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

2010·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

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
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Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2000).Interactions:
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80 BERNARDBADIALIANDNICOLEE.TITUS
Roth, W-M., & Tobin, K. (2002). At the elbows of
Bernard Badiali coordinates the Elementary
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between Penn State and the State College
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Vaughn, S., Schumm, J. S., & Arguelles, M. E. College of Education at Penn State.
(1997). The ABCDEs of co-teaching. Teaching Email: [email protected]
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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,
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v v v Professional Development School.