1. Principles of
cc
Effective Collaboration
& Co-Teaching

2. Why collaborate?
Collaboration:
 Increases instructional options
 Increases grouping flexibility in order to provide student
with individualized instruction and diverse learning
experiences
 Reduces stigma for children
 Increases professional support
 Meets the mandates of IDEA: Least Restrictive
Environment

3. Based on your experiences
What are the essential elements
for implementing collaboration
that effectively supports
student learning?

4. Four Principles that Promote
Effective Collaboration
1. Respect of Knowledge and Skill
2. Established Communication System
3. Common Understanding of the Classroom
Environment
4. Co-Accountability

5. 1. Respect of Knowledge/Skill
 Recognition that each educator brings a set of
knowledge and skills
 Both educators take an active role in supporting
student learning
 Mutual trust in abilities
How is this illustrated? What does a collaborative
partnership look like when both educators mutually
respect each other’s knowledge and skills?

6. 2. Established Communication
System
 Designated time to discuss student learning goals,
accommodations, and instructional tools and strategies
 Communication about teacher roles and responsibilities
 Interpersonal awareness and comfort with discussing
the professional relationship
 Active listening to understand the perspectives of
collaboration partner
What examples of an effective communication system
have you seen in action? What tools can teachers
use to facilitate communication?

7. 3. Common Understanding of
the Classroom Environment
 Shared understanding about classroom management,
grading, the physical arrangement, familiarity with the
curriculum, and implementing accommodations
 Mutual ownership and expectations for student learning
 High acceptance for all students
Describe an instance when a common understanding
of the classroom environment was not established?

8. 4. Co-Accountability
 Shared sense of responsibility to ensure access, involvement,
and progress in the general education curriculum
 Joint implementation of accommodations
 Co-planning, co-preparation, co-evaluation
Classroom Scenario: Frederick (see Snapshot IEP) receives instruction in a general
education setting. Currently, he is not earning a passing grade in his science class. His
parents are concerned that he is not receiving the appropriate services.
How would a team demonstrating co-accountability respond
to this situation? How would their response differ from a
team that does not practice co-accountability?

9. Typical Role of the Special
Educator
 Learning strategist for all students
 Motivational techniques
 Curriculum accommodations and modifications
 Knowledge of IEPs and student disabilities

10. Typical Role of the General
Educator
 Content knowledge
 District and state curriculum
– Indicators and objectives
– Pacing
 Content development
 Classroom management for a standard class
size

11. Typical Role of
Paraprofessionals
 Check the students’ progress
 Provide individual or small-group tutorial
assistance
 Facilitate social interactions between students
 Receive guidance and instruction from the
classroom teacher and assist during the lesson
 Report back to the special education teacher

12. Venn Diagram Activity
Where do the roles of the general educator
and the special educator overlap?
General Special
Educator Educator

13. Consultation Model
 Students are grouped heterogeneously.
 General Educator presents instruction and makes
accommodations.
 Special Educator adapts instructional materials as
needed according to student’s needs. Other services
include assessment, observation, and planning
meetings.
 Special Educators and General Educators make time to
discuss students’ needs, services, and progress.

14. Consultation Model
Strengths Challenges
 Advance planning of  Requires frequent
instructional communication
accommodations  Isolation and sense of
 Flexibility in student separateness if this is
scheduling the only model used

15. Collaborative Teaching
 Students are grouped Collaborative Teaching Models
heterogeneously.  One Teaching, One Assisting
 Station Teaching
 General Educator  Parallel Teaching
and Special Educator  Alternative Teaching
collaborate in the
 Team Teaching
same classroom
setting.

16. One Teaching, One Assisting
 Both educators are present with one taking a
clear lead in the classroom while other observes
and assists students.
Click the icon
to view the video

17. One Teaching, One Assisting
Strengths Challenges
 Limited teacher planning  The “assist” teacher may
 Provides basic support feel like a glorified
to students with diverse teacher’s assistant
needs  Students may question
the “assist” teacher’s
authority
Consider having the general educator and special educator alternate
roles between support teacher and lead teacher.

18. Station Teaching
 Teachers divide instructional content into several segments and
present the content in separate stations around the classroom.
 With two stations, the General Educator and Special Educator each
teach their half of the content and then switch groups. Alternatively,
both teachers may move between groups in order to provide support.
 If students are able to work independently with content, a third station
may be established.
Click the icon
to view the video

19. Station Teaching
Strengths Challenges
 General Educator and  This approach requires
Special Educator maintain significant pre-planning in
equal status order to divide up the content
 Co planning allows for both  The content in Station
the General Educator and Teaching lessons cannot be
the Special Educator to dependent on the order in
provide input in their area of which content is being
expertise presented due to the student
rotation

20. Parallel Teaching
 General Educator and Special Educator plan instruction
jointly, but each delivers instruction to a heterogeneous
group consisting of approximately half the class.
Click the icon
to view the video

21. Parallel Teaching
Strengths Challenges
 Lowers student to  General Educator and
teacher ratio Special Educator need to
 Allows for increased student coordinate teaching so that
interaction and/or student to students receive essentially
student interaction the same instruction within
 Allows the teacher to monitor the same amount of time
individual student progress  Noise levels may be high
and understanding more
closely

22. Alternative Teaching
 One teacher works with a small group while the other
teacher interacts with the larger group.
 Small groups can be pulled for pre-teaching, re-
teaching, enrichment, interest groups, special projects,
make-up work or assessment groups.
Click the icon
to view the video

23. Alternative Teaching
Strengths Challenges
 All students, including  Be careful to pull small
students with disabilities, learning groups that span
benefit from small group various purposes. The small
instruction. learning groups should not
 If the General Educator and always be your students with
Special Educator alternate special needs.
roles, equal status is
maintained.
Consider having the general educator and special educator
alternate roles between support teacher and lead teacher.

24. Team Teaching
 Both the General Educator and the Special Educator share
the instruction of students.
 One teacher may lead discussion while the other models or
demonstrates.
 Team teaching affords the ability to model quality team and
interpersonal interactions.
Click the icon
to view the video

25. Team Teaching
Strengths Challenges
 Allows both teachers to  Requires more planning
blend their teachings  Requires high levels of
styles and expertise trust and commitment

26. How do teachers decide which
model to implement?
Consider:
 Lesson objectives
 Students’ needs
 Available resources
 Educator expertise

27. How is each Principle of Effective
Collaboration demonstrated in the
consultation and co-teaching models?
Principles of Consultation &
Effective Collaboration Co-Teaching Models
 Respect of Knowledge and  One Teaching One Assisting
Skill  Station Teaching
 Established Communication  Parallel Teaching
System  Alternative Teaching
 Common Understanding of  Team Teaching
the Classroom Environment
 Co-Accountability

28. “Much like the effective doubles team in
tennis, when one teacher moves to the left
of the room, the other moves more to the
middle of the room so that the classroom
is always effectively covered.”
– “Understanding Co -Teaching Components”, CEC, 2001

29. Additional Resources on Co-
Teaching
 Common Co-Teaching Issues. Retrieved from
http://www.ttac.odu.edu/articles/comcotch.html
 Co-Teaching. Retrieved from http://coe.jmu.edu/esc/Consortium_Co-Teaching.shtml
 Carroll (2001). Considering Paraeducator Training, Roles, and Responsibilities.
Teaching Exceptional Children 34(2), 60-64.
 Elliot & McKenney (March/April 1998). Four Inclusion Models that Work. Teaching
Exceptional Children 30(4), 54-58.
 Erin (1998). The Teacher-consultant. Education of the Visually Handicapped 20(2), 57-
63.
 Gately & Gately (March/April2001). Understanding Coteaching Components. The
Council for Exceptional Children. Retrieved from
http://journals.cec.sped.org/EC/Archive_Articles/VOL.33NO.4MARAPR2001_TEC_Article6.pdf
 Klingner & Vaughn (Winter 2002). The Changing Roles and Responsibilities of an LD
Specialist. Learning Disability Quarterly 25(1), 19-31.