Differentiation
Through
Co-Teaching
In An Inclusive Classrooms
Why differentiate or co-teach?
• Are you looking for ways to meet the needs of
all students?
• Do you have struggling learners in your
mainstream classroom that aren’t getting the
help they need?
• Do you have advanced students that are
getting ignored because of other classroom
issues?
Then you are in the right place!
Outline
• Define differentiation and coteaching
• Talk about the rationale and benefits
of co-teaching
• Techniques used to co-teach
• Specific rubrics, activities, and
leveled texts
• Where to start
What is Co-teaching?
• Marilyn Friend (2012) defines co-teaching as having two
teachers with different skills teaching collaboratively in an
inclusive classroom where the main focus is meeting the needs
of all students.
• The content teacher (English, Social Studies, Science, Math,
etc) has expertise in content, classroom management,
knowledge of typical students, and pacing. The special
education teacher has expertise in providing strategies,
accommodations, and modifications to enhance learning,
individualization, and an understanding of paperwork such as
IEPs.
• Having two professionals with different skills allows for a
variety of teaching styles, activities, and a number of
opportunities to be available for students.
What is Differentiation?
• Differentiation means
tailoring instruction to
meet individual needs.
Whether teachers
differentiate content,
process, products, or the
learning environment,
the use of ongoing
assessment and flexible
grouping makes this a
successful approach to
instruction.
• Not modification (altering
existing assignment)
Ways to differentiate:
• Using multiple
intelligences
• Anchor activities
• Choice board
assignments
• Flexible pairing/grouping
• Station work (instead of
modifying numerous
assignments)
What does it look like to co-teach and
differentiate on a day-to-day basis?
It is different for every pair
• One can give the daily lesson while the
other can walk around helping students
take notes, stay on task, redirect
behaviors, and focus.
• When students break into groups, both
can use co-teaching methods of grouping
techniques, etc.
• Both can still be specialists in his/her own
content/area.
The Rationale For Co-Teaching
• Increased educational opportunities for
all students
• Less fragmentation in student’s
education; reduction in a stigma
associated with having a
disability/difference
• Stronger system of support among the
adults responsible for educating students.
Researched Benefits for
Special Education Students
• Students on IEPs receive their accommodations within in
the classroom, decreasing stigmas associated with having a
disability
• Students experience increased self-confidence and selfesteem
• Students present better attitudes, increased motivation,
improved self-awareness, more attention to schoolwork,
increase in attendance, greater participation in classroom
and extracurricular activities.
• Students attain higher academic performance, improved
social skill performance, and develop more peer
relationships resulting in friendships
Researched Benefits for
General Education Students
• Improved academic performance (higher grades
in content classes)
• More time with and attention from the teacher
• Increased emphasis on cognitive strategies and
study skills from the Special Ed. perspective
(organizational skills)
• Increased emphasis on social skills
• Improved classroom communities
• Better attendance
• Higher literacy rates
Researched Benefits
for Teachers
• Increased professional satisfaction
• Opportunities for professional
growth
• Personal support
• Increased opportunities for
collaboration
• Exposed to new perspectives
Discovered Benefits
• EL support for
transfer and
vocabulary issues
• Breaking things into
smaller chunks
• Knowing the Special
Education (SPED)
kids and their goals.
• Saves time for SPED
kids and teacher
• Less behavioral issues
• More learning for all
students
• Two sets of eyes in
the room
• More support with
issues, parents, etc.
• More fun!
Techniques
•
•
•
•
•
Flexible Grouping
Peer Modeling
Peer Tutoring
Re-teaching
Tiered Assignments
Flexible Grouping
o Allows for students to participate in class more
independently
o Types of flexible grouping
• Teacher-Led Groups
 Whole-class
 Small-group
 Independent teacher-directed activities
• Student-Led Groups
 Mixed-ability
 Leveled
 Pairs
• Every student should be a leader at some point.
• Groups should continuously change.
Peer Modeling
• Is when typically developing peers model
appropriate age and social reactions to
situations as they happen
• Should involve same age, typically
developing peers who show welldeveloped social skills, such as
friendships, empathy, self-control and
respect
• [Example of success]
Peer Tutoring
o When students teach other students
• Benefits
Students are more willing to accept help
from peers
Allows teachers to monitor student’s
comprehension and progress on specific
topics
Provides opportunity for friendships to
be made
[Example of success]
Re-Teaching
• When students can be grouped with
one teacher to re-teach a concept
that was difficult
• [Example of success]
Talk With a Partner
How have you, or would you, use one or
more of these techniques in your
classroom?
 Flexible Grouping
 Peer Modeling
 Peer Tutoring
 Re-teaching
 Tiered Assignments
Would anyone like to share a success story?
Examples of: Tiered, Modified, and
Differentiated Assignments
oLeveled Reading
• Anchor Text Into Leveled Text
oLiterature Circles
• Practicing leveled or mixed-ability
reading and discussion
oReciprocal Teaching
Tiered Assignments:
Leveled Reading
Leveled Reading
• Topic-centered or Thematic Short
Stories
• Nonfiction
• Lit Circles
• Reciprocal Teaching
Tiered Assignments:
Leveled Reading
Example Aligned to the Common Core
o Text Structure-Hard News Story
• Anchor Text-5-6 grade level-a clear example of the inverted
pyramid text structure; students labeled the text with me and
I modeled the text, did think-aloud, and taught text structure.
• Choice article-Independent Leveled:
 Group work finding inverted pyramid text structure in
leveled texts (Ind.=Read alone with 100% accuracy)
 All students still being exposed to higher levels of
learning in a general ed. classroom with the anchor text,
practicing independently with leveled texts, and all
students getting support with the co-teaching model.
 Another English example--finding mood in the “Tell Tale
Heart” (Poe) as an anchor text, and then finding mood in
independently leveled texts.
Lit Circles and
Reciprocal Teaching
What is the teacher’s
role?
• To be an “unobtrusive,
quiet facilitator” rather
than a
presenter/questioner at
the center of attention
What is the student’s
role?
• To make the choices
• To raise the questions
• To do the talking
• To make the meaning
• Both lit circles and
reciprocal teaching can
vary in length and
grouping type. They can
be used with fiction and
nonfiction.
• Both are student-led
groups that support
social skills and
independent learning.
Lit Circles Basic Idea
• Teachers group the
students intentionally
• Students create a
calendar for
reading/assignment
completion
• Each student is given a
different role
• Students meet at a
designated time to
share their
ideas/assignments/ques
Lit Circles can
vary in length
and grouping
type. They can
be used with
fiction and
nonfiction.
Reciprocal Teaching
• Similar to lit circles, but
•
can be done in shorter and
smaller chunks --for a day,
with one article, etc.
• Works well with all middle- •
level assignments, works
best with a difficult high
school level assignments/
texts.
•
• Teachers group the
students intentionally
Each student is given a
different role
(summarizer, predictor,
clarifier, questioner)
Students read silently or
out loud, stopping and
doing all group roles at a
designated place.
This is a verbal strategy,
but can be written if
needed.
Lit Circles and
Reciprocal Teaching
• Requires practice, • Are worth all of
and gets better with these things based
multiple uses
on the increase in
• Will need troublecomprehension,
shooting
practice with social
• Will need behavior
skills, and ease of
modeling
differentiation.
Talk with a partner
• Where could you insert leveled
reading in your classroom?
• Since finding leveled texts takes time
and resources, do you have any ways
of getting resources that you can
share with others?
Tiered Assignments: Essay
Quantity
Quality
Essay Revisions
Above Grade Level:
Quote incorporation practice
Grade Level:
Thesis statement and topic
sentence match-up; formal
vs. informal language
Below Grade Level:
Capitalization, mechanics,
complete sentences, basic
formatting, how to find
evidence
Tiered Assignments: Tests
1. Test Modifications (read aloud, only 2 choices,
etc.)
2. Differentiated Essay Tests-- Sample questions:
• Above GL: Identify the elements of fantasy in your
text; support your answer with evidence from the
text.
• At GL: Determine the protagonist’s quest in your
fantasy novel; support your answer with evidence
from the text.
• Below GL: Choose the best one of your three
existing fantasy essay tests; make corrections.
Where do I start?
Start with...
• A General Ed teacher and a SPED
teacher--it can’t be forced
• Administrative support
• Informing parents
• The assistance of a school counselor for
scheduling purposes--look at test
scores, daily work, and student
behaviors/needs.
• A mixed ability (NOT leveled) class
Where do I start?
Take the Beliefs and Responsibility Survey
independently, and then compare your
answers
Discuss your results and thoughts
• What did you find in common?
• Where did you have different philosophies?
• How would this be helpful in preparing to coteach?
Where do I start?
• Know your student’s reading levels
 NWEAs all come with a lexile number range.
 These give a range, but they are a good
start. (Ideally you should have 3 data points.)
 Spend some time over the summer coming
up with supplemental reading material that
will support higher and lower readers, while
remaining true to your content.
 Scholastic, Newsela (5 levels), Microsoft Word-Google how to add Flesch-Kincaid readability to
Word
Common Questions
Q: How do you address personality or behavioral issues with the co-teacher you are
working with? How do you determine roles within the classroom?
A: When you are co-teaching, you should both have a common interest in coteaching as well as co-teaching together. You should not be forced into co-teaching a
class you’re not interested in co-teaching or with someone who you’re not interested in
teaching with. Schedules should not mandate a co-teaching pair. Roles should be
determined between the partners and if you both have an interest in working together this
should work out well.
Q: How do you make sure you have the right “mix” of students in your room-GE, SPED,
Gifted?
A: Research defines a co-taught classroom to be 25% SPED in the elementary
setting and 33% SPED in the secondary setting. It is important to include advanced or
gifted students within the mix of your average GE students. Having the support of your
counselors and administration is very beneficial.
Q: What specific tools can we use to to make groups?
A: You can use colored sticks which organize students by their reading level. This
helps when questioning students you can call on certain students for higher thinking
questions vs. low level questions. They are also helpful in grouping.