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Co-teachers need to get to know each other on a more personal level before the teaching begins. It is important to build positive memories and experiences together before anything negative arises in the workplace. Just like with our students, team and relationship building is an ongoing process that never stops.

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Creating a collaborative vision statement of where you want to go as a team helps build common goals and priorities for the classroom. It can help with inspiration of classroom guidelines and expectations and help with a purpose to inspire the co-teaching team.

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Setting goals together that are observable and measurable is important to have focus and direction for the classroom. The goals should be about how you want to co-teach and how you are going to teach the students. It's all about "what you hope to achieve and how you can achieve it". (Causton & Kluth, 2016. p. 19)

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You should share the news of the co-teaching team with your colleagues, parents and your students so they understand the way your classroom will function. Hold a back-to-school event like an open house where parents can visit and meet the teachers and see how the classroom will work. There can be a parent letter or an online class page where information can be shared with anyone. "Students are your partners in this journey." (Causton & Kluth, 2016. p. 28) It is important to reflect that both teachers are equals and share the responsibility of the classroom.

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It's collaboration time! Co-teachers have to make the time for collaboration, even when it seems there is no time. Teachers can schedule times to meet, go on a team lunch, work meetings into the classroom routine or even use technology to assist in communication to collaborate. It is very important to be flexible and willing to try different ways to find the time to plan together and is an extremely important aspect of co-teaching. Collaboration is what it is all about.

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Co-teachers need to plan their planning in order to make the most of their time. You need to choose an environment that is the best for you both and free from distractions. There should be guidelines, agendas, checklists and roles so that the planning can go as smoothly as possible. It is important to stay focused and on-task.

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Make meetings matter. There should be a known routine that everyone follows to keep the flow and be able to cover the topics at hand. Just like Day 6, there should be guidelines and an agenda so you are able to use your valuable time wisely. Take notes of the important points, ideas and topics that need to be revisited. Also, take a little time to celebrate good!

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Taking notes at meetings is important for co-teaching. Here is a quick idea on how to set up your meeting notes:

1. topics/agenda

2. time for each topic

3. actions needed for success

4. who is responsible for each task

5. timeline to complete the task

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There are some collaboration norms to help co-teachers be more effective and efficient:

1. thinking before speaking to collect thoughts

2. show listening and understanding by paraphrasing

3. asking questions that probe for specific details to gain focus

4. be comfortable sharing ideas and bringing them to the table

5. make others feel comfortable and supported by paying attention and adjusting to situations

6. presume good intentions to promote respect and meaningful conversations

7. balance advocacy and inquiry to show listening and action at the same time

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Co-teachers should operate as equals and present each other as such. It is important to make sure that students, parents and colleagues all know that both teachers are in charge of the classroom and share equal responsibilities together. Co-teachers also need to respect each other's as equals who are working together for a common goal.