How to Strengthen an Existing Inclusion and Collaborative Teaching Program K-12
Judith Mack, MSEd, MSW
Philosophical Basis
Co-Teaching PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL STYLE INVENTORY
Place an X in the box that most accurately describes where you lay on the
continuums for each of the statements below. After you and your co-teacher have
completed this inventory, compare your answers and discuss how you will
accommodate each other to address any major differences that may arise.
Teacher Name: _____________________________
PLANNING
I like to plan far in advance
I procrastinate and plan last
minute
I like to determine which
I am open to others’ input
instructional methods to use
for instructional methods
on my own
I appreciate templates and
My planning is pretty free
protocols for planning
form
INSTRUCTION
I rely heavily on direct
I like to let my students
instruction to make sure
learn through exploration
students understand the
and discovery
basics
I try to do some sort of
I think kids are tested too
paper and pencil formative
much and try to minimize
assessment daily
assessments
I try to model my
I try to incorporate multiple
assessments after
methods of assessments
standardized tests so
(performance, written, oral,
students will be ready when
etc.) into each unit
they come
I am very adept at
I prefer whole group
differentiating instruction
instruction and am not
within one lesson plan
comfortable differentiating
too much
I give homework every night
I think homework should be
and it’s an important part of
used for extra practice and
the grade
shouldn’t negatively impact
student grades
MANAGEMENT
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I explicitly teach and
consistently enforce routines
and procedures in my
classroom
I am a warm teacher who
relies on relationshipbuilding with students to
manage my classroom
My management systems
rely more heavily on
rewarding positive behaviors
My class is somewhat fluid;
routines emerge naturally
over the year
I am a strict disciplinarian
who accepts no excuses for
misbehavior
My management systems
rely more heavily on
discouraging negative
behaviors
A noisy classroom shows
that students are learning
and engaged
I think that my students
really need a lot of
guidance and support to be
able to act appropriately
I can comfortably step back
and let others’ take control
of my classroom
A quiet classroom is a
happy classroom
I trust that my students know
what’s appropriate
I like to have total control
over my classroom
environment
COLLABORATION
I generally like to work on
my own
I am open to feedback and
constructive criticism
I generally trust my
colleagues
When there is a conflict with
a colleague, I have no
problem bringing it out in the
open to confront and resolve
it
I like to have agendas and
get frustrated when
conversations during
meetings go off topic and we
waste time
I like to collaborate with
others and share ideas
I get defensive when others
criticize my work
It takes some time for me to
establish trust
I am uncomfortable
confronting interpersonal
challenges
I don’t like to totally
structure my meetings with
other people, and instead
spend time building
relationships, knowing we’ll
cover what we need
MISCELLANEOUS
I am a morning person and
like to get into work early to
prepare for the day
I am very reflective and
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I often stay late and do my
prep for the next day then
I believe that I am a solid
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spend a lot of time thinking
about my lesson plan
execution and plans and
adjust
I can only focus on one thing
at a time
I get really emotionally
invested in my students and
my work
planner and executor and
don’t spend a ton of time
reflecting and adjusting
I am very detail-oriented
I like to look at the big
picture
I prefer to go with the flow
I am always multi-tasking
I am able to detach my
emotions from my work
I like to have really clear
expectations and structures
for my work, including task
lists and action plans
I am protective of my things
and my space and am
uncomfortable with other
people touching my things
I am generally an optimist
and look on the bright side
of things
I believe that ALL students,
including students with
special needs, should be
held to the same high
standards
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What’s mine is yours
I am somewhat cynical,
always thinking of how
things could go wrong
I believe that goals should
be somewhat
individualized, based on
students’ needs
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Individual Prerequisites
Co-Teaching is a vastly different way for teachers to approach the task of instructing
students. Some are excited at the prospect of co-teaching, while others may be concerned
about the risks and issues that may in some situations. The following questions may assist
you to determine your readiness for co-teaching. After you have responded to these
questions, compare your responses with those of your co-teacher.
1. As a person, what are my areas of interpersonal strength and weakness?
2. As a teacher, what are my areas of strength and weakness?
3. Within my own discipline (for example, general education, special education,
speech/language therapy, reading instruction), what are my areas of strength and
weakness?
4. Right now, the main hope I have regarding this co-teaching arrangement is…..
5. Right now, the main concern I have regarding this co-teaching arrangement is…..
6. Based on my responses, what are three important items a co-teacher should keep in
mind when working with me?
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Classroom Practice
How does each of these components affect classroom practices during co-teaching?

When and how does planning for co-teaching occur? Who is responsible for
planning?

What roles and responsibilities do each individual take during instruction in the cotaught classroom?

How does the way in which co-teachers interact with each other as well as with
students affect co-teaching outcomes?

How does each co-teacher interact with each student? Do all students belong fully to
both teachers while co-teaching is occurring?

How do co-teachers make sure that they are both satisfied with the lessons they’re
teaching and student progress?

What strategies are used to address disagreements during instruction? How effective
have these strategies been?
External Supports
Not at all
Some
To a great
Extent
1. Principal is knowledgeable about co-teaching
_____
_____
_____
2. In general, collaboration is fostered and
valued
_____
_____
_____
3. Time is available for collaborative planning
_____
_____
_____
4. Communication between administrators
and staff is clear
_____
_____
_____
5. Problems and conflicts are identified
and addressed directly
_____
_____
_____
6. Staff share ideas about best practices
_____
_____
_____
7. Shared decision-making is employed
_____
_____
_____
Adapted from Marilyn Friend, Beyond the Basics, 2008.
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CTT Partnership Agreement
This document serves as our Collaborative Team Teaching partnership agreement. It is crafted to address our
students’ learning goals and support needs as well as our own working preferences as a teacher team. The
roles, responsibilities and work plan agreed upon in this document will guide our work together throughout this
trimester.
Fundamentals:
Curriculum content decisions: How will we determine the content that we will teach?
Instructional planning: What will our process be for lesson and learning activity planning?
Expectation setting: What will our process be for writing and modifying rubrics?
Assessments: Who will write the tests? Will some tests need to be adapted or modified?
Common Planning time: When will we meet as a CTT teacher team?
Instructional format: What will the format of instruction be in our classroom?
Who will deliver which parts of the lesson?
What are the key routines and procedures of our classroom?
What is our individual tolerance for noise in the classroom?
Parity Considerations: (from Co-Teach by Marilyn Friend)
o Will both teachers have their names on the board?
o Will both teachers have their names on the student’s report card?
o Will both teachers’ handwriting appear on students’ assignments and graded papers?
o Will both teachers have a space to store personal belongings?
o Will both teachers play a lead role in instruction?
o Will both teachers talk during instruction?
o Will both teachers check with each other before giving directions or permission?
o Will both teachers work with all students?
o Can students expect an equal level of organization from both teachers?
 Similar turn-around times for grading
 Similar level of feedback during conferencing
What organizational routines will we use:
o To begin class
o To assign student work
o To collect student work
o To return student work
o To discipline students
o To dismiss students
o What is our agreed turn-around time for returning graded work to students?
When we say we’re giving a student “help,” what does that mean to each of us?
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What classroom management style and routines will we use?
How will we coordinate who does what in terms of management and routines?
What modified strategies will we use to address students with behavior management challenges?
Developed by Donalda Chumney and Jeanne Rotunda at West Side Collaborative Middle School, MS 250
CO-TEACHING OBSERVATION CHECKLIST
Teachers:
Content area:
Lesson objective:
Brief description of activity:
Date:
Grade level:
Time:
Evidence of Parity
___ Both teachers are actively engaged
___ Students are responsive to both teachers
___ Evidence of positive interaction between teachers
___ Use of “we” and “our” versus “I” and “my”
___ Names of both teachers displayed
___ Letters and/or syllabus have both teachers’ names
Notes:
Evidence of Co-Teaching
___ Use of a co-teaching model
____ Team teaching
____ Parallel teaching
____ Alternative teaching
____ Station teaching
____ One teach, one assist
___ Both teachers interacting with students
___ Both teachers knowledgeable of content
___ Differentiation of instruction
____ Content
____ Process
____ Product
____ Student interest
____Other:
___ Evidence of scaffolding to help all students access content
___ Student questioning by both teachers
___ Oral and written feedback provided by both teachers
___ Collaboration reflected in planning
___ Both teachers begin and end class together and remain in room entire time
___ It is difficult to tell the students with IEPs from those without
___ Classroom is inclusive; students treat one another with respect
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Notes:
Evidence of Accommodations/Modifications:
_______________________________________________________________________
How to Plan a Co-Taught Differentiated Lesson
General Educator: Content Specialist
Special Educator: Learning Specialist
1. The general educator provides an overview of content, curriculum, and standards to
be addressed before the planning meeting (Unit plan; curriculum map).
2. In return, the special educator should provide a snapshot of any individualized
education program (IEP) goals, objectives, or possible modifications for students in
the shared class.
3. Both teachers can then jointly address how to present the content in order to
maximize learning and retention for all students.
4. Begin planning sessions by discussing what will be taught (content objectives) and
how it will be taught (co-teaching approaches or adaptations/modifications). What are
the goals of the lesson? What must every student know? What would merely be nice
to know?
5. Consider aspects for differentiation: Content, process, or product. Consider HALO
(High, average, low, other). What instructional methods will best meet the objectives
of the lesson? How will you best provide access to the curriculum to ALL students?
Try to save student-specific issues until the end of the planning session; otherwise, the
majority of the planning time may be spent only focusing on one or two students.
Include days in which the special educator will take the lead on planning. At the secondary
level, the special educator may or may not be able to lead the content, depending on their
curricular strengths, but they still can take a lead role in lessons focused on general core
content, test-taking strategies, social skills instruction, or organizational techniques.
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Adapted from Wendy Murawski, Tips and Strategies for Co-Teaching at the Secondary Level
Co-Teaching Lesson Plan
Teacher 2:____________________
Teacher 1:_______________________
Subject:________________________________________________________________
Lesson Objective: ________________________________________________________
Essential Questions:______________________________________________________
Key Vocabulary:__________________________________________________________
Materials:_______________________________________________________________
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Lesson
Coteaching
Approach
Time
Teacher 1
 One
Teach, One
Support
 Parallel
 Alternative
 Station
 Team
Middle:
(may include:
Instruction;
Checking for
Understanding;
Independent or
Group
Practice)
 One
Teach, One
Support
 Parallel
 Alternative
 Station
 Team
End:
(may include:
Closing,
Assessments,
Extension of
the Lesson)
 One
Teach, One
Support
 Parallel
 Alternative
 Station
 Team
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Considerations
(may include
adaptations,
differentiation,
accommodations,
and student-specific
needs)
(can select
more than one)
Beginning:
(may include:
Opening;
Warm Up;
Review;
Anticipatory
Set)
Teacher 2
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Lesson Planning Checklist/Questionnaire
 What are the objectives/standards for the lesson?
 What model of co-teaching or in-class support will you use?
 Will there be student groups?
 How will groups be formed?
 Will you practice getting in and out of groups? If so, how?
 Who will do what at each stage of the lesson?
 Who will introduce the lesson? How? (Script it if you haven’t done this
particular part of the lesson yourself)
 Who will wrap up the lesson? How? (Script it if you haven’t done this
particular part of the lesson yourself)
 What modifications or supports are needed?
 What is the timing for each part of the lesson?
 How will students be assessed?
 How will both teachers have a voice in this lesson?
 Does anything need to be created, copied, etc.? Who is going to do what
to prepare for the lesson?
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Instructional Presentation
In the introduction to this segment, Dr. Friend listed a few elements for instructing
students who struggle to learn, such as:

Starting lessons with a clear beginning

Using manipulatives or concrete items to clarify instruction

Incorporating review of the day’s instruction before a lesson ends

Asking effective questions so students participate during learning
Which of these do you and your teaching partner already do? Which do you struggle
with? How do you make sure you and your co-teacher incorporate these elements into
your planning sessions? How could you increase the use of these and other effective
teaching strategies?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
The principals of Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District collectively offered a long list of
the attributes of a successful co-taught classroom:

Pre-assessments to determine where to start a unit of study

Seamless instruction

Teamwork and synergy between co-teachers

Small group instruction

Differentiated instruction

Teachers moving about the classroom

Teachers meeting the diverse needs of their students

Pre-planning a well-designed lesson set up to meet those needs

Two different teaching perspectives on the same skill

Students glued to their seats with engagement
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
Specific outcomes planned from the beginning

Students feeling a sense of ownership and responsibility for their learning

Both teachers teaching, playing off one another to add to the instruction

Small groups that are varied—some may have students with disabilities, others
may not

Both teachers support all children

Low-performing students who may not have disabilities benefiting greatly from
co-teaching

Frequent feedback
Which are commonplace in your classroom already? Which of these hadn’t occurred to
you? What are examples of these elements that you noticed while viewing the DVD?
How could you increase the impact of your co-teaching on these and related factors
that contribute to student learning?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Middle school students love to tell secrets. How do co-teachers Jordan and McKinnon
exploit this in their “secret corner?” How does this tie past, present, and future lessons
together? What principles of effective teaching are these co-teaching using?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
At Reid Park Elementary, the co-teachers work with various groups of students so that
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no single group is accessing the material the same way. Three activities are happening in
the classroom simultaneously. What benefits do you see of using this strategy? Why is
this effective co-teaching? How could you implement similar strategies?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
As you viewed the DVD, you saw teachers implementing several of the co-teaching
approaches. Which did you see? What were some variations of the approaches the coteachers used? How does the instruction in the classrooms you’ve seen on this and
other segments of the DVD compare to yours? What could you and your co-teacher do
to take your instruction to the next level?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Adapted from More Power Facilitator’s Guide, Forum on Education, Marilyn Friend
Tiering Instruction
Example:
Subject: Language Arts
Grades: 3-5
Key Concept: Book Report and Presentation
Tiered According to Ability and Readiness
Background: As in any class the book report is an important way for students to discuss the books
they are reading and for them to do some writing about the book in question. With so many different
learners in each class students will be reading at different levels. Books need to be appropriately
picked as does the form of book report. Higher leveled students need more challenging tasks and
lower leveled students need less intrusive tasks. Each of the following has been designed
considering each type of student's needs.
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Book Reports:
Diorama Book Report
Students will do different illustrations and paragraphs on paper and glue them into their box after
completion. All inside sides are used except the inside top.
Below Grade
Level




Back - students illustrate the setting of the book and write the book title on the picture.
Side - students illustrate the main character.
Side - students illustrate the their favorite scene.
Bottom - students summarize the plot in paragraph form.
Paper Bag Book Report
Use a lunch size paper bag and have students create a written plan for their report, including 5 items to go
on the inside as well as what will be on each part of the outside.





Grade Level
Inside - students will collect and put in 5 things that describe parts of the book.
Front - students write the title, author, and publisher.
Back - students illustrate their favorite scene.
Side - students summarize the plot in paragraph form.
Side - students describe the main character.
Folder Book Report
Use 14 x 11 inch paper, preferably heavier paper,and fold it into a folder. On each side students will
describe a part of the story in a different way.
High Achievers




Front - students illustrate any picture to describe the book.
Inside - students summarize the plot in paragraph form.
Inside - students describe and illustrate the main character.
Back - students critique the book and forward their recommendation.
http://www.saskschools.ca/~bestpractice/tiered/examples2.html
Practice:
1. Choose your content area, grade level, concept
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. How do you want to tier your lesson? (readiness, interest, learning style)
____________________________________________________________________
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3. Decide how you will assess students before and after the lesson
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. Choose your activity
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. Adjust by tier
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
6.






What co-teaching model will work best with this lesson?
One teach, one observe
One teach, one assist
Stations
Alternative teaching
Parallel Teaching
Team Teaching
Resources
Online:
www.2teachLLC.com (sample lesson plans and templates)
www.differentiationcentral.com (tools and sample lessons for differentiating instruction)
www.rubistar.com (sample rubrics and templates for creating your own)
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Text:
Co-Teach: A Handbook for Creating and Sustaining Effective Partnerships in Inclusive
Schools
By Marilyn Friend
Collaborative Teaching in Secondary Schools: Making the Co-Teaching Marriage Work!
By Wendy Murawski
Differentiation in Action: A Complete Resource With Research-Supported Strategies to Help
You Plan and Organize Differentiated Instruction and Achieve
By Judith Dodge
How to Differentiate in Mixed-Ability Classrooms
By Carol Ann Tomlinson
Video:
More Power! Marilyn Friend, Forum on Education
Contact Information:
Judith Mack, MSEd, MSW
Judith@judithmack.com
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