The How of Co-teaching Models: Many teachers are forced into co-teaching and find themselves paired with another adult in the classroom without any training in the people skills part of the process. They just don’t know what to do or what to say. Yet, what we *say* to each other can make or break our relationship before we even begin.
What do you do when your co-teacher is so completely different from you? This is a tough problem, yet there is a solution.
In any general class, there are students of different ability levels and, correspondingly, grade levels. Direct teaching the entire class together can sometimes leave higher-grade, higher-ability students bored and perhaps acting out, while lower-ability students may struggle to understand the lesson. We need teaching strategies that reach all the learners in the classroom.
Where can the co-teaching model “teach half then switch” really help co-teachers shine? In helping teachers with additional skills and knowledge use those skills to enhance the lesson and reach students who may be struggling with the material.
A ratio of 30:2 is a better scenario than a ratio of 30:1, with co-teachers working together. Indeed, the study noted that “Most partner classes used tag-team teaching, with one teacher leading and the other doing clerical work.” That type of co-teaching, of course, falls under the “One teach, one observe” co-teaching model that co-teachers often rely upon.