In a cooperative teaching model, one classroom is shared by two or more teachers. These teachers will share all responsibility including planning, instruction, and grading. Typically the co-teaching classroom is an inclusion class with both a regular education teacher and a special education teacher. These teachers must share a common goal, and believe that co-teaching is a better method of teaching for their students to see success.
Cooperative Teaching: a Common Goal
There should be an obvious cooperation in a classroom where two or more teachers share instructional responsibility. A common goal that both teachers are dedicated towards seeing to fruition will tie them together and enable them to work together towards that common end.
These co-teachers must work together, open and honest about their strengths and weaknesses in order to present lessons in the most beneficial way for all students. This model will not work if the teachers do not share the same end goal. As with any team, this must be the case or neither teacher will succeed.
Cooperative Teaching: a Personal Belief
Each teacher involved in a cooperative teaching model must believe that the model will work and indeed must work, in order to see their goals succeed. If teachers believe in what they are doing, the model has a better chance at success than those teachers who are not completely convinced.
Teachers who believe in the cooperative teaching model will work together, play off each other in every day instruction, find necessary time to plan together, and be open to suggestions. This type of teaching model, when both teachers believe in making it work, will benefit all students. What better situation than to have two dedicated, trained teachers, each with her own specialty skill set, working with each individual student in the same classroom?
Teachers who do not fully believe in the cooperative teaching model, or who cannot find a way to work with their cooperating teacher, will see at most, limited success in their classroom. The pitfalls to co-teaching include a lack of respect for the other teacher, and to a degree, a resentment of someone else in your classroom or of teaching in an inclusion classroom.
Cooperative Teaching: Finding Success in the Classroom
Many teachers are placed in a co-teaching position without their input. Many times a co-teaching relationship between teachers does not work, because one teacher or the other is not fully sold out to making the model work. These teachers must find a way to overcome these negative thoughts and resentments in order to find success in their classroom.
One of the most common problems between co-teachers is a lack of proper respect for the other teacher. Both teachers must be equals, neither reducing the other to the position of assistant or aid. Both teachers must respect the other’s time, ideas and teaching style while at the same time accepting that neither is perfect.
Secondly, both teachers must realize that every student is their student – not just the students with an IEP or those without an IEP. If the regular education teacher views those students with disabilities as “those students” or "the special educaction teacher's students" the model will not work. Likewise, if the special education teacher views those students without an IEP as less important in any way, then the model will not work.
Co-teaching, where two teachers share the responsibilities of a single classroom, must find teachers who share a common goal and a strong personal belief in the model to find success in the classroom.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
Join the Conversation