Co-teaching sounds simple until two adults are standing in the same classroom trying to decide, minute by minute, who is doing what.

That is where the struggle often begins.

Too many co-teachers are handed model names, but not the practical details they need to make those models work with real students, real schedules, limited planning time, and different levels of content expertise.

The Reference Guide that Solves the Problem

The HOW of Co-Teaching: 24 Classroom Implementations at a Glance gives teachers, specialists, instructional coaches, and administrators a quick, practical way to choose co-teaching approaches that fit the lesson.

Not the other way around.

Based on Chapter 2 of Best Practices in Co-Teaching and Collaboration: The HOW of Co-Teaching, Implementing the Models, this guide moves beyond “one teaches and one helps.” It shows what each adult can actually do during instruction so both professionals are used well.

Inside, you will find 24 co-teaching implementations organized by:

• Planning time required
• Specialist content expertise needed
• Best use for each approach
• What the implementation looks like in the classroom
• Chapter support for lesson chunks, co-planning, grouping, and routines

Use it during co-planning. Keep it handy for coaching conversations. Pull it out when a team is stuck in the same one or two models and needs a better option.

Co-teaching works best when roles are clear, planning is realistic, and both adults know how to contribute without stepping on each other or standing on the sidelines.

This guide gives teams a practical place to start.

FAQ

What is a co-teaching model?

A co-teaching model is a structured way for two educators to share instruction in the same classroom. Different co-teaching models help teams decide who leads, who supports, how students are grouped, and how both adults contribute during a lesson.

How do teachers choose the right co-teaching model?

Teachers choose the right co-teaching model by looking at the lesson goal, the amount of planning time available, the specialist’s content expertise, and what students need during instruction. The best model fits the lesson, rather than forcing the lesson into the same routine every time.

Why do co-teaching teams need more than model names?

Co-teaching teams need more than model names because knowing a label alone does not explain what each adult should actually do during instruction. Practical implementation details help teams clarify roles, avoid confusion, and use both professionals more effectively in the classroom.

Download the reference guide and choose the implementation that fits your next lesson.

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#13 Both Teach Half—Same Objective, Same Way – The HOW of Co-teaching

This implementation clearly describes the Parallel Teaching co-teaching model. Each co-teacher takes half the class and instructs the students, using the same methods, to teach the same content. They are working together in parallel.

Listen to learn more.

Specialist expertise required: Depends on the goal of the co-teaching implementation. If the specialist is facilitating review or discussion, moderate content understanding is necessary. If the specialist is teaching concepts critical to understanding the lesson’s objective, then the specialist will need a solid understanding of the concepts he or she will be teaching.

Planning time required: This implementation requires planning time. Planning can be done face-to-face or in the cloud. Teachers need to plan together to ensure they are both teaching the same objective in the same way. Communication is essential to ensure they both agree on what they are trying to achieve as it relates to the curriculum.

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#8 One Guide Tech and One Facilitate Discussion – The HOW of Co-teaching

In this implementation of the co-teaching models, one co-teacher presents instruction and leads discussion based on student real-time responses.

During the discussion, the other co-teacher monitors the computer, interacts with students, responds to student participation, uses questioning techniques to foster critical thinking, and provokes responses from even the most challenging students.

Listen to learn how.

Specialist content expertise required:
• The level of content understanding required directly correlates with the academic level of engagement with students via the technology.
• Strong content knowledge may be required to facilitate discussion.
• Co-teacher guiding technology must be comfortable with the technology and understand the apps and programs used.

Planning time required: Minimal to substantial, depending on the topic, understanding of the technology and software, and lesson objective. For instance, if using Kahootz or a game app, time is involved in creating the questions or finding ready-made games. If backchanneling, minimal prep time may be necessary. However, the time required depends on multiple factors.

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Ella and Manny, a co-teaching team at a middle school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, found themselves in just this situation. I brainstormed with them and we came up with a variation on “Teach Half, Then Switch” called “One Review, One Run Lab.”

During the class period, Manny took half the students and reviewed a topic that was essential to the curriculum but that did not need lab time to understand. This could be a direct-teach type of review. Sometimes, Manny would play a PowerPoint version of Jeopardy to go over the forensic techniques they were learning.

At the same time, Ella took the other half of the students and ran the lab. To make sure enough stations and materials were available, she had the students group in triads rather than in pairs.

The next day, Manny’s group of students switched over to Ella and the hands-on lab portion of the lesson, while Ella’s group of students switched to Manny and the review session.

Teach Half then Switch: One Review, One Run Lab can be used not just in science classrooms but in any class where a hands-on practice is essential to understanding the lessons. Culinary arts, electronics, programming and web development are a few examples. Not only does it help manage larger class sizes and limited materials, it reduces the teacher-student ratio during an activity that requires more focus. Safety is increased as is the opportunity for deeper learning.

Tips:

• Plan ahead for this co-teaching variation: Will you need more than one classroom for this activity? How long will the split session run—one day or two, or more? Which co-teacher will handle the hands-on activity? Who will handle the review session? Make sure both activities align with the goals of the lesson and curriculum.
• Divide the class into mixed-ability halves so everyone learns equally, but do so strategically: in the lab portion, those with lower ability can be paired with those of higher ability. Or, if two students tend to play off each other, place one in each group.

For Ella and Manny, this variation of Teach Half, Then Switch helped them to make sure all of their students got hands-on lab time with the materials available. It also gave them the opportunity to work more closely with and support their students.

Explore even more tips, tools, and resources for collaboration at TheHowofCo-teaching.com!

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One Teach and One Interpret – The HOW of Co-teaching

It is very possible that a specialist in the classroom, who knows little about the lesson content, may use his or her teaching skills to provide instruction that reaches more learners and is increasingly memorable. This co-teaching implementation supports the specialist in learning the curriculum. It is a win-win for everyone.

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation.

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One Lead and One Student Support – The HOW of Co-teaching

Many of us are familiar with the One Teach, One Assist co-teaching model. An implementation named One Lead and One Student Support may appear to be just another way of saying the same thing. It’s not. This co-teaching implementation shifts mindsets, expands thinking, and takes co-teaching up a level.

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation.

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One Teach – One Collect Data – The HOW of Co-teaching

This co-teaching implementation makes data-driven decision-making seamless. Co-teachers decide in advance which types of information to collect, how to collect that information, and how they might use it to adjust the lesson. Then, they use this effective co-teaching strategy to make it happen!

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation.

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Two Support Student Participation and Engagement – The HOW of Co-teaching

While this implementation of the co-teaching models is very similar to Both Facilitate Participation and Collect Data, there is one key difference: The focus is on engaging with students rather than collecting data during student pair shares. This co-teaching implementation provides a tremendous potential to ensure students stay on task.

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation.

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Two Teach and Debate – The HOW of Co-teaching

This co-teaching implementation is a powerful way to co-teach, and a surprisingly simple and flexible co-teaching model. It could take two minutes, or ten, or even half a class period, if you choose. This implementation is a live demonstration for students on how to have a thoughtful discussion and defend a viewpoint, while listening to and considering what another person has to say.

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation, provided both teachers are ready to defend a position

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Both Facilitate Participation and Collect Data – The HOW of Co-teaching

Don’t make co-teaching harder than it needs to be. This co-teaching implementation takes interactive student activities up a level and offers ways to collect the student data you need to support effective instruction.

Specialist content expertise required: Minimal to moderate, depending on content.

Planning time required: Minimal. Can be implemented quickly and informally without preparation.

Bring Susan to your campus!

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