Career Life
I have been a teacher for 18 years. I’ve been to countless workshops, seminars, and professional development classes. I’ve read books and articles and watched hours of educational videos. I have tried new practices and curricula. When it comes to “the next new thing,” I have a lot of experience–some better than others. But in all my years as an educator, the absolute best new practice to come along has been co-teaching. Not only do I feel like my students benefitted tremendously from co-teaching, but I loved it for professional and personal reasons. That said, I know teachers who have not enjoyed their co-teaching experience and who would argue that the difficulties they experienced outweigh any benefits.
What is co-teaching?
Before considering the pros and cons of co-teaching, it’s helpful to understand what it is–and what it isn’t. Co-teaching is not a certified teacher who has a para or an assistant. That type of teaching situation definitely has its benefits, but it isn’t the same thing as co-teaching. In a true co-teaching situation, there isn’t a lead teacher–rather, there is one gen-ed teacher (the content specialist) and one special-ed teacher (the strategy specialist.) And though the training and experience of each teacher might be different, both teachers teach and both work with students in groups and individually. In our training, my co and I were told that to an outside observer, it should not be obvious who is the gen-ed teacher and who is the special-ed teacher because both teachers take on the same roles at different times.
If it sounds like co-teaching successfully would be challenging, that’s because it is. But knowing the pros and cons of this practice can help teachers and administrators make an informed decision about whether or not it’s a good fit for them and help them avoid some common pitfalls.
Pros
1. Students get the benefit of two teachers.
One of the biggest challenges teachers face is class size. There simply isn’t enough time for one teacher to give 20-30 students the attention they need. Obviously, in a co-teaching situation that ratio is cut in half. But the benefit goes beyond that because two teachers in the classroom doesn’t just mean more individualized attention. It also means more opportunities for small group learning and more supervision for group projects and activities. For example, while one teacher supervises and assists students who are working independently, the other can work with a small group of struggling or more advanced students.
2. Co-teaching allows for more inclusion.
Regardless of the benefits of an inclusive classroom, even the most committed teacher can find it difficult to manage the needs of multiple students with widely varying abilities. However, in a co-taught situation, not only are there two teachers, but one of those teachers is specifically qualified to work with special needs students, making it easier for kids with special learning needs to be included in the gen-ed classroom.
3. Co-teaching gives teachers a little breathing room.
When my co and I attended our training, we were warned about the temptation to use co-teaching as an opportunity to “take turns” teaching. That was a fair warning, and it is something we had to guard against. But the truth is that having another teacher in the classroom does mean the freedom to occasionally return an email, make a quick phone call, make copies, or just go the bathroom. And that is pretty awesome.
4. Co-teaching reduces the need for subs and planning for a sub.
The beauty of co-teaching is that there are two teachers in the room. But when that isn’t possible it’s better for the kids and easier for both teachers if the one remaining can carry on without lost instruction time or extra planning.
5. It’s fun!
Obviously, teachers like working with kids. That’s why we are teachers. That doesn’t mean we don’t wish we had a little more adult interaction. Co-teaching allows us to have both–a career doing what we love and a friend to do it with.
Cons
1. Planning to co-teach can be challenging.
Unfortunately, my co-teaching situation was part-time. Out of three literacy blocks I had each day, only one was co-taught, and my co and I did not have the same planning period. This made preparation extremely difficult. We made it work, but it wasn’t ideal. Even in situations where teachers share a planning period, co-teaching adds another dimension to planning–especially at first. Not only do the teachers have to plan what to teach, but they also have to plan how to teach it together. This can be particularly difficult for teachers who have spent years honing their craft and now have to approach tried and true lessons in a new way.
2. It can be difficult for teachers to get out of their comfort zone.
In a perfect co-teaching situation, both teachers teach and both teachers work individually with students. The jobs are shared equally. However, it is easy for teachers to default to their traditional roles. In cases like this, the gen-ed teacher does all the teaching and the special-ed teacher does all the interventions and modifications. Sometimes this can lead to frustration and resentment on the part of both teachers. Why all the extra work, if we are both just doing our own thing in the same room?
3. If the chemistry isn’t there, co-teaching is super difficult.
Successful co-teaching relies heavily on the teachers working well together. My co and I were peas in a pod. We clicked professionally and personally. Working together was truly a joy. But I can imagine that working with a teacher you didn’t enjoy, or worse one with whom you disagreed on important class-related issues, would be extremely challenging. It’s also possible that kids would pick up on any tension present in the teacher relationship which could make for an uncomfortable learning environment.
4. It can be too easy for admin to see co-teaching as a flexible situation.
For co-teaching to work, there has to be consistency. Students need to see the teachers as equal partners–not one main teacher and a helper. Unfortunately, there are situations where the one teacher (usually the special-ed teacher) is frequently pulled from the co-taught classroom when a school is short on subs or just needs someone to fill in for a period or two. This makes it impossible for teachers to plan and implement co-taught lessons, and it sends kids the wrong message about the classroom dynamic.
To implement a co-teaching program would be a tremendous undertaking for any school–involving complicated schedule changes and likely additional teachers. Co-teaching is neither an easy or inexpensive fix, but it is a simple one–even with all the potential challenges. Co-teaching allows students to receive more one-on-one attention, small group learning, and it makes it possible to meet the educational needs of more students in the regular classroom. And the best part is that all of this can be done without expensive curriculum, pricey consultants, or extensive training. Co-teaching relies primarily on the greatest asset American schools have ever had–good teachers working together.
