Co-Teaching Roles of Special Education/General Education Teachers in the Classroom
Topics to Discuss for Co-Teachers
Topic to Discuss
Gen Ed Teacher’s Thoughts
Special Ed Teacher’s Thoughts
Planning: How, when,
where, and what will you
plan to increase
effectiveness of this
partnership?
Instructional Format:
(refer to page 3-6) Which
co-teaching format(s) will
you use? Which do you
feel uncomfortable with?
Equality: How will you
help students understand
that you are BOTH
teachers with authority in
the classroom?
Space: Where will
teachers be located in the
room? Students?
Adapted from “Aiming for the Ideal: Co-Teaching Approaches” by Lynne Cook, Ph.D. and Marilyn Friend, 2009
Co-Teaching Roles of Special Education/General Education Teachers in the Classroom
Topics to Discuss for Co-Teachers
Topic to Discuss
Gen Ed Teacher’s Thoughts
Special Ed Teacher’s Thoughts
Classroom Management:
What is your tolerance
level for noise, behavior,
and disruptions? How do
you handle discipline?
Help: How do you define
“help” for a student?
Grades: Who will do the
grading? Will this be a
shared responsibility?
What/How will this be
shared?
Other: What else do you
need to inform the other
teacher about?
Adapted from “Aiming for the Ideal: Co-Teaching Approaches” by Lynne Cook, Ph.D. and Marilyn Friend, 2009
Co-Teaching Roles of Special Education/General Education Teachers in the Classroom
Topics to Discuss for Co-Teachers
Approach
One Teach, One Observe


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
One Teach, One Assist


Advantages
Focused
observation on
student
engagement
Decide in advance
the focus of that
day’s observation
Observations can
be discussed to
make adjustments
to next lesson(s)
Help and observe
each other to
become better
teachers
Gives individual
help to students
without being
obtrusive in the
lesson
Allows each
teacher to
maximize their
strengths
(Caveat: this approach is
often overused. It is the
“fallback” approach and
isn’t used for an
instructional purpose but
as a default.)
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
When?
New co-teaching
situations
When questions
arise about
students
To check student
progress
To compare
target students to
others in class
Planning

LOW

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When the lesson
lends itself to one
teacher delivery
When one
teacher has
particular
expertise
In new coteaching
situations: get to
know each other
In lessons about a
process in which
student work
needs close
monitoring


LOW

Samples
Which students
initiate
conversations in
groups?
Which students
begin/do not
begin work
promptly?
Is Anne’s
inattentive
behavior less than
others?
What does James
do when he is
confused?
“This is my
favorite lesson!”
How well do
students
understand the
steps of…?
Are all students
following as they
take notes?
Adapted from “Aiming for the Ideal: Co-Teaching Approaches” by Lynne Cook, Ph.D. and Marilyn Friend, 2009
Co-Teaching Roles of Special Education/General Education Teachers in the Classroom
Topics to Discuss for Co-Teachers
Approach
Parallel Teaching
Advantages
 Gives students
more time to ask
questions and
explore
 Gives teachers
closer supervision
of the class
(This approach has both
teachers conducting the
SAME lesson
simultaneously. Then, the
class comes back together
for a review.)
Station Teaching



Allows difficult
material to be
taught in three
different ways
Allows for more
one-on-one time
with students
Gives students
movement, rather
than sit-and-get

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When?
When a lower
adult-student
ratio is needed to
improve
instruction
To foster student
participation in
discussions
For drill and
practice, reteaching, and test
review
When content is
complex but not
hierarchical
In lessons in
which part of the
planned
instruction is
review
When several
topics comprise
one lesson
Planning

MEDIUM



MEDIUM

Samples
More students
would have a
chance to share
their alternative
endings to a story.
Each teacher
present a lesson
from a different
view to encourage
a debate when
they come back
together
In science class to
closely monitor
use of special
materials
One station
addresses a
recently-read
story, one focuses
on editing a
writing, and one
has an activity
teaching a new
skill
Examine
geography,
economics, and
culture of a region
Adapted from “Aiming for the Ideal: Co-Teaching Approaches” by Lynne Cook, Ph.D. and Marilyn Friend, 2009
Co-Teaching Roles of Special Education/General Education Teachers in the Classroom
Topics to Discuss for Co-Teachers
Approach
Alternative Teaching
Advantages
 Can give a small
group extra
instruction on the
same lesson
without missing
anything
 Can be used for
an entire block or
just a few minutes

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Team Teaching



Each teacher
speaks freely
during the largegroup lesson
Sends a clear
message to
students that
both teachers
know the material
Instruction
becomes a
conversation
between two
experts

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

When?
In situations
where students’
mastery of
concepts varies
greatly
When extremely
high levels of
mastery are
expected for all
students
When enrichment
is desired for
high-achievers
When some
students are
working in a
parallel
curriculum
When experience
is comparable
When
conversation may
be more engaging
than lecture
Both teachers
have high comfort
and experience
To model goal
interaction for
students
Planning

HIGH

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
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
HIGH

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Samples
Large group
completes a
practice exercise;
small group
receives
additional direct
instruction
Large group
checks
homework; small
group is pretaught vocab for
today’s lesson
Large group works
on projects in
small groups;
small group takes
a test.
One explains
experiment; other
demonstrates
Teachers debate
US foreign policy
Act out a story’s
scene
One teaches;
other models
desired “thinking”
aloud
One teaches;
other takes model
notes
Adapted from “Aiming for the Ideal: Co-Teaching Approaches” by Lynne Cook, Ph.D. and Marilyn Friend, 2009