What is Co-Teaching?

Overview

Co-teaching is a collaboration between two teachers in determining what will be taught, how it will be taught, and who will be teaching. Co-teaching can occur between any educators, but it traditionally involves a general education teacher and a special education teacher.

Some misconceptions exist in terms of what co-teaching is and is not. According to the Council for Exceptional Children, co-teaching is “a collaborative approach to instruction in which two teachers, typically a general education teacher and a special education teacher, work together to plan and then implement instruction for a class that includes students with disabilities” (CEC, 2022, paragraph 1). Co-teaching is not (Villa et al., 2013) one teacher teaching a lesson, then another teacher taking over with a different lesson. Co-teaching is not one teacher teaching while the other teacher performs other tasks (e.g., making copies, checking in on students).

One of the main benefits of and reasons for co-teaching is to better meet the needs of all students in the classroom. By utilizing the skills and expertise of both educators, students will benefit from this partnership. Teaching alone, a teacher can plan to meet the needs of all students; however, a teacher may not (and likely will not) be able to dedicate the necessary time and attention to fully meet the needs of all students. By planning with an additional teacher, it is possible to develop more opportunities and different ways of conveying content to students. Adding another perspective on how to teach the content and having another teacher in the classroom to help support, guide, and deliver instruction will also benefit students.

Co-Teaching in Practice

The concept of co-teaching encompasses a variety of models that facilitate collaborative educational strategies. According to Friend (2020), there is consensus among educational experts on the existence of six primary models of co-teaching. These models include: One Teach/One Observe, One Teach/One Assist, Station Teaching, Parallel Teaching, Alternative Teaching, and Team Teaching. Each model offers a distinct approach to instruction, allowing for flexibility and adaptability in meeting the diverse needs of students.

The core dynamics of co-teaching are succinctly illustrated in Figure 1, which delineates how co-teaching professionals engage in the meticulous planning and execution of instructional activities. These activities are strategically chosen from among the six models and their variations, ensuring that the selection is tailored to the specific requirements of the students and the educational objectives at hand (Friend & Cook, 2010). Figure 1 serves as a visual guide to these models.

FIGURE 1. Co-Teaching Approaches.

Source. From M. Friend & W. D. Bursuck, 2009,IncludingStudents With Special Needs: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers(5th ed., p. 92).Columbus, OH: Merrill.

More About Each Model

Here we highlight the unique strategies, benefits, and potential limitations associated with each model/approach.

One Teach/One Observe 

One teacher is responsible for creating and implementing lessons.  The other teacher either observes the teacher or students to collect data (Friend, 2020). There is a low level of collaboration between teachers, and one teacher is fully responsible (Baeten & Simons, 2014).

In this model, the educator team should alternate roles to ensure that they are both seen as lead teachers through the students’ eyes, and that they can offer equal information and support (Friend, 2020). Both teachers should be able to take the role of observer, especially at the beginning of the year to get to know students in depth, observe the other’s teaching style and the general classroom dynamics. Teachers can plan to collect data on certain students who may be struggling so that the teachers can monitor and adjust their instruction.

An advantage of this model is that the teacher doing the main instruction takes responsibility for most of the planning (Friend, 2020). This is helpful for both teachers to find time to plan and collaborate, which might otherwise be difficult. Having both teachers take turns teaching and observing can be beneficial at the beginning of the school year. If the teachers have not previously worked with each other, they will have opportunities to learn about their co-teacher’s teaching style. This can help teachers understand each other and learn how to best collaborate in their future planning. When the teachers can fully devote a period of time to observing their students, they will be able to gain extremely important data. This can be helpful when teachers are assessing a student’s skills or trying to determine whether the strategies they have in place are useful to the student.

A disadvantage of this model is that, in some cases, specialists (such as a special education teacher) may find themselves limited to the role of assistant (Friend, 2020). Co-teaching is meant to involve two teachers with the same responsibilities and with both providing instruction. Since the teachers have less cooperative planning time, there is less teacher collaboration. Such collaboration is a key part of co-teaching, which could be curtailed if this is the only model being used.

One Teach/One Assist

One teacher has the primary responsibility for planning and teaching, while the other teacher moves around the classroom, helping students and providing unobtrusive assistance to them as needed (Friend, 2020). There is a moderate level of collaboration, and one teacher is responsible for the majority of the instruction (Baeten & Simons, 2014).

In this model, students having difficulty academically or socially will get the help they need in a timely manner (Friend, 2020). As a process observer, the supporting teacher can observe behavior not apparent to the teacher leading the lesson. If there is a behavioral issue, the assisting teacher can tend to it while the other teacher continues to instruct the class. One teacher can teach the lesson while the other teacher hands out materials, thereby eliminating downtime.

An advantage of this model is that one teacher is available to help students when needed during instruction (Friend, 2020). The assisting teacher can walk around the classroom and observe when students may need help refocusing on their work, or when students may need a little more direction or information about what they are be working on. Collaborative planning time can be very difficult to come by in any school setting. In this co-teaching model, however, teachers do not need excessive amounts of collaborative planning time.

A disadvantage of the one teaching/one assisting model is that it does not allow for both teachers to partake as active teachers (Friend, 2020). During instruction time, the assisting teacher walks around the room to ensure that students are staying on task. Moreover, the assisting teacher is there to help if a student does not understand something in the lesson or needs something explained again. When this is going on as the other teacher is still providing instruction, it can be very distracting to the other students.

Teaming 

In this model, co-teachers are both fully engaged in the delivery of instruction. The teacher and co-teacher deliver the material together simultaneously to the whole class. Co-teachers have equal roles such that one teacher may lead class discussions while the co-teacher models or demonstrates material.

An advantage of this model is that many seasoned co-teachers find team teaching to be the most rewarding approach to co-teaching (Friend, 2020).  When the teachers “click” and can have effective instructional dialogue, it can prompt them to try new and innovative ideas as well as activities that they would have never tried if they were teaching alone.  This often invigorates the teachers, and in turn, enhances student participation. Since both teachers are equally involved in the instruction, team teaching conveys to students that both teachers have equal status.  This allows students to feel comfortable approaching either teacher with questions or concerns and allows both teachers to manage classroom behaviors.

A disadvantage of this model is that team teaching requires the most commitment and mutual trust between teachers (Friend, 2020).  If teachers are uncomfortable teaching together, students may pick up on this, which may create an uncomfortable classroom environment. Team teaching also requires teachers to combine their teaching styles into one style.  If the teachers have extremely different teaching styles, senses of humor, or pacing of instruction, the flow of the team teaching may not be successful.  This would impact not only the classroom environment but also student learning outcomes. Lastly, since team teaching relies heavily on teacher compatibility and flexibility, it may be difficult to implement with a new co-teaching relationship.  Teachers need to work with each other for some duration to learn each other’s teaching styles before they can effectively implement the teaming approach in the classroom.

Alternative Teaching

Alternative teaching is another way to deliver services involving specialized instruction. It is a way for students who receive special education services to remain inside the general education classroom while receiving services. This model consists of a co-teaching strategy that utilizes two teachers at the same time. One teacher instructs the large group while the other instructs a much smaller group. Specific skills are taught intensively to this smaller group, which include pre-teaching, reteaching, and enrichment (Friend, 2020).

In alternative teaching, small group lessons can take place either inside or outside the classroom. Moreover, these small group lessons can include the same material being taught to the large group or can focus on similar skills that need intensive instruction (Friend, 2020). While the teacher provides the objectives for the lessons taught, alternative teaching allows those lessons to be differentiated or scaffolded. Also, alternative teaching allows teachers to combine each of their own expertise areas when creating and delivering instruction that is targeted to the student’s needs.

An advantage of this model is that all students receive opportunities to work with others in small groups (Friend, 2020). This allows for less disruption with students experiencing behavioral difficulties. It also works well for those students with ADHD, anxiety, and those who need to learn through repetition. This model allows for more varied groups and can give students opportunities to close any instructional gaps that there may exist (Kassel, 2019).

A disadvantage of this model is that it may cause students to feel stigmatized by “being grouped repeatedly for pre-teaching or re-teaching” (Friend, 2020). This could potentially alter students’ expectations. Planning for lessons can take more time than the teachers feel they have. Another disadvantage presents itself when the classroom has insufficient space. A constricted amount of space to spread out into groups could lead students with attention issues to lose focus on the tasks at hand (Kassel, 2019).

Station Teaching

In this model, teachers divide the content and students. Each teacher then teaches the content to one group and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group. If appropriate, a third station could give students an opportunity to work independently (Friend, 2020). This is a highly collaborative model between teachers (Baeten & Simons, 2014).

With station teaching,  students have the benefit of working in small groups, which allows for more student/teacher interaction (Friend, 2020). In addition, the teachers can cover more material in a shorter period. This also allows teachers to spend more time re-teaching if necessary. If the class and students can handle it, one or more groups can work independently. This allows students to take ownership of their work.

An advantage of this model is that the teachers can plan on their own, given that something different is taught at each station (Friend, 2020). This is an advantage because collaborative planning time can be very hard to come by. When students are at each station, they are with a smaller group of peers. This an advantage to students, as they can participate in conversations more frequently.

A disadvantage of this model include is that the content being taught at each station needs to be something that can be taught in any order (Friend, 2020). Co-teachers cannot teach consecutive lessons while using station teaching because students would receive information out of order. Also, when stations are in session in the classroom, noise levels can potentially be quite loud. This can be distracting to both students and teachers. It is important for co-teachers to talk with each other to determine the appropriate noise level to work together successfully. Transitions can take up a great deal of instruction time; they can also cause students to go off task and can take an extended amount of time to help them refocus on their learning.

Parallel Teaching

Teachers in this model both cover the same material/information, dividing the class into two groups and teaching simultaneously (Friend, 2020). It is a highly collaborative model (Baeten & Simons, 2014).

In this model, each teacher works separately and teaches the same material (Friend, 2020). The teachers can teach the material that they feel the most comfortable teaching. A lower adult-student ratio is needed to improve instructional efficiency. Students can observe by understanding and can modify their behaviors quickly. The teachers can use the classroom space in a flexible manner; they can gather students in a space where they feel comfortable so that learning can take place.

An advantage of this model is that, during parallel teaching, students are divided into two smaller groups for instruction (Friend, 2020). Smaller group sizes allow students to participate more frequently in the discussion. Students may also feel more comfortable to ask questions if they have any when they are in smaller groups. Teachers can differentiate practices based on the group of students with whom they are working.

A disadvantage of this model is that classroom noise levels can become quite loud when two teachers are parallel teaching (Friend, 2020). This could be distracting for students and teachers alike. In parallel teaching, both teachers cover the same content in their respective groups. Since they are covering the same content, they need collaborative planning time to teach the material consistently between both groups.

As one can see, all approaches to co-teaching have advantages and disadvantages. To truly co-teach effectively, co-teachers will need to collaborate with each other and try different approaches to find what works best for both.

Implementing Co-teaching  

When first deciding to co-teach, it is best to have all parties involved to develop a common framework. The framework should contain the teacher’s goals for collaboration or their vision for co-teaching. One framework from South Carolina is characterized by fostering “a culture that encourages collaboration, maximizes opportunities to personalize learning for students, increases the frequency of timely and effective student feedback, and tailors instruction to meet the diverse needs of each student. Co-teaching provides schools a means to meet the varying academic and behavioral needs of all students within the general education environment” (South Carolina Co-Teaching Framework, 2020, p. 1).

Keys to Successful Co-teaching 

Barriers and challenges.

While developing a co-teaching framework, it is important to determine existing barriers in having teachers co-teach. Take a moment to explore some common barriers/challenges to co-teaching and possible ways to overcome them.

Besides the barriers/challenges found in the above mentioned link, other challenges and areas that must be addressed in co-teaching include motivating students, examining data, selecting effective instructional strategies, working with paraprofessionals, and peer observation. Below are outside resources for each of these areas.

Motivating students.

Motivating students is sometimes one of the hardest areas for teachers. As a teacher, you will not be effective if you cannot reach your students and get them excited and eager to learn the information you are teaching them. It is important to have a basic understanding of human motivation (See McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory) and information on How to Motivate Students.

Teaching and assessing. After understanding and knowing how to motivate your students, the next steps include both determining how to teach content and assess your students to ensure that they are learning, and that you are being effective. Review the following resources for Effective Instructional Strategies and Examining Data to Make Data-based Decisions.

Working with paraprofessionals.

Many special education teachers will have a paraprofessional to assist them in their role as a teacher. This is yet another example of a teaming partnership that a teacher may encounter. As previously mentioned, working and teaming with others come with many benefits and challenges; this relationship is no different. There are ways to Ensure a Successful Working Relationship with paraprofessionals that can benefit you, the paraprofessional, and your students.

Peer observation.

Another critical component of co-teaching involves having co-teachers evaluate each other and receive feedback through peer observations. Such observations from each of the co-teachers are crucial. Additionally, other teachers may want to Observe an Already Established Co-teaching Team.