PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAMS REPORT
2010-2011
Keywords (for database searching)
Co-teaching; special education
Contact Information
Name
Sue Gorman
Rebecca Green
Denise LaPolla
Jill MacKinnon
Emily Richmond
Jen Scalese
John Sullivan
Adam Zilcoski
School
Chenery
Chenery
Chenery
Chenery
Chenery
Chenery
Belmont High
Chenery
Grade Level or Subject
7 grade Social Studies
7th grade Science
7th grade Special Ed
8th grade Language Arts
7th grade Language Arts
8th grade Special Ed
Special Ed
8th grade Social Studies
th
Guiding Theme
Differentiated Instruction/RTI
Inquiry Question
Will co-teaching models increase students’ learning?
Process
*research & reading models of co-teaching: 1 teach/1 assist, alternative teaching (large group & small
group), parallel teaching, station teaching, team teaching
*did parallel teaching model in 8th grade Language Arts class
*2 classes – lecture (no SpEd teacher) vs small group ; heterogeneous grouping
* passed out comprehension questions at the beginning & end of the lesson (1 class period)
Findings
* more participation, more questions asked
* small group works best when both teachers:
o Have shared planning time
o have curriculum knowledge
o have a relationship (more than a year)
o have space available (in separate rooms)
o are invested
o are comfortable with each other’s teaching style/content knowledge
(math & English are easiest subjects for Sp Ed teacher – content & skills are
more universal)
o Most successful when:
 Sp Ed teacher has more time in the classroom (go to an earlier class)
 Lesson lends itself to co-teaching (lecture vs individual)
 set up of the room (stations, seating) is conducive to co-teaching model
Recommendations / Next Steps
*more direction from directors/administration - Do they support co-teaching?
*will teachers work together year after year?
*more common planning time, more supplementary materials
*there are 3 more models to try