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This article on effective co-teaching models is Part 10 of the Collaborating for ELLs Series .

What do you use to carry your belongings from place to place?

My most beloved bag is an Osprey day bag. It's big enough to carry by laptop, ipad, and gym gear. But when I return home to the U.S. during summer breaks, I have two hardcover Samsonite suitcases that can spin a full 360 degrees.

Just like bags and suitcases, co-teaching comes in all shapes and sizes. When co-teaching, remember that form follows function. In this article, I describe several forms of co-teaching and plot them on a continuum to demonstrate how instructional needs shape co-teaching.

What is Co-Teaching?

Co-teaching is when a group of students receive instruction from two or more teachers who have collaborated over the content and method of instruction. We've already covered co-planning extensively in articles - , so this article will focus particularly on the forms of co-teaching.

Honigsfeld and Dove, authors of Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners , state that the main goal of co-teaching is, "[to] merge ESL and general-education instruction to increase the time ELLs are exposed to general-education curriculum and thereby strengthen their overall academic achievement" (2010, Kindle location 2489-2490).

The greatest chance that students have for achieving academic success is when their teachers tap into each other's expertise. They can work to structure instruction in a way that maximizes student engagement with the content, with each other, and with the teachers.

Forms of Co-Teaching

After analyzing the University of Virginia's website on forms of co-teaching and the ones presented by Hongisfeld and Dove (2010), I've synthesized the descriptions of the various forms of co-teaching models and have placed them on a collaboration continuum, just like I did previously with the co-planning collaboration continuum .

Successful collaboration depends on the ability of both the content and English language teacher (ELT) to contribute from their expertise. The asset-oriented model of collaboration encourages both educators to lead instruction to all students based on their area of expertise.

It recognizes that content teachers can contribute skills and knowledge that are different from those of the ELTs. This difference in skill sets is highly valued because students need both content knowledge and literacy skills development.

The degree to which both educators are allowed to lead instruction to all students based on their area of expertise.

Some models of co-teaching unintentionally devalue the ELT's expertise, while others see ELTs as equal partners in instructing all students. The following are the descriptions of each form of co-teaching sequenced from least to most collaborative.

Often referred to as the "One teach, One support" model, Lead-Support is essentially a co-teaching model where one teacher leads instruction while the other provides support. Usually, but not always, the lead teacher is the content teacher while the support teacher is ELT. The support comes in the form of working with one EL in particular, taking notes, identifying key content vocabulary, and/or assessing ELs' understanding.

This model doesn't provide the ELT time to instruct all students, however, so the chances of making academic language explicit to everyone are slim to none. In the Lead-Support model, the ELT often feels like an overpaid, over-qualified teaching assistant passively waiting to teach but never actually receiving the opportunity to do so.

I would use this model primarily if the content teacher is resistant to co-teaching. When you have developed a rapport and the content teacher begins to trust and value the ELT, then the ELT can slowly introduce other more collaborative models. Remember that co-teaching is less about the place we stand in the room and more about what we do while we're there.

Sadly, many content teachers think that having an ELT in a class collaboration. But true collaboration only occurs through collaborative planning - not simply by showing up to the classroom.

Lead-Support can be effective during co-planning if:

1. the support is clearly defined and

2. specific students are identified to receive assistance.

For example, a history teacher might want an ELT to work with a Korean Developing EL to help that student understand key vocabulary words for the unit.

However, Lead-Support should not be the only or even the primary form of co-teaching that occurs between content and ELTs.

Team Teaching occurs when two or more teachers are leading instruction at the same time to the same group of students. For example, Mr. D (a history teacher) wanted his students to present in front of the class, but the presentations were time-consuming. During our co-planning, I recommended using a simultaneous presentation model. On the next day, I assumed the role of teaching this model to students.

This form of teaching takes a significant amount of time to co-plan because each teacher has to know which part of instruction they're responsible for. However, this model explicitly values the ELT as an instructor and not an aide. Also, all students are allowed to receive academic language instruction because the ELT is afforded the opportunity to teach.

The only downside to Team Teaching is that there is less differentiation because instruction is given to the entire class at the same time.

Unlike Lead-Support and Team Teaching, Parallel Teaching is the first model on the continuum that organizes students into groups to receive instruction. The content teacher and ELT teach the same content but to different groups.

In Parallel Teaching, ELTs are valued for their expertise in literacy and language development, so they're usually given a group of ELs. The benefit of this approach is that ELs will receive scaffolded instruction based on their language needs.

For example, during Mr. D's history class, we decided to split the class - he took the non-ELs, and I worked with the ELs. We both used Mr. D' presentation on Spanish conquistadores to teach our respective groups, but I modified it to scaffold language for the ELs.

The downside was that they were homogeneously grouped together with other ELs, so the social isolation from proficient English users might have had a negative effect on the ELs' self-image. Additionally, the English proficient students did not receive the instruction of the ELT, so their language skills weren't challenged or extended in the same way.

In Alternative Teaching, the students are separated into two groups. The content teacher teachers the first deepening on their understanding of a particular top. The ELT teaches the second, smaller group, helping them access or relearn the content by reinforcing a concept or providing additional language support.

During Mr. A's science class, I pulled aside a group of ELs to reinforce the basics of the circulatory system while Mr. A taught the nuances to the remaining students.

The only downside to this model is that ELs are often the ones sent to the ELT to receive remediation instruction, and the content teacher is usually the one leading the large group. The difference is often very clear. However, if this model is used to differentiate instruction, then students see both educators as equals - but with different roles.

For example, if the history teacher noticed a group of students needing additional practice in reading graphs, they can be sent to the ELTs for further support.

Students are broken up into groups, which are usually homogenous with ELs in their own groups. The groups rotate between the two teachers who teach different things. For example, Mr. A's once lead an experiment station while I taught students how to communicate their data using a graph.

Alternative Teaching differs from Station Teaching because all students receive instruction from both teachers. The English-proficient students still receive academic language instruction from the ELTs, and the ELs receive content-based instruction from the content teacher.

The last and most collaborative form of co-teaching is Circuit Training. This is when students are (ideally) in heterogeneous language groups and working collaboratively together. Both the content teacher and ELT rotate between the different groups to focus on different things.

The content teacher monitors students' understanding of the content while the ELT supports and extends students' engagement with the tasks and helps them communicate their ideas. The ELTs' expertise and ability to deliver academic language instruction is again affirmed in this, one of my preferred co-teaching models.

For example, when it's time to write a lab report in Mr. A's class, I float around between table groups focusing on helping students write like scientists. Mr. A also shuttles between groups reinforcing the science concepts.

Circuit Teaching works best when students are engaged in project-based learning activities and lends itself to differentiating instruction. The only downside to this method is if ELs are grouped together rather than mixed with English-proficient peers, they can feel more isolated like in the earlier models.

Takeaways

Co-teaching comes in different shapes and sizes. It's highly adaptable and can adjust based on the needs of the students and the receptivity of teachers.
The rainbow of co-teaching models suggests that co-teaching is an academically enriching practice for students and teachers alike.
It intrinsically suggests that both learning and teaching benefit from the involvement of many individuals based on their expertise. As you consider how to integrate the different co-teaching models, remember to consider how collaborative each model is for an ELT and how inclusive it is for ELs. Co-teaching should be an enriching experience, not a socially marginalizing one.
Next Post
In the next post, I'll share a framework for thinking about co-teaching. The framework will help you consider grouping arrangements and offer specific strategies for ELTs as they co-teach.

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#52. The Models of Co-Teaching - ELL Strategies | TanKHuynh

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Explore examples of co-teaching models for ELLs and non-ELLs alike. There are 6 models that content and English language teachers can use when co-teaching.

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Collaborating and co-teaching: Strategies for English learners

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Collaborating and co-teaching: Strategies for English learners

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Collaboration and Co-Teaching Strategies for English Learners

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Collaboration and Co-Teaching Strategies for English Learners

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Information about collaborative teaching practices and co-teaching or team teaching for English Learners; Applications of the Common Core for English language learners, ELLs

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Knowing the pros and cons of the six models of co-teaching can help teachers determine which one is best for a given lesson.

Bob Daemmrich / Alamy Stock Photo

One Teaching, One Observing: One teacher is directly instructing students while the other observes students for evidence of learning.

One Teaching, One Assisting: One teacher is directly instructing students while the other assists individual students as needed.

Parallel Teaching: The class is divided into two groups and each teacher teaches the same information at the same time.

Station Teaching: Each teacher teaches a specific part of the content to different groups as they rotate between teachers.

Alternative Teaching: One teacher teaches the bulk of the students, and the other teaches a small group based on need.

Team Teaching: Both teachers are directly instructing students at the same time-sometimes called "tag team teaching."

Teachers who are assigned co-teaching roles often have little experience or training in co-teaching. Learning what works and what doesn't often must come with experience. And teachers don't always get to choose who they teach with, which adds an extra layer of challenge because it can leave the individuals' roles in the lesson planning phase and during instruction blurry.

Teaching partners should consider each model's purpose and merit before deciding which to use for a particular lesson or part of a lesson. Considering the benefits of each model should help teachers determine which to use for a given lesson.

6 Models of Co-Teaching: Pros and Cons

One Teaching, One Observing: As a supervisor, I've seen this model implemented both with purpose and without. It takes time to develop a working relationship with another teacher. When the relationship isn't working, this model appears more often, and often without purpose.

When one teacher is directly instructing the students, the other should be observing. The observing teacher is collecting data, which can be useful in determining what instruction takes place next, which students need additional help, and what co-teaching model may be used next to address any identified needs.

Pros: less time collaborating, less interruption, more focused and purposeful data collection.

Cons: loss of one instructor, can be used too often due to a lack of planning or a lack of content knowledge or self-efficacy, can be underutilized for its intended purpose without focused data collection.

One Teaching, One Assisting: This model is often implemented in a one-sided fashion, with one teacher left in the role of assistant. This model can be extremely useful if the teachers swap roles so that both gain comfort in teaching the content and in assisting students one-on-one. Being professional and looking for signs that students are either not on task or are struggling with the content and sharing those signs with the other teacher can mean the difference between a student's success or failure in a lesson.

Pros: less interruption between teachers, more eyes on students to identify those in need.

Cons: loss of one instructor, can be used too often due to a lack of planning or a lack of content knowledge or self-efficacy, can be underutilized for its intended purpose without a focused group of students to assist based on the lesson design.

Parallel Teaching: I've seen parallel teaching work extremely well-it can be a great way to reduce the feel of a larger class. By breaking the students into two groups and teaching the lesson simultaneously, more students can get the close, small-group instruction that research indicates helps struggling learners. More students have the opportunity to ask questions throughout the process than they would in a larger group.

This is also a great model when the content is extremely challenging because it allows each teacher to really differentiate instruction for each student in the smaller group.

Pros: smaller instructional groups, more time for students to fill in instructional gaps, classroom management is easier.

Cons: difficult logistics, takes more time to collaboratively plan, requires that both teachers have content expertise.

Station Teaching: Station teaching is a way for each teacher to own a piece of the content and replicate that piece of the lesson multiple times within the same period with different groups of students. Unlike parallel teaching, teachers using this model can each focus more on a specific part of the lesson as groups rotate through each teacher's station. Additional stations that aren't led by one of the two teachers can foster students' independence and give them time to practice the material.

Pros: capitalizes on each teacher's strengths, smaller instructional groups, refined lesson planning.

Cons: takes more time to plan, requires good timing on the part of both teachers.

Alternative Teaching: I've seen teachers use this model to help a small group of students accelerate their learning, catch up on missed content, or fill in their gaps in understanding. The keys are finding space so that the other students are not disrupted while this small-group instruction is taking place, and ensuring that students in the small group don't miss new information.

Pros: gives students opportunities to close instructional gaps, can help students with chronic absenteeism, focuses resources on a target student population.

Cons: requires dual planning of time and content so that there's no missed instruction.

Team Teaching: A true team-teaching lesson is a thing of beauty. Two teachers whose personalities complement each other offer benefits for all students in the classroom. Getting to this point requires years of experience, collaborative planning, and a positive, professional relationship that is always being refined and improved. Supervisors and principals need to know that this model can be achieved by making the teaching pairs a priority when scheduling the building.

Pros: capitalizes on two teachers' expertise and instructional strategies, gives both teachers the spotlight in front of the entire class.

Cons: often requires experience in working together (although it can be done with a new pair of team-teachers), immense planning, and a healthy relationship in order to work.

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Knowing the pros and cons of the six models of co-teaching can help teachers determine which one is best for a given lesson. Bob Daemmrich / Alamy Stock Photo One Teaching, One Observing: One teacher is directly instructing students while the other observes students for evidence of learning.

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Collaborative planning with ESOL teacher

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Collaborative planning with ESOL teacher

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ELLs Belong to All of Us: The Role of ESOL Specialists in Collaboration

This video showcases a 5 th-grade team planning a science lesson about the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants. ESOL specialist Katy Padilla plays a key role in advocating for ELLs throughout the lesson planning process and sharing her strategies for engaging and supporting students. You can hear more from Katy in our teacher reflection interview and Facebook Live conversation!

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ELLs Belong to All of Us: The Role of ESOL Specialists in Collaboration

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Jump to navigation Jump to Content ELLs Belong to All of Us: The Role of ESOL Specialists in Collaboration This video showcases a 5 th-grade team planning a science lesson about the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants.

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Impossible. That was my first thought when I saw the class roster. In one of my ninth grade English classes, 13 of my 27 students had IEPs. Additionally, about one-third of the students had failed the class the previous year. I dreaded the first day of school. But then something wonderful happened: The principal assigned me a co-teacher, a special education expert to serve as another set of hands (and eyes and ears!) during this class every day. I was thrilled.

My co-teacher Sandie was a joy to collaborate with, but our relationship was by no means perfect, especially at the beginning. We often struggled to find planning time. Sometimes we disagreed about how to best help a particular student. However, we nurtured the co-teaching relationship and, in time, found a rhythm that worked for us-and for the students we served.

In the years since I co-taught with Sandie and other teachers, I've coached and consulted with dozens of successful and not-so-successful teams. Co-teaching, when done well, offers benefits for both students and teachers. When not done well, it can be confusing or downright frustrating for all involved. If you are or will be part of a co-teaching partnership, this post will show you some ways to make your partnership work beautifully.

What is Co-Teaching?

In a co-teaching relationship, also known as a "push-in" arrangement, a general education teacher partners with a specialist who may be certified in teaching English Language Learners (ELLs), students with learning disabilities, or some other special population. A co-teaching team works in the general ed classroom; for the majority of the time, students with special needs are not pulled out to receive services in another location.

For instance, a middle school social studies teacher may have an ELL teacher co-teaching with him during one class period because five students in that class are newcomers to the United States and speak only Arabic fluently. A high school teacher may have one or two sections of biology to which many students with IEPs for reading are channeled; a co-teacher who specializes in reading disabilities co-teaches in these classes. A 4th grade teacher may have two students with 504 plans and another three who have specific learning disabilities in her class; she works alongside a special education teacher daily during lessons in the four core academic subject areas.

For more background, download this Brief History of Co-Teaching.

Co-Teaching Structures

General education teachers working with specialists in a "push-in" model often work in one of the following structures described by Friend and Cook (1996):

One teach, one observe: One teacher delivers instruction while the other observes student learning. Usually the observer collects data on student understanding so that the co-teaching team can better plan future instruction. Sometimes, specific students are watched closely so that the teachers can determine new strategies to use with them.

One teach, one assist: One teacher takes the lead in providing instruction while the other moves around the classroom, assisting struggling students. This help is not limited to students with special needs; the assisting professional is there to serve whomever needs support.

Parallel teaching: The class is divided in two groups and the same material is presented simultaneously by both teachers. The teachers plan the two groups deliberately to maximize the success of all students; this is not simply a "pull-out" or intervention group sitting in the same room.

Station teaching: Both teachers are actively involved in instruction as students are divided into groups and rotate from one station to the next. There may be stations where students work independently or with a paraprofessional in addition to the two stations the co-teachers facilitate.

Alternative teaching: One teacher takes a small group of students and provides them more intensive or specialized instruction that is different than what the large group receives from the other teacher.

Team teaching: Both teachers teach the content at the same time in tandem or "tag team" fashion.

It is important to note that both teachers have equal status and equal responsibility in all six of these arrangements. In the co-teaching relationships that work best, at no time is one teacher seen as subordinate to the other. Both professionals are credentialed professionals, although each may have his or her specific areas of expertise.

How to Make the Most of a Co-Teaching Partnership

Researchers and practitioners have tons of advice about how to co-teach effectively, and as a person who has been "in the trenches" with several different co-teachers, so do I. The advice below sums up the most common recommendations.

1. Respect each other.

Not surprisingly, mutual respect is critical to the co-teaching relationship. You'll have to share ideas openly and do much of your work facing students together, so respecting each other is paramount. Sometimes you'll disagree, and that's to be expected. As co-teacher and ELL specialist Melissa Eddington says, it's fine to disagree with someone's ideas, but don't make the disagreement about the person.

Teachers in co-teaching situations that don't work well often report feeling disrespected. Amy* is an ELL specialist paired with a middle school social studies teacher. When they collaborate, Amy feels her suggestions for tweaking whole-class lessons are not taken seriously by her partner. "She respects me as a professional," Amy says of her co-teacher, "but I think because I'm not experienced in her content, she doesn't see my input as valuable."

Susan*, who is licensed in both secondary science and learning disabilities, works with two physical science teachers and one biology teacher. The physical science teachers welcome her ideas and eagerly adjust their lessons based on her suggestions. They are seeing a steady increase of students mastering the required standards in the classes Susan supports. The biology teacher, however, dismisses many of Susan's ideas and accuses her of "dumbing down" his content. Susan feels disrespected and finds it hard to even be in the room with the biology teacher because he constantly positions himself as "the expert" and places her in a subordinate role.

Words and gestures speak volumes. Take care to show respect for your partner in all you do.

2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities.

Co-teaching works better when the partners agree on who does what, when. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities prevent either partner from feeling the other has overstepped a boundary or shirked responsibilities.

Natalie Marston (2002-2015), an elementary special ed teacher, recommends co-teachers reach agreement on scheduling, classroom procedures and behaviors, classwork and homework policies, grading, and school/home communication together so they present a united front at all times.

Obviously this type of planning requires a great deal of time, ideally before school starts. If extended time is not available prior to the beginning of the school year, then the co-teaching team should expect to put in extra hours before and after school in the first few weeks so things get off to a good start.

My co-teacher Sandie and I did not have advance warning of our assignment. We found out about it on the first teacher workday, leaving us only a few days before the students arrived. For weeks, we both felt like we were playing "catch up and keep up," but found that having lunch together (and some happy hours together) helped us stay in sync.

3. Be flexible.

Innovation is difficult. That's why so many teachers find themselves falling back on comfortable (and even tired) activities and strategies. Co-teaching allows you to gain another person's perspective on how instruction might be improved, how students might be best assessed, what resources to use, and so much more. Sometimes this means one person has to put aside his or her favorite tried-and-true strategy and try something different.

When Susan suggested a tactile, quiz-like method for reviewing the periodic table to her physical science co-teaching partners, they were skeptical about the time and materials it might require. They initially felt it would be more efficient to simply give additional notes to their students and then pair students to quiz each other. However, they agreed to try the review Susan's way. The students loved the activity, and almost every student with special needs passed the chapter test two days later. All three teachers were thrilled and committed to using the activity in future years.

4. Plan together.

The co-teaching relationship brings together two people with wonderfully rich expertise and experiences. Special educators are typically skilled in individualizing curriculum and instruction based on children's needs (Dettmer et al., 2005; Volonino & Zigmond, 2007). General educators, on the other hand, tend to have broad knowledge of the curriculum, standards, and desired outcomes for the larger group. Therefore, when general educators plan lessons, they tend to aim for the masses (Dettmer et al., 2005). Both perspectives are important, and co-teaching teams need ample planning time to work through how to best utilize each one.

Lack of planning time can lead to territorialism. Without time to plan for a good balance of content and individualization, a general ed teacher may become protective of his subject matter, or a specialist may become protective of his students. Emma*, a high school special ed teacher partnered with two geometry teachers, has experienced this. One teacher often asks Emma to pull aside the five or six students with specific disabilities within his class and work only with them. He sometimes says to her, "You worry about your kids. I'll worry about geometry." The principal is now providing an additional hour of planning time for Emma and this teacher. An assistant principal who oversees the math department facilitates the meetings so Emma feels supported and the geometry teacher has another content-area expert to hash things out with.

Keep in mind that planning must include both instruction and assessment. Considering many students with special needs have legal accommodations for assessment (like being provided translation, extended time, or oral reading), it's best to include both partners fully in designing quizzes, tests, papers, and other high-stakes assessment tasks.

How much time is ideal? One study found that co-teachers desired, on average, 15 minutes to an hour each day for planning (Dieker & Murawski, 2003). This figure corresponds to what worked for my co-teacher and me, and it also confirms what I hear from many co-teachers in the field. Strive to find that time any way you can.

5. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Innovation requires failure. Many times, teachers feel they've failed somehow during instruction, and in reality, the students haven't even noticed. We are often our own worst critics. Revisiting or correcting something later in the day (or the next day) doesn't mean you failed earlier. It means you've learned something since. This is the kind of ongoing learning we want to model for our students.

And, as in most situations in life, a little bit of humor goes a long way. Laugh with your co-teacher. Allow students to see both of you laughing with each other and with them when something is surprising, silly, or just doesn't go the way you planned. In the words of Jennifer Wolf who co-teaches with Melissa Eddington, "Take the work seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously."

Eddington adds, "You gotta laugh at each other! Our job is hard, and if you're not laughing and making light of some things, then it's just not going to be a good place to be."

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Planning time is one thing; constant communication is another. Not only should co-teachers frequently plan for what standards will be covered, how material will be taught, and how students will be assessed, they should also regularly communicate in less formal ways.

Co-teaching teams have different methods to create and sustain that communication:

Eddington and Wolf use the Voxer app throughout the school day and on their drives home to send messages back and forth. Voxer works like a walkie-talkie and allows back-and-forth conversation in real time when two people are not physically close to each other. Melissa says, "We're constantly communicating. We're talking about specific students. We're looking at assessments to see what areas are lacking...different things we want to bring to the classroom, things we don't want to do..."

Some other teams I've worked with use texting and emails throughout each day to share updates. Voxer, texts, and emails can all work well, especially if one teacher has urgent information or an urgent question about a particular student.

Teams can use Google Docs or other shared documents to keep track of lesson planning and to share feedback with each other on how lessons went. Collaborative documents can also be used to provide each other with information about targeted students.

In addition to ongoing communication, Ariel Sacks (2014) reminds us to periodically check in with our co-teacher about how we are doing in general. She recommends asking your partner the following:

Are there management items we should clarify, such as when are students allowed to go to the bathroom?

Are we sharing airtime well?

Are we dividing grading in an equitable way?

Would different teaching formats better utilize the two of us in the classroom?

Finally, co-teachers need to present a united front when dealing with parents. Some partners go as far as to create a shared email address from which all communication flows. This may or may not be practical in your situation. At the very least, important parent communication about a student's progress should be drafted by both parties.

For more in-depth information about communicating and collaborating with your co-teacher, see Communicating and Collaborating in Co-Taught Classrooms (Conderman et al., 2009).

7. Seek administrative support.

Sometimes, teachers have been scheduled to co-teach by administrators but didn't have much advance notice. This is what happened with Sandie and me. We were able to find snippets of time during the school day to use for planning and checking in with each other, but we had no common planning period. If you and your partner don't have a common planning time when you can frequently collaborate, ask for it. Go to your principal with a couple of proposals about how this can work without too much disruption to the rest of the schedule.

Sometimes co-teachers may not understand fully why they are being asked to team. If this is the case, ask for a meeting with the principal and any others responsible for the assignment. Ask them why they thought the two of you would be a good fit and what they hope you will accomplish with students.

If you're already in a co-teaching partnership that's not working well, and you've tried to address this with your partner, turn to a trusted administrator next for advice. If you and your co-teacher have not recently been observed, ask the administrator to come sit in on part of a lesson. Tell him or her what you'd like feedback on or what feels like it's not working well. Debrief with the administrator, ideally with your co-teaching partner. When an observer offers data and feedback to both of you, it may feel different for your partner than when you share things from your perspective. (This co-teaching observation form can help.)

It's important not to go to other teachers with your concerns. Respect the collegial relationship you have with your co-teacher and don't do anything that might undermine it. And it should go without saying that you don't want students to perceive any problems within the co-teaching relationship. Be cognizant of your demeanor, tone, and body language. Students are quite perceptive and can easily spot trouble. They are also experts at "good cop/bad cop." Don't let students play you and your partner against each other. If your colleagues or students give you any evidence that they know the co-teaching arrangement is ineffective, head straight for that trusted administrator to support you. ♦

*These names have been changed.
References:
Conderman, G., Johnston-Rodriguez, S., & Hartman, P. (2009). Communicating and collaborating in co-taught classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus,5(5). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ967751.pdf

Dettmer, P., Thurston, L., Knackendoffel, A., & Dyck, N. (2009). Collaboration, consultation, and teamwork (6th ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson.

Dieker, Lisa A., Murawski, W. M. (2003). "Co-teaching at the Secondary Level: Unique Issues, Current Trends, and Suggestions for Success." The High School Journal, 86(4). Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220220652/13494E2D48D1DB506F0/8

Friend, M. & Cook, L. (1996). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Marston, N. (2002-2015). Six steps to successful co-teaching: Helping special and regular education teachers work together. National Education Association. Retrieved January 26, 2017 from http://www.nea.org/tools/6-steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html

Sacks, A. (2014, October 15). Blog post. Eight tips for making the most of co-teaching. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/15/ctq_sacks_coteaching.html

Volonino, V. & Zigmond, N. (2007). Promoting research-based practices through inclusion. Theory into Practice, 46(4), 291-300.

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Angela Peery is the author of The Co-Teacher's Playbook, which will be available in September 2019.

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When done well, co-teaching offers benefits for both students and teachers. When not done well, it can be confusing or downright frustrating for all involved.

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This article on indicators of effective co-teaching is Part 11 of the Collaborating for ELLs Series .

Lately, I've noticed an increasing number of people using wearable technology such as the iWatch. People who own iWatches talk about how it measures key health indicators: heart rate, steps walked, and hours slept. These indicators help us determine if we've been too stationary or haven't slept enough. We can then take actions to change our behaviors so that we can become healthy again.

This analogy also works for co-teaching. Unfortunately, there's no wearable device to monitor how well you're co-teaching, but there are clear indicators of effective co-teaching between the content teacher and the English language teacher(ELT). We can use these indicators to measure the degree to which the co-teaching is asset-based, meaning that the expertise of both teachers are being capitalized.

Indicators of Effective Co-Teaching

I organized these indicators into three groups: student-facing, content-facing, and classroom-facing. Student-facing means how teachers work with students. Content-facing indicators are ones that address how teachers led instruction. Finally, classroom-facing means how both teachers use the physical space they share.

Student-facing

Both teachers are expected to work with all students.

Students seek help from both teachers based on content or language needs.

Students respect both teachers equally and follow the instructions of both educators.

When Ms. C, a science teacher is absent, we've agreed that she doesn't need to call a substitute. Because we've already planned our lessons together, she sees me as truly another teacher and has me lead instruction instead. Because of her attitude, students are used to this arrangement and also see me simply as one of their teachers, not strictly a remedial one.

Content-facing

Both educators led instruction. The content educator teaches nuances of the content; the ELT teaches strategies to access the content.

Both educators assess students and provide feedback. The content teacher assesses content knowledge; the ELT assesses use of academic language.

Both educators differentiate content, process, and product based on students' needs and interests.

In Mr. Arno's science class, students often come and ask me for help writing their lab reports because I've led several sessions on writing like a scientist. Though I am officially responsible for the ELs, I make myself available to support everyone through the writing process.

Resource-facing

Both educators share the same space and resources.

Both schedules are aligned to allow time for co-planning and co-teaching.

Both teachers can arrange the class into small groups, stations, or whole class.

In one example, Mr. Duncan wanted students to present one-by-one. This was a time-consuming structure, so I recommended that we have students simultaneously present in small groups. Mr. Duncan gave me full control of how I wanted to arrange the students around the classroom. He didn't feel like I was invading his space because we were co-teaching using the same classroom.

Takeaways

The running theme in these indicators of co-teaching is collaboration. When students see that the content teacher and the ELT are working in tandem, they begin to see that both teachers are valuable and both play a distinctive role in students' development based on the teacher's area of expertise.

We could also substitute the word "equality" for "inclusion" when thinking about co-teaching. The content teachers need to be included as a positive contributor to class and allowed to assume an expanding role in leading instruction.
Next Post
Now that we have a list of indicators of effective co-teaching, we can extend these indicators into evaluation of our collaboration in terms of co-teaching and co-planning. In next's week post, I'll share ways to evaluate one's collaboration formally or informally through self-evaluation.

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#54. Evaluating Co-Teaching: 3 Indicators of Effective Co-Teaching - ELL Strategies | TanKHuynh

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This article on indicators of effective co-teaching is Part 11 of the Collaborating for ELLs Series . Lately, I've noticed an increasing number of people using wearable technology such as the iWatch. People who own iWatches talk about how it measures key health indicators: heart rate, steps walked, and hours slept.

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This article on questions to consider before co-teaching is Part 10 of the Collaboration for ELLs Series .

The first EAL (English as an Additional Language) team meeting we had after last year's summer break was to set goals for the department. One of my colleagues said, "I want to research better program models for ELs... I feel like an overpaid aide. I sit in the back of the room and take notes. It's a waste of my time and not effective for the ELs."

After listening to his frustrations, I wanted to know how he used his co-planning time with the content teachers. When I co-teach in content classes, my teaching comes directly from our co-planning sessions. I see effective co-teaching as the fruit of productive co-planning.
But how can others know what questions to ask during co-planning to set up effective co-teaching?
The answer is two-fold:

1. Keep a good set of guiding questions in mind during co-planning and

2. Ask additional questions that fit the co-teaching model you'd like to use.

Guiding Questions
Sample Guiding Questions

1. What's the content that we want to teach?

2. How will we structure the lessons?

3. What are the language demands in the lesson?

4. Who's learning what, with whom, and when?

4 Things that Guiding Questions Help Teachers Determine
Use We-Focused Language

These questions are for both the content and English language teacher (ELT) to answer. Instead of Question # 2 asking, "How does the content teacher want the lesson to be structured?", it uses "we"-focused language to communicate a more collaborative approach where ELT can contribute to the lesson design.

Take Language Into Consideration

Notice how the sample questions above force teachers to consider language during co-planning. They help both teachers reflect on the texts during instruction and encourage conversations about:

1. the content-specific language demands, and

2. how will students be taught to use content-specific language.

Define Roles Based on Expertise

Lastly, these questions define the role of each teacher based on their area of expertise but recognize that you should be working with and for all students. As native-English speakers still need scaffolding to access content and communicate their understanding, the ELT should still work with them to make academic language visible. Additionally, the content teacher should learn strategies to deliver content to ELs.

Model-Specific Questions

The infographic provides a few more questions to ask during co-planning based on the co-teaching style. It's not an exhaustive list, but just a collection of some questions to consider when collaborating. I will explain these particular styles of co-teaching more in a later article.

Co-Teaching is Directly Linked to Co-Planning

I bet you're thinking: "Why are you sharing co-planning questions in an article about co-teaching?" Because co-teaching is directly linked to co-planning. Otherwise, the ELT becomes exactly like my colleague - an overpaid teacher's aide. If co-planning is collaborative, then we will rarely see ELTs sitting in the back of the room taking notes.

The running theme among these guiding questions is collaboration. Content and ELTs each contribute from their area of expertise. The content teacher sets the context for learning, and the ELT brings an awareness and focus on making academic language accessible. These questions help guide their collaboration when co-teaching and maximize learning.

What are some questions you find helpful to ask during co-planning sessions?
Next Post
Now that we know how to ask specific questions during co-planning to inform our co-teaching, the next post will describe the indicators of effective co-teaching. There are three categories of indicators, and together, they support teachers in evaluating their co-teaching.

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#53. Questions that Drive Co-Teaching - ELL Strategies | TanKHuynh

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What questions should you ask before co-teaching with content teachers? Ones that inform collaborative teaching and bring language into focus.

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This article on co-teaching as an alternative to the push-in and pull-out program of instructing ELLs is part 8 of the Collaboration for ELLs Series. Abandoning an Antiquated Model The push-in, pull-out (PIPO) model isn't an inclusive way to develop ELs' English...

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You searched for rethinking push in and pull out - TanKHuynh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article on co-teaching as an alternative to the push-in and pull-out program of instructing ELLs is part 8 of the Collaboration for ELLs Series. Abandoning an Antiquated Model The push-in, pull-out (PIPO) model isn't an inclusive way to develop ELs' English...