cshamburg@gmail.

com
Chris Shamburg

Introduction to Co-Teaching
Dr. Christopher Shamburg
New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive
Education
Piscataway
October 20, 2015

How can we optimize the

effectiveness of two
professionals in a classroom?

Why
Inclusion
20 years
ago

United States

New Jersey

New Jersey

Hudson County

Hudson County

30 years ago

Realtor

Efficiency and
Industrialization

1994: SCANS Report

The Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills (SCANS) was appointed
by the Secretary of Labor to determine the
skills our young people need to succeed in
the world of work. The Commission's
fundamental purpose is to encourage a
high-performance economy characterized
by high-skill, high-wage employment

StudentCentered
TeacherCentered

Occupations that
typically need
postsecondary
education for entry
are projected to grow
faster than average
while those requiring a
high school diploma
will experience the
slowest growth over
the 201020
timeframe.
1900-1990

1991: SCANS Report

2012

Bureau of Labor Statistics,

Overview of 2010-2020
Projections, 2012.

The Civil Rights of Inclusion

1954: Brown vs. Board of Education
1973: FAPE Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
for Students With Disabilities
1975: Individuals with Disabilities Actrequires
testing and resources for all students
1999: Americans with Disabilities Act gives students
with special needs more rights and a greater access to
resources
2012: The majority of students with disabilities are now
educated in their neighborhood school with nondisabled peers (US Department of Education)

Roles and Relationships

14

Role Differentiation
General Educator
Content expert
Thinks curriculum to
class-wide activities
Thinks what activities
will I use to support
mastery of curriculum
Assures students
progress in the subject

Special Educator
Strategies expert
Thinks of how the
disability impacts
learning, behavior, etc.
Ensures student
receives IEP services
and makes progress
toward IEP goals

Paraprofessional
Works under supervision of certified staff
Supports learning, organization, behavior for students

Benefits and Challenges

Domino Share

16

Purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA)?
Ensuring equality of opportunity, full
participation, independent living, and
economic self-sufficiency for individuals
with disabilities.
20 U.S.C. 1400(C)(1)

17

CO-TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT

COLLABORATION AND
COMMUNICATION!
Two teachers, a general educator
and special educator coming
together to teach an inclusive
class of diverse students.

An Equal Partnership
Co-teachers are expected to share
everything:
Students
Planning
Instruction
Assessment

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What are the Benefits of

Coteaching to
Students?
Promotes Differentiated
Instruction

Increases Instructional Options

Grouping Flexibility
Lower Student to Teacher Ratios
Decreased Stigma
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Establishing the Foundation

Building Trust
Get to know each other.
What interests and life experiences do we share?

Sharing and problem solving

What are our respective ideas about classroom
discipline and grading?
How will we ensure that students see us as
equals?
When will we plan together?

21

Some Characteristics of Successful

Coteaching (Friend, 2013)
1. Professionalism
2. Ability to articulate and model instruction
to meet student needs
3. Ability to accurately assess student
progress
4. Ability to analyze teacher/teaching styles
5. Ability to work with a wide range of
students
6. Knowledge of course content
Heres the research based on input from general education co-teachers

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Coteaching Conversations
(handout)

23

Developing Good
Communication is a
Process
Beginning stage: Communication occurs hesitantly; teachers
seek to correctly interpret verbal and nonverbal messages, with
more or less success.
Compromising stage: Communication is more open. Teachers
freely give and take ideas. They begin to use humor in their
conversations with each other and their students.
Collaborative stage: Teachers begin to use non-verbal
communication. They become role models for their students.
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Co-Teaching Approaches

25

Model 1:
Lead/AssistLead/Observe
One teacher teaches as the second teacher circulates
throughout the classroom monitoring progress and
providing assistance as needed.
Class to class, both teachers share roles in such a way
that the distinction between generalist and specialist is
not obvious.
26

27

Complementary Teaching
(related)
The second teacher enhances the lesson with visuals,
auditory, and/or kinesthetic activities.
One teacher introduces the content for a group activity, then
the other teacher reviews points about being a good group
member, etc.
One teacher writes notes on board or overhead while the
other is speaking
One goes over what the students already know about a topic
(K-W-L), then the second teaches new material
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Model 2: Parallel Teaching

Teachers are both teaching the same information,
but they divide the class group and do so
simultaneously
This approach can be used frequently if noise level
is not distracting and both teachers pace instruction
accordingly

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Model 4: Alternative Teaching

One teacher takes responsibility for the large group
while the other works with smaller group for a
specific instructional purpose
Use sparingly to avoid the perception of a special
needs pullout within the classroom for a select
group of students

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32

Model 3: Team Teaching

Both teachers share the delivery of core
instruction and have equally active roles in
leading the class
Use frequently with the caveat that it does not
eliminate the practice of differentiation and
flexible grouping

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Model 4: Station Teaching

Stations are spots in the classroom where
small groups of students can work on
various tasks simultaneously

Lectures and Discussion

Station Teaching
Stations are spots in
the classroom where
small groups of
students can work
on various tasks
simultaneously and
then rotate.

Station 2

Station 1

Station 3

Station 5

Station 4

Station Options
Can be teacher-led or student-directed,
independent, or collaborate.
Stations can work at a station for 8 minutes
or a full class period
Stations can focus on the same topic in
different ways or different parts of a larger
topic.

Examples

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Example: 5th Grade Math :

fractions
CCSS.Math.Content.5.NF.A.1 Add and subtract fractions with unlike
denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions
with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum
or difference of fractions with like denominators. For example, 2/3 + 5/4 =
8/12 + 15/12 = 23/12. (In general, a/b + c/d = (ad + bc)/bd.)

Example: 5th Grade Math : Fractions

with unlike denominators
Station 1: Students will adjust recipes from magazines with fractional
ingredients for different numbers of people.
Station 2: Students will play fractions game with board and cards.
Station 3: Students will make a short video explaining the LCD of different
problems, starting simple and getting more difficult
Station 4: Students will complete SmartBoard activity where they have to
mix different amounts of nuts.

Example: 5th Grade Language

Arts/ Figurative Language
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language
such as metaphors and similes.

Example: Language Arts/

Figurative Language

Station 1: Students are given blue index cards with the first half of a simile
and red index cards with the second half. Then need to appropriately
connect the cards working as a group.

Station 2: Student are given 3 epic similes and must write a short story that
uses all 3.

Station 3: Students are given pictures of natural phenomenon and use them
to describe the actions of people (e.g. he made a mess like a hurricane)

Station 4: Students are given a list of figures of speech and must enact them
and record (e.g. busy as bees).

Station 5: Students will do a variety of activities on the Smartboard relating

to Idiomatic Expressions.

Activities
Short readings
Web-searches or WebQuests
Small group discussions
Paper-and-pencil tasks
Hands-on activities
Small projects
Independent or partner reading
Cartoons
Graphic Organizers
Smart Board Activities
Technology (Kindles, Ipods,
Video-streaming, Garageband)
Listening Activities

Art or drama exercises

Puzzles
Interpersonal reflection
Mini-lessons
Games
Chalkboard work
Brainstorming
Video or DVD viewing
Observations or examinations of
processes or materials
Puddle Questions
Models

Simple Tips for Management

Students need training in on strategies for station and
group work:
-Remind students to read directions
-Go over strategies for staying on track during stations
-Have some sort of assessment at each station and
consider providing incentives for station completion

Developing Stations: Considerations

You cannot do something sequential as there is no order to the
stations (e.g. you cannot have kids brainstorm, draft, revise,
etc,)
Judiciously group the students.

Heterogeneous in literacy skills

Personalities that mesh (common interests?) Pay attention to students
who interact well together; placement of outcasts and bullies?

Retain right to change groups if misbehavior interferes with

activity
Consider making a station outside of the classroomthe gym,
an empty room, outside, the auditorium (if you have the
supervision or co-teacher)

Coteaching

Benefits and Challenges

Why Inclusion
Communication
Respect
Models

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