During my first year of teaching, my school underwent a huge initiative to move students from resource and self-contained classrooms to full inclusion. I went from running my own classroom all day to spending most of my days co-teaching in other teachers’ classrooms. To say this was a huge shift would be an understatement.
Honestly, I thought this would be great … and easy! I knew the teachers I would be teaching with, and I liked and respected them as colleagues and people. But I was not prepared for all the work and teambuilding that would need to happen. The first year was a pretty big flop. Co-teachers didn’t show up for planning meetings. Teachers switched lessons completely without warning. And, worst of all, I was often relegated to a glorified teaching assistant on many days.
Over the years, I have learned from my mistakes and become a stronger co-teacher as a result. These are a few of the most impactful tips for success in an inclusion classroom.
Why Inclusion?
I’ll admit – I’ve gone back and forth on whether inclusion is the best model for most students. Is it really best for a student reading at a 3rd-grade level to be in a 7th grade ELA class? Should students with severe disabilities really be in a grade-level science class?
For decades, educational researchers have found that inclusion is beneficial for students with disabilities. It can result in improved performance on standardized tests. Students make greater progress toward IEP goals. Inclusion can foster greater social skills and increase student motivation. Wrightslaw has a great summary of the research. One big caveat: inclusion must be intentional, well-planned, and well-executed.
Tip #1: Schedule regular meeting times
At the beginning of the year – or whenever you start co-teaching – schedule out time to plan and collaborate with your co-teacher. Once a week is usually enough, but every teacher team works differently. Once the time is scheduled, honor that time. If you need to schedule an IEP meeting or a dentist appointment during planning one week – that’s fine. But try to reschedule your co-planning. It is that important.
This step shows a commitment to doing inclusion the right way. Without dedicating the time to planning, it can fall apart very quickly. If you run into problems with scheduling – reach out to your administrators. It is their job to make sure you have the necessary resources to do your job.
Tip #2: Set goals with your co-teacher
One great way to establish a strong partnership with your co-teacher is to create a common purpose. I like to do this by creating goals with each of my co-teachers. These can focus on student growth, classroom culture, or improving your own instructional practices. Start out by discussing your ideal co-teaching classroom. What are the teachers doing? How are the students engaging with their learning? Then use this discussion to create 2-3 SMART goals. Finally, determine a few action steps for achieving each goal in the specified time frame.
I have created a Co-Teacher Goals Worksheet – available in my TPT store – to easily print out and guide the discussion. Also included are sample goals and action steps.
At first, your goals might just focus on getting both teachers on the same page. Or perhaps you just want to implement the models of co-teaching with some consistency. However, as you and your co-teacher grow, your goals can shift. Eventually, the two of you may want to develop a highly differentiated curriculum. Or you might want to find leadership opportunities to mentor new co-teachers.
Tip #3: Develop classroom procedures together
Every teacher runs their classroom in their own unique way. I am a part of a teacher team that is highly organized. We strive for as much uniformity as possible across classes. Even still, working in each classroom is a little different. It is incredibly important to develop and spell out classroom procedures with each co-teacher. This includes everything from student entry to independent work expectations to discipline procedures. Just to name a few.
Developing these expectations and procedures together keeps both teachers on the same page. In turn, this promotes a successful learning environment. New things will come up throughout the year. For example, how to handle a specific student’s learning or behavior needs or communication with parents. Keep an open dialogue about these items. Include these issues on your meeting agendas.
Tip #4: Intentionally plan around models of co-teaching
One of the hardest parts of co-teaching is figuring out how both teachers can consistently take an active role in instruction. It is very easy for the special education teacher to take the role of an assistant. Such as checking in with students during instruction, managing behaviors, and passing out papers. This is fine from time to time but it is not an effective use of your skills.
During your planning time, explicitly select one of the models of co-teaching to implement. There are six models and each has its strengths and limitations:
One Teach, One Assist
This is helpful when all students are working on a similar task. One teacher can circulate to support students as needed. However, using it too much can send the wrong message about teachers’ roles. Students may become overreliant on immediate teacher support.
One Teach, One Observe
As teachers, we need to collect a lot of student data. This model helps facilitate opportunities to conduct data-seeking observations. Of course, it means that one teacher is not actively teaching. So it should be used only as needed.
Parallel Teaching
In this model, teachers split the class into two groups and teach the same material to each group. It is very helpful for differentiating instruction and providing small group instruction. Parallel teaching requires careful planning. Another challenge is space and noise levels. Teaching two classes simultaneously can be distracting and difficult.
Station Teaching
Students are divided into a few groups and rotate through learning stations. Both teachers have the opportunity to teach the same material to each group of students in different ways. Again, this is an excellent model for differentiating instruction. It gets students up and moving during class. This model also requires a significant amount of planning. It takes practice and setting expectations to be effective.
Alternative Teaching
In this model, one teacher works with a small group of students on a modified or alternate lesson. It is a great way to work on remediation with students. Or reteach a concept that some students are struggling with. Conversely, the lesson may be an enrichment activity for students who have already mastered the material. Careful attention and planning must go into examining student data and ensuring students don’t feel self-conscious about working in a small group.
Team Teaching
Here, two teachers share instruction time at the front of the class and circulate. This exposes students to varied teaching styles and different perspectives. It also provides a model for collaborative behavior. But, it is not always an effective use of each teachers’ skills.
A few months back, I attended a conference where Dr. Marilyn Friend, a Special Education author and co-teaching expert, was the keynote speaker. She pointed out that the most effective models for co-teaching are parallel teaching, station teaching, and alternative teaching. In all of these models, both teachers are actively instructing students. She also reminded us (special educators) that if our school is paying for two teachers to be in a classroom, we had better make it worthwhile.
Tip #5: Plan IEP progress monitoring together
Progress monitoring for IEP goals still needs to happen even though the class follows a grade-level curriculum. This sometimes creates tension. This is especially true when there is a lot of content to cover. Adding anything on top becomes overwhelming. However, a few small adjustments or well-planned instructional days ensure goals are being met.
Start by looking at each goal that needs monitoring. Then create a plan for teaching and assessing it. Many goals can be addressed by tweaking objectives or assignments. However, sometimes a student needs instruction in an area that is completely outside of the curriculum. In this situation, try working it into a small group instruction day through stations or alternative teaching.
Assessing goals can be just as simple. Try assessing goals during independent work time. For example, swap out a bellringer activity for a quick assessment. Or you can pull a student to do a reading fluency probe during a silent reading block. In one of my math classrooms, I took over responsibility for bellringer activities. Through this activity, I made sure that all of my students’ goals were assessed each week. Additionally, tests and projects can be modified for students. Changes to test questions, problems, or tasks can assess their progress toward IEP goals. With a little planning, you and your co-teacher can stay on top of progress monitoring.
Tip #6: Give it time and check-in with each other
Great co-teaching does not happen overnight. In fact, from my experience, it often takes months and even years to really get into a groove where you and your co-teacher are completely comfortable and on the same page about everything. And as with most things in life, there will be great times and hard times. They will probably fluctuate. All of this is normal. Communicating and working toward goals with your co-teacher is the best strategy for long-term success.
