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ERIC EJ969840: Co-Teaching: Enhancing Student Learning through Mentor-Intern Partnerships PDF

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Co-teaching: Enhancing Student Learning Through Mentor-Intern Partnerships Bernard Badiali Penn State University Nicole E. Titus State College Area School District Abstract: In this article, the authors present a definition for co-teaching. They argue that co- teaching has the potential to be an effective arrangement for attending to student learning, preparing a teacher candidate to enter the profession, and eliminating some of the snags and pitfalls associated with traditional student teaching. In addition, they identify and describe six models of co-teaching along with examples of how these models may contribute to student learning in a Professional Development School (PDS). They conclude by suggesting areas for further research on the effects of co-teaching. it is secondary to ensuring that all children ‘‘To enhance the learning of all students.’’ receive a good educational experience in the This short statement is replete with impli- process. The authors believe both can occur cations about the focus and direction for the simultaneously, but the authors’ mantra is, efforts of Professional Development School ‘‘students first.’’ The PDS is, after all, a (PDS) partnership between Penn State and the collaborative partnership between a university State College Area School District. It implies and a public school that aims to benefit both. that learning involves each and every student, There may be no better PDS practice to that curriculum is accessible, that the partner- accomplish these goals than through co-teach- ship’s stance is one of caring, and sharing the ing. In addition to student learning and ethical obligations of stewardship for their preservice teacher development, the PDS pre- schooling. This PDS has been deliberately sents the ideal environment for co-teaching as a structured in such a way as to realize these job embedded professional development experi- intentions. In a PDS classroom, students work ence for classroom teachers as well. Co-teaching collaboratively with an excellent teacher, an has several definitions. For the purpose of this excellent teacher candidate, and an experienced paper, co-teaching is defined as two or more Professional Development Associate on a regu- teachersworkingtogetherinthesameclassroom lar basis. These human resources make it more sharing responsibility for student learning possible to help every child learn. The way in (Friend & Bursuck, 2011; Friend & Cook, which these educators are arranged, the expec- 2000). tations they hold, and the norms they establish make all the difference in assuring that all students having opportunities to learn. Too Co-Teaching often, a PDS is perceived solely as a means of preparing teacher candidates to enter the Co-teaching is not new. This practice has been profession; however, preparation is only one used extensively in the area of special education facet of the PDS diamond. As critically where teachers use full inclusion as a means to importantasitistopreparecompetentteachers, combine the expertise of special education and 74 School—University Partnerships Vol. 4, No. 2 Co-teaching: Enhancing Student Learning Through Mentor-Intern Partnerships 75 regular education teachers. The special educa- the game? As one of us overheard a mother tion community came to understand through admonish a traditional supervisor years ago, ‘‘I classroom experience that two teachers working don’t want you experimenting with my kid just side-by-side (elbow to elbow) greatly enhanced so somebody can learn to teach.’’ the opportunity for every student’s learning, Co-teaching has many advantages over the especially when that student has special needs. old model of sink or swim; that is one reason it Similarly, mentor and intern teachers working has the strong endorsement of the PDS. side-by-side can serve the needs of the children Another reason has to do with helping teacher in their classroom more effectively. In addition, candidates learn more about how to collaborate co-teaching enables them to share invaluable within a school community. It has been our insights about teaching that serve to benefit experience that no intern prepared through co- them both. How many insights they realize teaching has ever reported being disadvantaged depends upon how much reflective dialogue because she went without a solo experience. In theyengageinafteralessonorafteradayinthe fact, many who take positions in schools where classroom together. There is power in the such collaboration is not the norm, take the expectation for such dialogue as well as in the initiative in forming collaborative relationships. dialogue itself. Most educators continue to associate the A look at practices in many traditional term co-teaching with special education. After teacher preparation programs only serves to the passage of PL 94-142 (1975), a plethora of punctuate the improved school culture that models for including special education students exists in a PDS structure. In traditional inregularclassroomsemerged.Withsubsequent programs,itiscommonpracticeforcooperating reauthorizations of the law (IDEA), full inclu- teachers to leaveteachercandidates alone in the sion became the predominant model for classroom to sink or swim. As a result, many accommodating special needs students; special sink, to the great detriment of children’s education teachers and regular education teach- learning. Others may swim, but awkwardly at ers began to collaborate more closely. Some first and without much support. The practice of eventually began to teach together in a model letting teacher candidates go ‘‘solo’’ is rational- theycalledco-teaching.Teachereducationbegan izedmainlybytwoarguments.First,cooperating toappropriatethepracticeandthetermasearly teachers feel they deserve some down time for as 1980. Roth & Tobin, (2002) explain the being generous enough to open their classroom virtues of co-teaching for professional growth to a teacher in training. The solo is a kind of and teacher preparation. This text and the ‘‘pay back’’ for access to their classroom. follow-up, Teaching to Learn: A View From the Second, many veteran teachers feel that a new Field,chroniclethebenefitsofco-teachingforall teacher must carry the burden of an entire class teachers. Additional illustrations of the benefits load to prove that she will be able to be of co-teaching have been provided by Badiali, B. successful in the profession. In most cases, that J., & Hammond, D. J. (2005). Co-teaching as an is the way they were ‘‘tested’’ in their own alternative to the ‘‘Take-over’’ phenomenon. studentteachingexperience.Thereasoninggoes Pensylvania Teacher Educator, 4(1), 1–12. Conder- something like, ‘‘I made it through this test. manandHedlin(2011),FriendandCook(2000), Now it’s your turn.’’ Both justifications for the FriendandCook(2009),TobinandRoth(2006), traditional approach are flawed, especially when Vaughn, Schumm, and Arguelles (1997), as well weconsider what happens to children and their as Villa, Thousand and Nevin (2004). learning when novices have to teach alone. Several models of co-teaching have been Children are disadvantaged when one teacher identified as a healthy form of collaboration for works and the other does not participate. What all teachers (Friend & Bursuck, 2011; Friend & parent,whatprincipal,whatteacher wouldwant Cook, 2000). An adaptation of some of these to have a child in a setting where the first team models to coordinate with a mentor/intern sits on the sideline while the second team plays relationship more effectively are described 76 BERNARDBADIALIANDNICOLEE.TITUS below, together with brief examples from the importantforaninterntoknowwhattolookfor authors’ PDS experience. during that period of time. My intern and I developedaseriesofsystematicobservationssothat she would have a deeper understanding of the Mentor Modeling guided reading process. We began with the question, ‘‘What instructional strategy should I focus on during a guided reading session?’’ We This model has also been referred to as ‘‘one began brainstorming. We felt it would be teaching, one observing’’ (Friend & Bursuck, importanttotrackhowamentorguidedstudents 2011, Friend & Cook, 2000). This model of co- through word attack strategies. Another day, my teaching works well for new teacher candidates interntrackedmytypesofcomprehensionquestions because it provides an orientation to a mentor (Bloom’sTaxonomy).Havingaveryspecificfocus teacher’s approach to instruction. The model for observation gave my intern a greaterdepth of may predominate the relationship early on, but knowledge about the guided reading process. She can and should be used throughout their time was able to look at the data she collected from together. Mentor modeling can work in two various observations and make inferences about ways. First, when a novice intentionally watches my instructional strategies. For instance, she a master teacher work, she can begin to observed that with a couple of groups I focused understand how to interact with children while moreonwordattackstrategiesandconcludedthat delivering the curriculum. When a novice some students needed that additional instruction observes closely, she can pick up the subtleties whereasotherstudentswerealreadydemonstrating skillsfordecodingwords.Byconductingsystematic of instructional practice. Having both experi- observations, she found herself inquiring more enced the same teaching episode, the pair can aboutguidedreadinginstruction.‘‘Didthementor then have an important reflective conversation call on more boys or girls? Did the mentor spend about the effects of teaching strategies on the more time with some students than other learning of the children. The use of systematic students?’’ Spending so much time observing me observation with this model is recommended. setmyinternupforsuccesswhenshebegantotake Second, when the veteran teacher watches theleadteachingguidedreading.Ilearnedafew the novice work, he can get a sense for which things about my own performance as well. Our teaching behaviors are effective and which studentscontinuedtobenefitthroughthisprocess strategies need further development. Novice aswekeptstudents’instructionalneedsthefocus teachersthriveonfeedbackabouttheirteaching, duringguidedreadingplanning. provided that the feedback is given in a manner that is possible for them to understand and utilize. Mentor teachers need to keep in mind One Teach, One Guide that the purpose of feedback is to further the novice’s thinking about instruction, not to Another term for this model is ‘‘one teach, one simply judge performance. As much as the drift’’ (Friend & Cook, 2000; Friend & novice may want approval from his mentor, it is Bursuck, 2011). This second model for co- thementor’sjobtogobeyondsurfacejudgments teachingisespeciallyhelpfulforlearninghowto (good or bad) about the teaching performance. collaborate with one another. In ‘‘one teach, Co-teachingmakesitpossiblefortwoteachersto one guide’’, the primary responsibility for have a common experience. It is of primary delivering instruction falls to one teacher while importance in this model that the two discuss the other teacher circulates around the class- whattheybothhavelearnedfromit.Inthisway, room to provide individual help to students. As students benefit from an intern’s enhanced teachers work on building students’ self-confi- knowledge about good instruction. The model dence and academic learning, this model is a is illustrated by the commentary below. great way for one teacher to monitor individual Somuchinstructionoccursduringabrief twenty student’s progress and provide correctives or minute Guided Reading session that it is positive feedback while the other teacher is Co-teaching: Enhancing Student Learning Through Mentor-Intern Partnerships 77 focusing on the whole group. This model meet the many different learning styles of requires some co-planning so that both teachers students. For instance, individual stations can understand a common objective for the lesson. be co-designed with the ‘‘word smart,’’ ‘‘art The guide needs to anticipate where students smart,’’ ‘‘people smart,’’ ‘‘music smart,’’ etc., might have difficulty and stay tuned in to the students in mind. As with all of the other progression of the lesson while helping indi- models, co-teachers debrief their experience in vidual students in a nonintrusive way so as not station teaching and its effect on student to disturb the rhythm of the lesson. Another learning. As an example: role of the guide can be to collect data on students’understandingthroughoutthelesson. MyinternandIwerediscussingthatwehadone This information can be invaluable when group of students that would benefit from reflecting on the impact of the lesson. For additional phonics instruction. These students example: didn’tqualifyforTitle1services,yettheyneeded an extra boost with reading. We brainstormed In a sixth grade science lesson, the intern was ways that we could incorporate an extra reading attempting a rather complicated experiment session for these children during our literacy where student teams were expected to get stations. My intern observed another teacher materials, mix solutions and measure the usingpoetrytoreinforcewordfamiliesthatmade outcomes. Despite the fact that the intern her interested in developing a poetry station to planned the experiment very thoroughly, and help this group of students. During the poetry despite the fact that she gave the students very station, she introduced a poem and conducted a cleardirections,theinevitablebegantohappen– mini-lesson associated with word families in that experiments were going awry. Seeing this, the poem.Shehadstudentsfindrhymingwordsinthe mentor moved from team to team making sure poems. Then students had to create word lists thatthemixtureswerebeinghandledintheright applyingtheirwordfamilychunks.Sheconcluded amounts and in the appropriate sequence. The thestationbyhavingstudentsreadtheday’spoem mentor headed off disaster drawing little to practice their reading fluency. Students were attention to himself. Student learning about enthusiastic about working with the intern, and science flourished during this lesson in large they were more actively engaged than they had measure because the mentor drifted around the classroom and provided individual guidance. been in the past during an independent center. Whilemyinternwasteachingthepoetrycenter,I was able to deliver guided reading instruction to Station Teaching another group of students. The students in our classroom benefited by having two teachers work Station teaching is popular because of its with small groups targeting their needs. instructional benefits and is used widely in the authors’ PDS. In a co-teaching format, teachers design station teaching around a common Parallel Teaching objective: all ‘‘stations’’ would be centered on a similar theme/concept (i.e. multiplying single Another model that lowers the teacher-to- digits, state symbols of Pennsylvania, a science student ratio is parallel teaching. In parallel experiment). Students progress through a series teaching, co-teachers are teaching the same of stations to learn similar skills. Teachers have content, but splitting the class for instructional separate responsibilities working with small groups on targeted knowledge and skills. purposes. They may teach this way to accom- Stations lower the teacher-student ratio allowing modate student pace, learning style, or prior for more individual student attention. Teachers achievement patterns. Parallel teaching is a purposefully plan student groupings using exceptionally effective model for students who criteria such as similar abilities and group may be hesitant to participate in class. Some dynamics. Stations are also an effective way to studentsarereluctanttoparticipateinfrontofa 78 BERNARDBADIALIANDNICOLEE.TITUS large group of peers. Parallel teaching provides instance I had a student that was passionate an opportunity for greater participation for all about math. He sought additional challenges students and can reduce the anxiety that some fromwhatIwasprovidingthewholegroup.Not students feel. Parallel teaching can help co- wanting to see him lose his enthusiasm forusing therequiredmathcurriculum,Iindividualizeda teachers differentiate to foster student learning. planofstudyforjustforhim.Whenclassbegan, For example: the students would complete math warm-up During a unit on the skeletal system of the exercises while I provided this student with a human body, one lesson objective was for mini-lesson. After the mini-lesson, he would students to identify attributes of chicken bones. engage in independent work while I instructed My intern and I began the science lesson with therestofthestudents.Ihavetobelievethathis the whole class by activating students’ prior learning,aswellastherestoftheclass’slearning, knowledge about bones. To encourage closer could have been taken much farther with a co- examination of the bones and greater student teaching approach. I later used this approach, participation, we divided the class into two not just with one students, but with groups of groupstomaketheirobservations.Myinternand students. I each facilitated half of the class. Students recordedtheirfindingsandsketchedthebonesin their journals. As facilitators of smaller groups, myinternandIwereabletohearfromagreater Synchronous Teaming number of students about their observations. At the conclusion of the observation, we pulled the One might find it interesting that ‘‘team two groups back together to discuss the students’ teaching’’ might be considered a form of ‘‘co- findings. Together, we charted the two groups’ teaching’’, since this term predates ‘‘co-teach- responses on a Venn diagram and found similar ing.’’Teamteachingisatermthathasbeenused observations and unique observations from each to depict any form of teacher collaboration group. Being able to parallel teach created the regarding instruction. In this case, synchronous opportunityfortheclasstohavetwosetsofdata tocompareandamorein-depthconcludingclass team teaching is viewed as the closest form of discussion about bones. instructionalpartnershipasitcarriesthegreatest amount of shared responsibility. It also allows for the most creativity and spontaneity in working with another teacher. Synchronous Alternative Teaching teaming occurs when both teachers are active inworkingwiththeentireclassasawhole.They Similar to parallel teaching, alternative teaching synchronize their instruction by presenting allowsco-teacherstomeetthevarietyofneedsof curriculum together. They often finish one students in their classroom. Teachers deliver another’s sentences and build upon one different content to address students’ learning another’s comments spontaneously. needs. It can be particularly effective for students with attention problems as it allows This model occurs most often in the later for re-teaching, tutoring, and enrichment. In stages of a mentor/intern relationship as time is this model, co-teachers can modify the curricu- needed to learn about each other’s teaching lum content group students according to their styles. This model also requires co-planning. instructional needs. See below: Synchronous team-teaching takes a great deal of trust and respect for one another. Our view of Atimewhen I wish I had been in a co-teaching synchronous team teaching is that it encourages relationship occurred while I was teaching teachers to try innovative techniques that one middle school math. My classes were heteroge- teacher could not do alone. Synchronous team neously grouped. I did my best to accommodate teaching as co-teaching should inspire teacher theneedsofmystudentsintheclass,butIfound it very difficult to be effective at differentiating pairs to take risks and assess their impact on instruction ina45-minute block of time. Inone learners. Co-teaching: Enhancing Student Learning Through Mentor-Intern Partnerships 79 Table1. Implementation of Co-Teaching Large/SmallGroupInstruction WholeGroup Instruction Small GroupInstruction Mentor Modeling Station Teaching One Teach,OneGuide Parallel Teaching SynchronousTeam Teaching Alternative Teaching As one observer commented: and after a co-teaching experience. Self-reflec- tion and collaborative reflection are essential to In a fourth grade mathematics lesson I observed scaffold learning, to promote greater collabora- recently, the intern had students using Unifix tion, and to inspire insights into future cubestoreplicategeometricshapessheflashedon possibilities. In an era focused on developing a screen using the overhead projector. The students saw the figure for just a few moments educational learning communities, co-teaching and then had to reproduce it from memory. may well become the next best practice. Students were doing well replicating the figures, The authors also suspect that there are but they struggled when answering a few of the countless illustrations of co teaching that could intern’s more complex questions. I could see the becitedherefromothermentorsandinternsin consternation on their faces and I thought that theirPDS.Themodelsthathavebeendescribed soon their frustration might stall what had been maynotbetheonlytypesofco-teachingthatare a very good lesson. Then I heard the mentor’s practiced in the PDS. Therefore, the discovery, voicefrom the back of the room. She said tothe documentation and sharing of the effects of co- class, ‘‘Hmmm, look at the expression on Miss Dewer’s face (intern). She knows something. teaching as a classroom practice are recom- Lookatthatsmile.’’Thechildrenlookedbackat mended. Consequently, additional research on the intern who looked like the cat that ate the each of the models will be conducted to collect canary. Their interest sparked; the children evidence of their impact on student learning, as began to offer more (and better) answers to the well as the process of learning to teach. intern’s questions. They were getting it; but the mentor spoke again, ‘‘Look,boysand girls, Miss Dewermuststillhaveasecret.Look athereyes. References Oh, she’s just hereto make your lives miserable. Let’s figure out what she’s up to.’’ And the Badiali, B. J., & Hammond, D. J. (2005). Coteaching children did. for deep understanding: Discovering core beliefs about our craft. In I. Guadarrama, & J. Nash (Eds.), Advances in community thought and research Summary and Discussion (pp.267–286).Greenwich,CT:InformationAge. Conderman, G., & Hedlin, L. (2011, April). The Co-teaching occurs every day across the authors’ ABCDEconsultationstrategy.LDForum,pp.1– PDS. In this article, several models together 3. Retrieved from http://www.cldinternational. org/Publications/LdForum.asp with examples have been provided to document Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. M. (2011). Including that co-teaching not only benefits interns and students with special needs: A practical guide for mentors, it benefits students as well. Table 1 classroom teachers. Boston: Pearson. illustrates models that can be implemented for Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2000).Interactions: whole group or small group instruction. Collaborative skills for school professionals. Boston: The implementation of these models will Allyn and Bacon. significantly augment classroom learning for Friend, M., & Cook, L., (2009). Interactions: students and their teachers. Whether using the Collaborative skills for school professionals (6th ed.). models results in professional growth for Boston: Allyn and Bacon. teachers at any stage in their careers depends P. L. 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped to a great extent on the quantity and quality of Children Act). (1975). 20 USC Section 1400 reflective dialogue that occurs before, during et seq.1400. 80 BERNARDBADIALIANDNICOLEE.TITUS Roth, W-M., & Tobin, K. (2002). At the elbows of Bernard Badiali coordinates the Elementary another:Learningtoteachthroughcoteaching.New Professional Development School partnership York, NY: Peter Lang. between Penn State and the State College Tobin,K.&Roth,W-M.(2006).Teachingtolearn: A Area School District. He teaches in the view from the field. Rotterdam, NL: Sense. Vaughn, S., Schumm, J. S., & Arguelles, M. E. College of Education at Penn State. (1997). The ABCDEs of co-teaching. Teaching Email: [email protected] Exceptional Children, 30(2), 4–10. Villa, R. A., Thousand, J. S., & Nevin,A. I. (2004). Nicole E. Titus has taught first through eighth A guide to co-teaching: Practical tips for facilitating grades in Pennsylvania and Alaska. Currently, student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. she teaches in the State College Area School District and is a mentor with Penn State’s v v v Professional Development School.

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.