What I Read About Co-Teaching

Almost immediately after finding out that I would be co-teaching this year, I went directly to Pinterest.  There are actually not a ton of references or resources out there about co-teaching. 

What I did find time and again was this amazing photo that I think probably reflects the feelings of many co-teachers:

"We are forced to stand here together."

These two seem dismissive and awkward.  This looks like a begrudging photo opportunity with body language that seems to say, 'I don't want to get too close.' (I assume these are not even teachers!  Is this some kind of bad partnership stock photo?)

I did find some good information and started to get excited.  The basics of co-teaching are:  2 teachers (typically 1 General Ed and 1 Special Ed) share the planning, instruction, grading and other responsibilities for the entire, integrated classroom.  The 2 teachers have equal status in the room and the both work with all students.  (There shouldn't be a "mine" and "yours" perspective.)  

There are a variety of ways to run the daily classroom show.  You can trade off the instruction, rotate students through stations, have one teacher float while the other instructs, split the class in half (hello, smaller class sizes!!).  Several resources mentioned this model:  One teacher instructs while one teacher observes.  That one sounds boring / annoying depending on which teacher you are, but I'm sure one could generate a ton of ever-important *data* while observing for a whole instructional period. You can read a brief overview of different co-teaching models thanks to Connecticut State Education Resource Center.  

I was really searching for personal experiences.  I wanted to read about how teachers got started with their partner teacher, what worked for them, what they changed, how the kids reacted.  I wanted REAL, in-the-classroom information.  The best I found was Two Teachers in the Room from  Middle Web.  I enjoyed their reflections and used the 5 Key Questions to get started with my own co-teaching partners.  They borrowed these questions from Anne M. Beninghof, who is, apparently, a big name in the co-teaching world.  

Eventually, I got a copy of the training materials offered to my district and it was similar to what I'd already read.  So, armed with the written word and my hopes for the school year, the next big step would be ACTUALLY MEET and TALK TO my co-teachers!  

If you are looking for resources about co-teaching, I hope the above links will get you started. As the year progresses, I hope to fill you in on the day to day planning, instruction, successes, changes and "learning opportunities" along the way.