Co-teaching and Mini-/Elective Courses

Co-teaching, it’s about relationships and communication!

Co-teaching at its best is where learning results in continuous development of  transferable knowledge that is provided by two facilitators  who integrate their unique learning and teaching styles.  It’s been said that students and observers should not be able to tell the difference between the general educator and the special educator.  I agree, however, too often it is not reflective of what is seen in the co-taught classes.  The occurrence of faulty co-teaching or the lack thereof does not just happen on “the day of”  in the classroom.  It happens prior to entering the classroom walls and results from ineffective communication.  Miscommunication stems from events such as inadequate planning that is done in isolation and missing the collaborative component. Gately and Gately (2001), in their work on co-teaching suggest that planning for the co-taught classroom should occur during the summer prior to the start of school.  This approach to building towards the collaborative stage is a wonderful idea.  The challenge is getting teachers to invest in planning time that centers on relationship building during the summer.

A successful educational program begins with effective communication that is ongoing.  When relationship building is at the core of an operation, it tends to work more like a well-oiled machine.  When co-teachers are assigned to work together they begin with what Gately et al. describes as guarded careful communication. School leaders have to set the stage to help teachers to transition beyond guarded communication even though it is wise to be careful. Johnson and Johnson (2009) say groups should not over trust, nor should they under trust in group dynamics. School leaders must cultivate a climate that nudges the staff to connect, creating a sense of family and community.  To help co-teachers to move beyond the compromising stage into the collaborating stage, principals should use the Co-teaching Rating Scale for the special educator and general educator. The teachers could then help to design PD based upon their individual needs.  A lunch meeting during the summer may be a nice place to start the conversation about plans for a successful school year!   

Entry #2 Individualizing Curriculum through Mini-/Elective Courses

Now, more than ever with the onset of the Common Core (CCSS), I think it would be wise to offer mini elective courses. A variety of course offerings provide learners with choices to make decisions about their learning.  In some schools the focus seems geared towards the learner who may not be performing on grade level.  Schools should make a conscious effort to include all learners of  different performance levels into the overall scheme of the school-wide programs.  Now that our schools have adopted the CCSS it would benefit both struggling and gifted learners to have options for mini courses.  

The research supporting the Common Core Standards states that the impact that low reading achievement has on students’ readiness for college, careers, and life in general is significant.  Imagine mini courses surrounding a high interest topic that is appealing to a low-reader.  Say for instance, a struggling reader who is interested in fashion could venture into learning more about topics such as chemistry (unintentionally)while learning about different fabrics.  The same applies to a gifted learner.  Talented and gifted students could begin to extend their learning by exploring beginning courses in their area of interest at the college level or using college-related materials.

Good curriculum fosters the development of mini/elective courses.  Many teachers have a wealth of experience outside of teaching and can lend their expertise to developing well-produced courses of study.  Offering mini/electives courses is something to think about as we continue to explore the art of teaching through the common core standards.