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The collaboration of a general educator and a special education teacher coming together to teach an inclusive class.

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1. More options for instructing students
2. Group flexibility
3. Decreased stigma
4. Smaller student to teacher ratio

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1. Communication between teachers
2. Planning of instruction, lessons plans and assessments
3. identifying roles and responsibilities of each teacher
4. Collaborating to make a schedule that works for both teachers

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Flexible Grouping-both teachers work with all students, sometimes rotating between groups.

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There are two separate groups that each teacher is instructing on the same material. The great part of this strategy is the reduced student to teacher ratio. For example, each teacher may read a story and then have students answer comprehension questions in the group.

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This strategy allows one teacher to primarily instruct while the other teach observes students. For example, as the teacher is instructing on a topic, the observer is seeing how students perform the given task.

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General education teacher, intervention specialist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist and/or an instructional assistant.

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By: Kimberly Monachino

As you walk down the hallway of a school and peek in and out of classrooms, you may see two teachers in a classroom instead of one. Often, the scenario is a general education teacher and special education teacher working together to teach all students in the classroom, including students with disabilities. These teachers work together, sharing their ideas and planning lessons. Both teachers support each other and work as a team. This type of teaching model is referred to as co-teaching. In a co-teaching classroom, there is a mutual respect and partnership between both teachers to present learning in diverse ways based on the needs of the students.

Co-teaching simply means two teachers working together to deliver instruction. However, there are different ways that two teachers work together to deliver instruction in a co-teaching classroom. One approach is called one teach, one observe. In this model, one teacher delivers instruction while the other observes student learning. The second teacher walks around the classroom checking to make sure the students understand the lesson. A second approach is called one teach, one assist. With this approach, one teacher takes the lead role and the other teacher rotates among students to provide support. This model allows one teacher to respond to individual students in a quicker manner. A third approach is parallel co-teaching. In this model, the two teachers divide the students in two groups and teach the same lesson. This allows for each teacher to have fewer students and focus on specific skills. In the fourth approach, station teaching, both teachers are actively involved in instruction as the students rotate from one station to the next, learning new materials. The fifth approach is alternative teaching, which allows one teacher to take a small group of students and provide instruction that is different than what the large group receives. The last approach is the complementary teaching model in which one teacher instructs the students while the other teacher offers an instructional strategy that supplements or complements the lesson. For example, the first teacher may model note taking on the board as the second teacher presents the lesson. If you do a Google search for co-teaching diagrams, you will find many images illustrating of the various co-teaching models.

There are many benefits for all students with using any of these models. Particularly, students with disabilities can access the general education curriculum and general education classroom setting. Students with disabilities benefit from being part of a classroom with high academic rigor with a teacher who understands the academic content and a special education teacher who can adjust the instruction. Lastly, students with disabilities may feel more connected with their classmates in the classroom and community.

Next time you walk down the hall of a school, take a peek in a classroom. You might be surprised what you see. Remember, two teachers may be better than one for all students.
Kim Monachino is director of the Office for Exceptional Children for the Ohio Department of Education. You can learn more about Kim by clicking here
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Co-teaching...Two Teachers in One Class Equals Success!

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By: Kimberly Monachino As you walk down the hallway of a school and peek in and out of classrooms, you may see two teachers in a classroom instead of one. Often, the scenario is a general education teacher and special education teacher working together to teach all students in the classroom, including students with disabilities.