I have a lot of hopes for the incredible potential of co-teaching!
After reading up a bit on co-teaching, my mind started whirring as I thought about how cool it could be to teach a whole, HUGE class of middle schoolers. (I'm used to 6 - 12 kids at a time!) I started looking forward to all the ideas I could copy and steal from first hand exposure with other teachers. I was excited to share planning and brainstorming time with another educator! I was happy to imagine 2 adults role-modelling sharing, negotiation, collaboration and (probably very real) problem solving right in front of all those kids.
After reading up a bit on co-teaching, my mind started whirring as I thought about how cool it could be to teach a whole, HUGE class of middle schoolers. (I'm used to 6 - 12 kids at a time!) I started looking forward to all the ideas I could copy and steal from first hand exposure with other teachers. I was excited to share planning and brainstorming time with another educator! I was happy to imagine 2 adults role-modelling sharing, negotiation, collaboration and (probably very real) problem solving right in front of all those kids.
Possibly the thing that most excites me about co-teaching is the awesome opportunity it could provide for students. First, students with Special Ed services sometimes miss out on a certain level of complexity when they are not included in General Education classes. What we consider pull-out services or Resource Room settings are sometimes so singularly focused on skill acquisition in the mechanics and application of reading, writing and math topics that students can miss out on the complex and sometimes beautiful chaos of higher level discussion and creation that can happen in the larger classroom. So, the chance for a kid who is used to being in a 'special' room for reading to use the same materials and contribute to the same discussions as all her peers could be an awesome opportunity for growth!
Second, over the years, General Ed students have seen a disappearance of some of their peers. Co-teaching could change that. I know how educators (myself included) see this: Kids in Special Education need special services to best gain the skills they lack. Yes, I agree with this and have been trained and believe that a kid will not dramatically increase his reading ability, for example, if he's not explicitly taught reading. And for students in Special Ed and their families, they understand the same reasoning and are often excited for the chance to catch up. Bu-uut, what about the other kids? The kids who used to have class with a certain someone and now they don't. Maybe the kids noticed the student was slower in math, or couldn't keep up with the homework, or was so rowdy he frustrated all the teachers. And maybe they know that there's the other class where he goes for help now.
But what other messages are kids receiving? Are they learning that if you can't go with the flow you're out? Are they learning that the slowest person will one day be gone? Are they learning something about what's normal? About what's acceptable? About who is normal? About who is acceptable? And are they missing out on contributions and insights that only someone who needs to ask the same question a couple times to hear the answer in a couple different ways might offer. I don't know. And I'm afraid we don't know a lot about the impacts of removing kids from classes. But I am wholly HOPEFUL that an inclusive setting, with support for those kids who need it (in Special Ed or otherwise) could be incredible for all students involved.
Second, over the years, General Ed students have seen a disappearance of some of their peers. Co-teaching could change that. I know how educators (myself included) see this: Kids in Special Education need special services to best gain the skills they lack. Yes, I agree with this and have been trained and believe that a kid will not dramatically increase his reading ability, for example, if he's not explicitly taught reading. And for students in Special Ed and their families, they understand the same reasoning and are often excited for the chance to catch up. Bu-uut, what about the other kids? The kids who used to have class with a certain someone and now they don't. Maybe the kids noticed the student was slower in math, or couldn't keep up with the homework, or was so rowdy he frustrated all the teachers. And maybe they know that there's the other class where he goes for help now.
But what other messages are kids receiving? Are they learning that if you can't go with the flow you're out? Are they learning that the slowest person will one day be gone? Are they learning something about what's normal? About what's acceptable? About who is normal? About who is acceptable? And are they missing out on contributions and insights that only someone who needs to ask the same question a couple times to hear the answer in a couple different ways might offer. I don't know. And I'm afraid we don't know a lot about the impacts of removing kids from classes. But I am wholly HOPEFUL that an inclusive setting, with support for those kids who need it (in Special Ed or otherwise) could be incredible for all students involved.
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