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What is Co-teaching and What Co-teaching is Not

What is Co-teaching

            Co-teaching is the partnership between a general educator and a special educator. According to Spencer Salend author of Creating Inclusive Classrooms both the special educator and the general educator work together in educating a diverse group of students. Both teachers “share responsibility and accountability for planning and delivering instruction, evaluating, grading and disciplining students” (2011, p.144). The Making Collaborative Teaching more Effective for Academically able Students: Recommendations for Implementation and Training article by Paul Gerber and Patricia Popp states that “The general educator shares expertise in all aspects of curriculum, effective teaching, and large-group instruction, whereas the special educator contributes knowledge in such areas as learning styles and strategies, clinical teaching, and behavior management” (2000, p.1). This means that both teachers bring their strengths and expertise to the classroom. This partnership of knowledge from both teachers can help all students learn in the classroom whether the receive special education services or not.

What Co-teaching is not

          It is important to realize that co-teaching is a true partnership between the special educator the general educator and not one teacher making all the decisions and doing all the work. According to the Utah State of Education Co-Teaching Handbook as seen in figure one co-teaching is not “a special educator working only with students with disabilities” (2011, p.3). The special educator along with the general educator is working with all students and both are responsible for all the students in the classroom. The special educator is also not there to just assist students; the special educator is there to teach alongside the general educator.

Inclusive Classrooms are Here to Stay

             Recently, there has been a push in the United States for inclusive classrooms. An inclusive classroom combines students with disabilities in classrooms with students who do not have a disability. This mixture of students in a general education class has been proven to be beneficial to both general education students as well as students with disabilities, who otherwise would have been segregated into a special education class.

            In years past, students with disabilities were taught separately from their general education peers.  According to Vale and Connor (2011) these students’ needs were considered secondary to the needs of regular education students. These students were often never seen by their general education peers, which made interaction between students with disabilities and students without limited. This restricted interaction made disability an uncomfortable subject for people to talk about.

When students with disabilities were desegregated and placed in classrooms with their regular education peers, classrooms encompassed all children as diverse as they were. An inclusive classroom nurtures this diversity which enables all students to learn.  Special education students’ benefit from an inclusive classroom since it has been seen to improve their self-esteem. Children with a disability also do not rely on learned helplessness since they are in a classroom with their general education peers and not segregated out (2011, p.171). This creates a feeling of empowerment among students with disability and less of a feeling of them being different than others. The special education students will also be exposed to different ways of learning. Students with disabilities will also observe appropriate behaviors from their peers and use their peers as role models (2011, p.172). Families of students with disabilities can feel more a part of the school community and culture. The general education students also can come to an understanding and acceptance of those who have a disability since they will be having real-life interactions with them as classmates. General education students can have the opportunity to help other students and teach. The special educator can also explain ideas in multiple ways which is beneficial to the various types of learners in a general education population. Friendships can be made between all students (2011, p.160). All students can have the opportunity to work with diverse individuals to aid them in becoming respectful citizens of the world.

 An inclusive class it is not only about placing students together in one classroom, the teacher and the special educator need to meet the needs of all students. According to Salend (2011), teachers must differentiate their approach to teach to a diverse group of students that are in an inclusive classroom. The teacher cannot segregate the students within the classroom by grouping the students with disabilities. It is not considered an inclusive classroom if the teacher instructs the special education students one concept while teaching the rest of the students another concept. All students are taught in an engaging manner that meets the educational needs of the student. The students with disabilities in an inclusion class need to have full access to the general education curriculum and extracurricular activities. To rein the benefits of the inclusion method general education students as well as students with disabilities need to be properly mixed. If the class is overloaded with students with disabilities the class becomes a special education classroom not an inclusive classroom (2011, p.12).

Inclusion is a philosophy of teaching that benefits all students no matter their differences. The advantages that inclusion brings to both students with disabilities and without has been proven to have successful outcomes in shaping the lives of all students.  Inclusion will have great impacts in the education field to come.