In a recent blog post we discussed how social capital, essentially teacher collaboration, has been proven by research to increase student achievement. Education Week has a story this week on one dimension of teacher collaboration — co-teaching.
Co-teaching — an instructional method which involves a general educator and special educator teaching together in one classroom — is part of a new initiative in Maryland.
The state developed a framework for co-teaching, providing a common language and guidelines for all districts to use. The framework spelled out the roles and responsibilities for staff members at the district, school, and classroom levels…. The framework is not a list of requirements but rather suggested best practices, and professional development sessions are presented as an opportunity for district leaders to learn from one another.
Sara Dunaway and Dawn Peake are co-teachers at a Baltimore area school. Referring to the isolation many educators experience, Dunaway says of co-teaching, “You’re not an island, you have a partner.”
Watch Dunaway and Peake talk about their experiences co-teaching in the Education Week video above left.
Have you co-taught? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of the model?
