Co-Teaching: What Two
Can Do!
Presented by:
Lisa Amspacher, Milton Hershey School
Lisa Menges, Lincoln Intermediate Unit12
Teamwork divides the task and
doubles the success.
-Unknown
How To Vote via Texting
1. Standard texting rates only (worst case US $0.20)
TIPS 2. We have no access to your phone number
Establish Norms
Establish Rapport
My 25 Things
1. I am in love with three men  (my three sons). O.K., make that four.
2. I would cook everyday if I didn’t have to do dishes.
3. I highly recommend living next door to your grandmother…I do!
4. I did my student teaching in Española, New Mexico.
5. My mantra (stolen from Eleanor Roosevelt): When you feel like you’ve reached the
end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
6. For my next career, I’ll be a personal shopper.
7. I am a certified Reading Specialist and have taught history on the high school level.
8. Chocolate makes me smile.
9. I lived in Mississippi for awhile growing up and yes, I had a Southern accent.
10. I enjoy playing sports of all kinds, but tennis is my favorite.
11. My ancestors came to America with William Penn.
12. I have a twin sister, but we are total opposites.
13. Perfect dinner: lasagna and a glass of red wine.
14. My favorite outfit is a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and shoes that make a statement.
15. Apparently, I require less sleep than the average person.
16. I have an inability to say no, but I’m learning to say, Yes, with conditions.
17. I like to read just about any genre and I rarely watch T.V.
18. I’m a cup half-full kind of a person.
19. I am soooo not a creature of habit but I have to have coffee every morning. Decaf.
20. I can speak some Spanish, Greek, and Japanese (enough to get by in any of those
places, should I happen to win a free trip!)
21. I have the best friends in the whole world.
22. Reiki calms me.
23. I’m working on being less sarcastic…my sister tells me it’s a sin.
24. I love to travel.
25. I wish I could find time to maintain a meaningful blog.
What Co-Teaching Is NOT . . .
• Integrating students, but adults still maintain
responsibility for own separate populations.
• Homogeneous grouping of all at-risk kids in one
classroom with two teachers.
• Collaborative teaching w/o collaborative planning.
• One person delivering instruction while the other is
solely responsible for crowd control.
• Parallel play where each person “does his/her own thing”
without communication.
What Co-Teaching is NOT. . .
• Duplication of roles & responsibilities.
• One person teaches while the other takes a
break.
• Pulling students out by disability label
rather than forming groups according to
skill needs.
What Co-Teaching Is …
• Determining what two teachers can do together
that one cannot.
• An attitude of sink or swim together.
• Mutual planning & delivering of instruction.
• Determining & defining roles & responsibilities.
• Taking time to debrief & reflect on instruction.
What Co-Teaching is . . .
• Use of effective communication &
conflict management skills.
• Sharing ideas, strategies, &
techniques to create better
instruction for ALL kids.
• Supporting & enhancing each other’s
learning.
Co-teaching is a creative way to connect
with and support others to help
all children learn.
What are the
BENEFITS
of Co-Teaching?
And the survey says…
(Tiffin Middle School, Tiffin, OH)
• Do you get more help when there are two
teachers in the room?
• Do you behave differently when there are two
teachers in the room?
• Do you ask more questions when there are two
teachers in the room?
• Do you get better grades in the inclusion
classes than the other classes?
Yes
89%
34%
No
11%
66%
44%
56%
74%
26%
And the survey says…
(Tiffin Middle School, Tiffin, OH)
Yes
• Do you do a better job on your homework
in your inclusion classes?
• Do you answer more questions in your
inclusion classes?
• Do you pay closer attention to the teacher
in your inclusion classes?
• Do you wish all of your classes could be
inclusion classes?
77%
49%
72%
70%
No
23%
51%
28%
30%
Co-Teaching Benefits
 Special education & ESL students have access to regular
education environment.
 Improvements in academic and social skills.
 Teacher-student ratio is increased, allowing for better
teaching and learning to occur.
 Provides a variety of learning situations within the
classroom.
Co-Teaching Benefits
 Positive classroom environment.
 Provides students with opportunities to work
together.
 Increased flexible groupings.
 Increased time on task, less wait time.
 Satisfies NCLB/Highly Qualified Requirement;
Gaskins, IDEA 2004, LRE, AYP
Analysis of Professional Standards
That Co-Teachers Demonstrate
Classroom Teachers
Interstate New Teacher
Assessment and Support
Consortium (INTASC 2006)
Special Educators
Council for Exceptional
Children (CEC 2003)
Standard 3 requires teachers to Knowledge and skills in
understand how learners differ. understanding characteristics of
learners with different cognitive,
physical, cultural, social, and
emotional needs.
Experienced Teachers
National Board for
Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS 2006)
Teachers adjust their practice
according to individual
differences in their students.
Standard 4 requires teachers to
use a variety of instructional
strategies.
Competencies related to
knowledge and skills for
instructional content and
practice.
Teachers show multiple
methods to engage student
learning and to enable students
to reach goals.
Standard 10 asks teachers to
collaborate and communicate
with parents, families, and
colleagues to support student
learning.
Competencies related to
communication and
collaborative partnerships.
Teachers collaboratively work
with others and coordinate
services.
Wearing the same shirts
doesn’t make a team.
~Buchholz and Roth
Models of Co –Teaching
Models of Co-Teaching
• Supportive: One teacher teaches while the other assists all students
• Team: Two teachers teaching the whole group together
• Parallel: Two teachers teaching one lesson to 2 different groups at
the same time
• Alternate: One teacher does the direct instruction of skills, the
other a small group for support/enrichment
• Station Teaching: Students are divided into instructional
groups and rotate through groups. Both teachers take responsibility for
instruction.
Take a Break!
Let’s Watch
Classroom practice
The Supportive Model
One teacher assumes primary instructional responsibility while the
other teacher assists students.
When to use:
• In new co-teaching situations
• One teacher has expertise
• In lessons stressing a process in which student work
needs close monitoring
• When a need for student observation arises
• When the lesson lends itself to delivery by one
teacher
Station Teaching
Students are divided into instructional groups and rotate through
groups. Both teachers take responsibility for instruction.
When to use:
•When content is complex but not hierarchical
•In lessons in which part of planned instruction is
review
•When several topics comprise instruction
Parallel Teaching
Two teachers teaching one lesson to two different groups
simultaneously.
When to use:
•When a lower student-adult ratio is needed to
improve instruction efficiency
•To foster student participation in discussions
•For activities such as drill and practice,
re-teaching, and test review
Alternative Teaching
One teacher instructs one group while the other teacher previews or
re-teaches.
When to use:
• In situations where students mastery of concepts
taught or about to be taught varies tremendously
• When extremely high levels of mastery are
expected for all students
• When enrichment is desired
• When students are working in a parallel curriculum.
Forming
• Members come together with uncertainty
• Desire to be accepted
• Avoid controversy
• Gathering information and impressions
• Avoidance of conflict and threat
Storming
• Marked by conflict
• Minor confrontations arise
• Individuals may feel like they are winning or
losing battles
• Look for structural clarity or rules to prevent
conflict from persisting
Norming
• Beginnings of team interdependence
• “Rules” have been established
• Individual responsibilities are clear, but still
function in separate roles
• Having had arguments, they understand each other
• May resist pressure to change for fear they will
revert back to storming
Performing
• Group moves forward to accomplish objective
• Team interdependence and flexibility
• High level of trust
• Roles and responsibilities change seamlessly
Forming, Storming, Norming,
or Performing?
Co-Teaching Scenarios
In which stage is each pair of co-teachers?
Forming, Storming,
Norming, and Performing?
What are the team development
characteristics of our own co-teaching
relationship?
Guided Questions
Tying Up Loose Ends
• Gots and Needs Feedback
• Lesson Planning Template
• Follow-up Support
Time for
Lunch 
Gots and Needs Feedback
Teaching Style
Formal Authority
Demonstrator
Facilitator
Delegator
http://www.longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html
Article: The Co-teaching
Partnership
Co-Teaching: What Two
Can Do!
What Can Two Do?
I
J M F
L B S U N
A O H Z P T R
D G Z V E H Q C K
Collecting Data
Individual
Scores
Group
Group
Group
Group
Average
Collaborative
Group
X
Z H U
H C G L B
T W F O J Z A
S D N C EL R K G
Debriefing . . .
• How did your score change?
• What caused your change in score?
• How did you feel under each
condition?
Parity
(Equality, as in amount, status, or character)
• Both teacher’s names appear on classroom
materials
• Both teachers’ handwriting on student assignments
• Both teachers have space for personal belongings
• Both teachers talk during instruction
• Both teachers work with ALL students
What Two Can Do!
How might classroom instruction
look different with two teachers
in the classroom and an 80
minute block of time?
Co-Planning a Lesson
A Broken Arm
Regular Education
Teachers
Special Education
Teachers
Discussion Questions
• What have we learned about each character
in the case?
• What do we think is motivating the thoughts
and actions of each character?
Discussion Questions
• What are the issues and problems in the
case?
• What are some common problems and
issues that could arise in a co-teaching
relationship?
• What steps are required to establish
successful co-teaching relationships?
Discussion Questions
• When is it appropriate to make instructional
modifications?
• What instructional modifications in spelling did
Mary make for Jim? Were the modifications
effective? Why or why not?
• Discuss techniques for modifying instructional
methods and materials.
Take a Another Break!
Co-Teaching Relationship
Observation Form
• 6th Grade Math
• High School Math
Models of Co-Teaching
What models have you experienced today?
Gots and Needs Feedback
Planning in a Co-teaching Classroom
General Education
Teachers:
Special Education
Teachers:
Develop a lesson plan
Develop a lesson plan
Exit Slip
Be well, do good work, and
keep in touch.
~Garrison Keillor
Contact Information
Lisa Amspacher
AmspacherL@mhs-pa.org
Lisa Menges
ldmenges@iu12.org