Coteaching is becoming a very popular arrangement in education. It is a way for special education students to receive support in their general education classrooms for math, ELA, and other core content areas. There are many arrangements of co-teaching, so it may look different depending on each school.
Coteaching is one of the main ways that we are able to serve special education students in my school, and I have been co-teaching for the last four years to support students in their math classes. I have been incredibly lucky with my co-teaching partners and we have built strong relationships over the last few years. However, for some, co-teaching can be a difficult arrangement, especially if one or both halves of the partnership aren’t exactly on board. I’ve been there, too, so I wanted to take a moment to share some of my tips for a successful co-teaching experience.
Note: These tips are shared from the perspective of a special education teacher, but general education friends, you are welcome to read along and many get some good ideas as well! 🙂
Get Started on the Right Foot
If possible, meet with your co-teacher before school starts. I try to meet with my co-teachers before our first day to plan activities for our first week. I want to know exactly what they are planning and offer creative ideas of my own. I also want to talk with them about our special education students and their needs, as well as look at any seating charts they may have drawn up. I email them as soon as our schedules go out, and ask when they will be in the building and have time to chat. Discussing things like shared responsibilities, introduction activities, and special education students can help set you both up for success. Luckily, I know my co-teachers already and often work with the same ones, so we have a strong working relationship. However, all relationships have to start somewhere, so if you have a new teaching partner, it’s even more important that you meet before school starts!
If you have an open house or introduction letter to send home to parents, using a shared template can help show a united front. Check out this template freebie!
Students Need to Know That You Are Equals
It is so important to show your students that both of you are true teachers since not all students are used to two “real” teachers in a classroom at the same time. In the past, some students have asked me if I am a student teacher or a “helper”, which can feel a little insulting, but they are just asking for clarification! In order to combat this, I recommend that you, as the special education teacher, find ways to lead in the classroom. Many content teachers, especially those who are new to coteaching, have a hard time releasing control in their classrooms. You need to find small ways that you can be in front of students and actively teaching them in order to help the class view both of you as equal teachers. I co-teach in many math classes and have found success with teaching the warm-up each day, and then the general education teacher does the lesson for the day. We are both available to help all students during independent practice time.
Side Note: If students ask what kind of teacher you are, which they probably will, have an answer ready to go that doesn’t spill too many details on the students who you are supporting. If you say that you are a special education teacher, and students notice who you are helping more than others, it can lead to mean comments or bullying toward those students. I like to say that I’m the kind of teacher who focuses on helping kids learn in different ways or that I specialize in helping students who need help. Most students can understand that concept and many general education students feel that they fit into that group as well.
Another way to send a message of equality to students on the first day of school is to play a game called “Which Teacher”. With your co-teacher, brainstorm facts that are true about one of you or both of you. Put them in a slide show, using the phrase “Which teacher…” to turn it into a question! For example, ‘which teacher has a dog’ or ‘which teacher has more shoes’. To play with your students, give them a notecard and have them write each teacher’s name on opposite sides in large writing. As you show each question, students will hold up the name of the teacher they think it applies to! You can then show your answers and talk about what makes you, you! Your students will get to know both of you and see you both as equals from the start! Below are some examples that I’ve used with my co-teacher!
Be Engaged & a Team Player
As special education teachers, we have a million things going on and it may be tempting to let the content teacher take the lead with lesson planning, discipline, and classroom procedures. Maybe they don’t even want to plan together or you don’t have shared time. I get it. I do. But sometimes, I think that coteaching can get a bad reputation because some special education teachers aren’t super engaged in the classroom as a whole. Instead, they act more like a paraprofessional and show up each day, unsure of what the lesson plan is, and only focusing on supporting specific students in the moment, or even worse, spend most of the class working on paperwork on their computers. In order to make your coteaching relationship as positive and impactful as possible, I recommend being a bit more engaged in the planning process. Discuss upcoming topics and teaching strategies that support success for all students. They may be a content expert, but don’t forget that you are an expert too! Over the years, I’ve worked hard to share ideas and activities with my partner teachers that will make learning more accessible to every student, like reference pages I’ve created for integer rules, different strategies to show what distributing really means, or hands-on activities to show surface area! Use your knowledge of differentiation to shine!
Build relationships with All of the Students in the Room
Technically, your priority is your special education students, but all of the students in the classroom are going to become your students, too! One of my favorite parts of coteaching is the fact that I get to know and help more students! I like to make an effort to learn all of the students’ names, and I try to greet them as they enter the class. While students are working independently, I also make sure that I am checking in on all of the students in the room, not just my caseload.
Overall, a positive attitude and commitment to a great year will go far! What questions do you still have about co-teaching? Let me know in the comments!
