Eec%ve

Co-Teaching

Fred Buglione
New Jersey Coali%on for Inclusive Educa%on

Christopher Shamburg
New Jersey City University

How can we op*mize the

eec*veness of two professionals in
a classroom?

CO-TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT

COLLABORATION AND
COMMUNICATION!
Two teachersusually 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
Instruc%on
Assessment

What are the Benets of

Co-teaching to Students?
Promotes Differentiated
Instruction

Increases Instructional Options

Grouping Flexibility
Lower Student to Teacher Ratios
Decreased Stigma
5

Establishing the Founda*on

Building Trust

Get to know each other

What interests and life experiences do we share?

Sharing and Problem Solving

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

Some Characteris*cs of Successful

Coteaching (Friend, 2013)
1. Professionalism
2. Ability to ar%culate and model instruc%on 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

Developing Good
Communica*on is a Process

Beginning stage: Communica%on occurs hesitantly; teachers seek to

correctly interpret verbal and nonverbal messages, with more or less
success.

Compromising stage: Communica%on is more open. Teachers freely
give and take ideas. They begin to use humor in their conversa%ons
with each other and their students.

Collabora%ve stage: Teachers begin to use non-verbal communica%on.
They become role models for their students.
8

Co-teacher: The Game

Game comes with:

Chips
Say Something Now cards
Big Ques:on cards
Board

Take turns answering ques%ons and pu[ng chips on
students desks. Answer a ques%on, and if the other
player(s) says that was good, put 3 chips on desks.

Game Debrief
What topics are easy to talk about?

What topics are dicult to talk about?

What are the challenges to coteaching?
What are the opportuni%es in coteaching?

Lectures and Discussion

Sta*on Teaching
Sta%ons 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

Sta*on Op*ons
Can be teacher-led or student-directed, independent,
or collaborate.
Sta%ons can work at a sta%on for 8 minutes or a full
class period

Sta%ons can focus on the same topic in dierent ways
or dierent parts of a larger topic.

Example: 5th Grade Math : frac*ons

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 : Frac*ons

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.

th
5

Example:
Grade Language
Arts/ Figura*ve 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/

Figura*ve
Language

Sta%on 1: Students are given blue index cards with the rst half of a simile and red index
cards with the second half. Then need to appropriately connect the cards working as a
group.
Sta%on 2: Student are given 3 epic similes and must write a short story that uses all 3.
Sta%on 3: Students are given pictures of natural phenomenon and use them to describe
the ac%ons of people (e.g. he made a mess like a hurricane)
Sta%on 4: Students are given a list of gures of speech and must enact them and record
(e.g. busy as bees).
Sta%on 5: Students will do a variety of ac%vi%es on the Smartboard rela%ng to Idioma%c
Expressions.

Ac*vi*es

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

Art or drama exercises

Puzzles
Interpersonal reec%on
Mini-lessons
Games
Chalkboard work
Brainstorming
Video or DVD viewing
Observa%ons or examina%ons of
processes or materials
Puddle Ques%ons
Models

Simple Tips for Management

Students need training in on strategies for sta%on and group
work:


-Remind students to read direc%ons


-Go over strategies for staying on track during sta%ons

-Have some sort of assessment at each sta%on and consider
providing incen%ves for sta%on comple%on

Developing Sta*ons: Considera*ons

You cannot do something sequen%al as there is no order to the

sta%ons (e.g. you cannot have kids brainstorm, dran, revise, etc,)

Judiciously group the students.

Heterogeneous in literacy skills

Personali%es that mesh (common interests?) Pay aoen%on to students who
interact well together; placement of outcasts and bullies?

Retain right to change groups if misbehavior interferes with ac%vity

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

The End
Fred Buglione
Fredb@njcie.org
Christopher Shamburg
cshamburg@njcu.edu
New Jersey City University

www.njcie.org