to choose those that have the most interest
to them.

Jayme Dunlop Brain Break Give the students short brain breaks every 15 minutes to process Murawski, W. W., & Dieker, L. A.
Sidebars information and clear their heads. During this time have them stand
up and move around, you can make it an activity, like push-ups or (2004). Tips and strategies for co-
jumping jacks. While the students take this brief break (usually about teaching at the secondary level.
2 minutes) use this time to discuss with your co-teacher partner and
see if any changes need to be made in the lesson, discuss how the Teaching Exceptional Children,
lesson is going for all students, and just sort of do a quick
36(5), 52-59.
assessment of what topics may need to be re-iterated.

Scott Neubauer Honesty Team members must be honest with each other about their skills and Conderman, Greg, (2011), Middle
ability. They should avoid assumptions about the knowledge and School Co-Teaching: Effective
skills of their partner. They must demonstrate a high degree of Practices and Students
professionalism and trust between each other. Reflections, Middle School
Journal, Vol. 42(4), p 24 - 31

Scott Neubauer Planning and The co-teachers need to have goals and be able to make Pratt, Sharon, Imbody, Sarah, Wolf,
Reflecting adjustments day-to-day in order to achieve these goals. There Lindsey, Patterson, Amanda
needs to be time set aside for planning and reflection to ensure the (2016), Co-Planning in Co-
success of the co-teaching and students in the classroom. Teaching: A Practical Solution,
Intervention in School and Clinic,
Vol. 52 (4), pp 243 - 249
SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

Jessica Peacock Meet and Greet Paua Kluth and Dr. Julie Causton are two of my favorite speakers and Kluth, P., & Causton, J. (2016). 30
authors, and I love this book! I highly recommend it. :) The Meet and Greet days to the co-taught classroom:
is the first strategy of 30 in their book and and highlights the importance of how to create an amazing, nearly
getting to know your teaching partner on a personal level before you dive miraculous & frankly earth-
into planning for instruction. If your school does not offer opportunities for shattering partnership in one
socializing before school starts, find some ways to connect with your partner month or less. Minneapolis, MN:
outside of school. This chapter has some great forms, such as a Team North Loop Books
Building Activity Checklist and 20 Questions for Co-Teachers. Really, if
you are beginning co-teaching, you have to get this book!

Jessica Peacock 6 Models of Co- These strategies are a great way to start the conversation with your partner
Teaching about how you will approach instruction for the day or unit. By looking at
all the different ways co-teaching can happen, you can choose the method Friend, M. (n.d.). Co Teaching
that makes the most sense for your curriculum and your students. By Approaches. Retrieved
choosing a specific model, you will not have to make it up as you go and November 27, 2017, from
both teachers will be aware of their responsibilities during class time. http://www.marilynfriend.com/
approaches.htm

Lauren Johnson Keep - One thing that was brought up consistently in co-teaching tips
Communication that I found was the importance of being open to Benninghoff , A. (2017). Strategies
Open. communication even within difficult subjects. It is essential to
for Successful Co-Teaching .
communicate differences of opinion so resentment does not
develop within the co-teaching partnership. Some good Retrieved from
prompts to begin these difficult conversations are as follows. https://www.scholastic.com/teac
A co-teacher in Nebraska asked me to suggest specific hers/articles/teaching-
prompts she could use when she and her partner reached an content/strategies-successful-co-
impasse. Here is what I offered her: teaching/

Help me understand your point of view.

SPED 854, Module 5: Co-Teaching

What I think you are saying is _____.

What have you done in the past that has worked?
What if we try this idea for one week and then discuss how it
went?

- Understanding and further developing ideas about why co-

See students teaching strategies may help students will help in the
differently. development of collaborative plans. Ultimately this is all for
the kids, it doesnt necessarily make things easier for us, so Stein, E. (2012, October 28). 4
unless you view each kid in the classroom as yours and your Critical Co-Teacher
co-teacher as an essential member of all students instruction, Conversations. Retrieved from
.
your teaching probably will not be successful. https://www.middleweb.com/39
05/4-critical-co-teacher-
conversations/