A brief discussion of the rationale behind collaboration and co-teaching for elementary resource teachers, followed by a variety of types of co-teaching and examples of each.
2. Learning Intentions
I have a better understanding of collaboration and
co-teaching.
I have a plan of how to increase the effectiveness
of my collaboration and my co-teaching.
I can create a class review and use it to plan for
instruction.
3. CR4YR:
Changing Results for Young
Readers
One of the parameters of this project is
collaboration: a focus on support (LA/resource,
teacher-librarian, Aboriginal Support) teachers
working in the classroom, with the teacher.
4. Why Collaboration/Co-teaching?
Based on the belief that collaborative planning,
teaching and assessing better addresses the diverse
needs of students by creating ongoing effective
programming in the classroom
It allows more students to be reached
Learning in Safe Schools, page 102 Chapter 9
5. Based on the belief that collaborative planning,
teaching and assessing better addresses the diverse
needs of students by creating ongoing effective
programming in the classroom
It allows more students to be reached
It focuses on the ongoing context for learning for the
students, not just the specific remediation of skills
removed from the learning context of the classroom
It builds a repertoire of strategies for teachers to
support the range of students in classes
Learning in Safe Schools,
page 102 Chapter 9
6. Why Collaboration/Co-teaching?
Based on the belief that collaborative planning, teaching
and assessing better addresses the diverse needs of
students by creating ongoing effective programming in the
classroom
It allows more students to be reached
It focuses on the ongoing context for learning for the
students, not just the specific remediation of skills
removed from the learning context of the classroom
It builds a repertoire of strategies for teachers to support
the range of students in classes
Imperative students with the highest needs have the most
consistent program
Learning in Safe Schools, page 102 Chapter 9
7. Rationale:
By sharing our collective
knowledge about the whole class
and developing a plan of action
based on this, we can better meet
the needs of all students.
9. A Key Belief
When intervention is focused on classroom
support it improves each student’s ability and
opportunity to learn effectively/successfully in the
classroom.
10. The Vision
A
Remedial
Model
(Deficit
Model)
‘Fixing’
the
student
Outside
the
classroom/
curriculum
A
Shi:
from…..
to
An
Inclusive
Model
(Strengths
Based)
‘Fixing’
the
curriculum
Within
the
classroom/
curriculum
to
11. Transforma)ons
within
the
Inclusive
Model
Pull-‐out
Support
/
Physical
Inclusion
•
sDll
a
remedial
model
–
to
make
kids
fit
•
In
the
class,
but
o:en
on
a
different
plan
Inclusion
•
Classroom
Teacher
as
central
support
•
Resource
Teacher
–
working
together
in
a
co-‐teaching
model
14. Co-teachers:
When two teachers are in the room, they can…
Work from a plan based on students’ strengths and needs
Differentiate instruction
Use AFL strategies to assess understanding
Increase participation of all students
Decrease behavioral challenges
Focus attention
Increase student independence
Teach self-regulation
Model positive, strengths-based language
Talk to each other about what they are learning about their students
15. Questions to Guide Co-Teaching
Are all students actively engaged in meaningful
work?
Are all students participating by answering and
asking questions?
Are all students receiving individual feedback
during the learning sequence?
How is evidence of learning from each day’s co-
teaching fueling the plan for the next day?
16. A Co-teaching Question:
Is this the best approach to maximize student
learning:
• at this time
• for this task
• for this student?
17. A Shift in Questions
Is it OK to walk around in the class and support as needed?
•Have 1:1 conferences?
•Take small groups out for phonemic awareness?
Is this the most effective use of teacher
time to support the mutually agreed
upon goals of student learning?
19. Co-Teaching Models
(Teaching in Tandem – Effective Co-Teaching in the Inclusive
Classroom – Wilson & Blednick, 2011, ASCD)
1 teach, 1 support
Parallel groups
Station teaching
1 large group; 1 small group
Teaming
20. 1 Teach, 1 Support
most frequently done, least planning
Advantage: focus, 1:1 feedback, if alternate roles,
no one has the advantage or looks like the ‘real’
teacher, can capitalize one 1’s strengths and build
professional capacity
Possible pitfall: easiest to go off the rails and
have one teacher feel as an ‘extra pair of hands’,
no specific task (buzzing radiator)
21. 1 Teach, 1 Support: Examples
demonstrating a new strategy so BOTH teachers
can use it the next day – e.g., think aloud,
questioning from pictures, listen-sketch-draft
Students independently working on a task, one
teacher working with a small group on this task,
other teacher supporting children working
independently
22. K – Building Connections/
Response to Reading
Practice making connections
Choose a symbol
Talk about how this helps our reading
Read together and make connections
Students show their connections by drawing and
writing
with Jessica Chan, Inman, Burnaby
28. Parallel Groups
both teachers take about half the class and teach
the same thing.
Advantage: half class size - more personal
contact, more individual attention
Possible pitfalls: more time to co-plan, requires
trust in each other, each must know the content
and the strategies.
29. Parallel Groups: Examples
word work. At Woodward Elem, the primary worked together
3 X/week, with each teacher, the principal and the RT each
taking a group for word work. Some schools have used this
with math activities.
Focus teaching from class assessment. Westwood
Elementary: Came about as a result of an action research
question: How do we better meet the needs of our students?:
primary team used Standard Reading Assessment, highlight
on short form of Performance Standards, Resource, ESL,
principal involved, cross-graded groups 2X a week, for 6 to 8
weeks driven by information from the performance standards
(Text features, Oral Comprehension, Risk taking, Critical
thinking with words, Getting the big picture,… , repeat
process
NOT paper and pencil practice groups…teaching/thinking
groups
30. Station Teaching
mostly small groups
can be heterogeneous stations or more homogeneous
reading groups
each teacher has 2 groups, 1 working independently at
a station or writing, 1 working directly with the teacher.
Advantage: more individual attention and personal
feedback, increased focus on self regulation
Possible pitfall: self regulation (needs to be taught),
time to plan for meaningful engagement.
31. Station Teaching: Examples
Guided reading: 4 groups; RT has two and CT has
two
math groups – Michelle’s patterning (1 direct
teaching, 2 guided practice, 1 guided practice with
observation)
science stations: CT and RT each created two
stations; co-planning what they would look like to
ensure differentiation, teachers moved back and
forth between groups supporting self-monitoring,
independence on task
32. 1 large group, 1 small group
Advantage: either teacher can work with either
group, can provide tutorial, intensive, individual
Possible pitfall: don’t want same kids always in
the ‘get help’ group
33. 1 large group, 1 small group:
Examples
Writing: 1 teacher works with whole class prewriting
and drafting, small groups of 3-4 students meet with 1
teacher to conference
Reading: everyone’s reading. large group: teacher
moving from student to student listening to short oral
reads. Small group: 2 to 3 students being supported to
use specific reading strategies or
small group is working on a Reader’s Theatre
Math: large group using manipulatives to represent
shapes, small groups, rotating with other teacher,
using iPads to take pictures of shapes in the
environment
34. Teaming
most seamless.
co-planned
teachers take alternate roles and lead-taking as the lesson
proceeds
Most often in whole class instruction and could be followed
up with any of the other four co-teaching models
Advantages: capitalizes on both teachers’ strengths, models
collaboration teaching/learning to students, can adjust
instruction readily based on student need, flexible
Possible pitfalls: trust and skill
35. Teaming: Examples
Brainstorm-categorize lesson – 1 teacher begins, other
teacher notices aspects the first teacher has missed or
sees confusion in children, adds in and assumes lead
role.
Modeling reading strategies: two teachers model and
talk about the strategies they use to read, noting things
they do differently.
Graphic organizer: Teachers model how to use a
semantic map as a post reading vocabulary building
activity, teacher most knowledgeable about semantic
mapping creates it as other teacher debriefs with
students; both flow back and forth
36. The Class Review Process
Learning in Safe Schools – Brownlie & King, 2nd ed.
Pembroke Press
37. Meet as a school-based team, with the
administrator
Each classroom teacher (CT) joins the team for
45 minutes to speak of her class
TOC’s provide coverage for CTs
Follow the order of strengths, needs, goals,
individuals
The CT does not do the recording or the chairing
38. Implementing
Class
Reviews
What
are
the
strengths
of
the
class?
What
are
the
needs
of
the
class
as
a
whole?
What
are
your
main
goals
for
the
class
this
year?
What
are
the
individual
needs
in
your
class?
42. Learning Intentions
• I
have
a
be>er
understanding
of
collabora)on
and
co-‐teaching.
• I
have
a
plan
of
how
to
increase
the
effec)veness
of
my
collabora)on
and
my
co-‐
teaching.
• I
can
create
a
class
review
and
use
it
to
plan
for
instruc)on.