Co-Teaching

Co-Teaching

Co-teaching is where two or more teachers work together to plan, set up and deliver the curriculum to a group of students. For use with Inclusive Classrooms Co-Teaching is often the practice of pairing a special educator with a regular educator in a single classroom. As educators strive increasingly to include students with disabilities in the classroom, the need for regular educators to have greater expertise with students of special needs increases as well. An extra teacher in the classroom also helps to lower the student-to-teacher ratio. This means that there is more individual attention given to each student.

Co-Teaching Strategies:

Discuss learning style preferences. If one co-teacher is more kinesthetic/tactile and the other is more auditory/visual, these preferences can be infused into the lesson to assist students with varying learning styles. By having these different strengths, each student in the class can best be accommodated using whichever method most helps them personally. With so many different methods of learning, it is vital for a teacher to be flexible and diverse in their teaching methods so as that all students can be reached equally.

Post a structured agenda for the class, which includes the standard to be addressed, as well as an additional goal. At the secondary level, "soft" skills (such as social or study skills) often are not a conscious part of the curriculum. However, they are frequently a component of students' IEPs and they are critical for all students for success in life. A planned agenda helps both co-teachers and students remember the objective of

the lesson; middle school and high school students often are capable of participating in planning and discussing these objectives.

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