Co-Teaching Strategies
Introduction
Presenters Overview: The district has many presenters, intentionally chosen to hear from teachers implementing co-teaching.
Purpose: To discuss co-teaching strategies and their effectiveness in high school settings.
District Presenters
Joy DeCino: Director of student support services.
Chris Racklip: Algebra teacher.
Sarah Georgetti: Ninth-grade regular education algebra teacher.
Leo West: Special education teacher, geography.
Angela Martinez: General education teacher, Introduction to Teaching.
Daniel Rape: Special education teacher.
Harry Grace: Special education teacher, World History.
Co-Teaching Overview
Expectations: Attendees have interest in co-teaching initiatives and understanding its implementation challenges.
Approach Goals: Sharing outcomes on teacher practices and student outcomes, emphasizing anecdotal and statistical insights.
Co-Teaching Training Development
Initial Collaboration: Developed co-teaching training focusing on impactful practices.
Analogy of Co-Teaching: Compared to college roommates rather than a marriage; often assigned without prior knowledge.
Professional Development Focus: Job embedded training, modeling effective co-teaching practices within the classroom.
Key Co-Teaching Models
Focus on Three Models: Station teaching, Parallel teaching, and Alternate teaching.
Emphasis on Impact: Selection of high-yield models known to enhance student outcomes.
Job Embedded Training Details
Implementation Process: Monthly visits from trainers, formative feedback, and co-planning time for teachers.
Look For Tool: Developed for evaluating general and specific co-teaching practices without formal evaluation.
Differentiation in Co-Teaching
Addressing Disabilities: Integration of strategies tailored to support students with disabilities effectively.
Differentiated Instruction: Focus on specially designed instruction versus generic differentiation in co-teaching settings.
Implementation Cycles
Three-Step Process:
Step 1: Training and coaching on specific models over six weeks.
Step 2: Teacher implementation of strategies with feedback sessions following.
Step 3: Observation and refinement of strategies leading to ongoing implementation.
Year Two Focus: Continuous improvement of the co-teaching approach across all classes.
Teachers’ Experiences and Observations
Feedback Mechanism: Teachers receive ongoing feedback through observations and collaborative planning.
Student Feedback: Conducted surveys to gauge students’ experiences and perceptions of co-teaching; found higher engagement and understanding with two teachers.
Positive Responses: Majority reported increased enjoyment and understanding from dual-teacher models.
Data Insights and Results
Student Surveys: 44 responses from grades 9-12 noted greater engagement and understanding from co-taught classes.
Classroom Experiences:
Improved engagement and instructional effectiveness noted by students due to the collaborative model.
Students reported feeling more included and confident in their learning environments.
Challenges and Solutions
Common Concerns: Inconsistency in co-teaching partnerships and challenges in classroom management.
Strategies for Improvement:
Emphasizing collaborative planning for smooth classroom synergy.
Focusing on classroom setup to minimize distraction and maximize interaction.
Administrative Support and Training
Involvement of Administrators: Ensuring necessary resources and schedule adjustments to support co-teaching models.
Critical Training Elements: Importance of having collaborative environments to define roles and expectations clearly.
Panel Insights
Effective Strategies Shared: Co-teachers discuss their unique approaches and adjustments made for effective collaboration.
Benefits Recognized: Building relationships, focusing on student growth, and enhancing collaboration noted as key takeaways from experiences.
Conclusion
Call for Questions: Opportunities for participants to engage with teachers and administrators about experiences and seek advice on implementing co-teaching.
Contact Information Provided: For further inquiries and continued conversation on co-teaching practices.