What is Collaborative Teaching?
Is a Co-Taught Classroom the RIGHT placement for you?
Benefits for All Students
We have all heard the term of collaborative teaching, it is also referred to as co-teaching or cooperative teaching. It is a special type of direct collaboration, in which the special education teachers work alongside general education teachers in order to provide effective instruction within inclusion classroom environments. Many special needs students are now being placed in this type of LRE. This type of classroom service delivery helps students:
- Increase Academic Performance
- Increase Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Improve Social Skills/Peer Relationships
Co-teaching also provides benefits for general education students.
- Increased academic performance from differentiated instruction
- Increased emphasis on strategies and study skills
- Improved social skills
- Positive role modeling through collaborative support between all students
Collaborative Teaching Models
There are several ways to ensure students get the instructional support they need through collaborative teaching. Among other benefits, collaborative teaching provides more opportunities for students to be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment. Listed below are the most common collaborative teaching models.
- The Lead Teacher Model (One Teach, One Observe)
- One Teach, One Assist Model
- Stations or Centers
- Resource Services or Alternate (Differentiated) Collaborative Setting
- Parallel Teaching Model
- Supplemental Teaching Model
- Team Teaching
Teachers Can Also Benefit
- Shared responsibility, which lightens the workload
- Combined ownership of the instructional environment
- Experts to collect and analyze data to inform instruction
- Increased collaboration in lesson development and delivery of instruction
- Mutual goals
- Less teacher isolation
- Greater teacher efficacy
- Shared responsibility for outcomes
- Classrooms with a potential for fewer behavior referrals
- Allows both teachers to blend their teaching styles and expertise