Today we had a mentorship event for the practicum middle schools in the district. We spoke about co-teaching and the six models provided by the instructional leadership team.
Benefits: Provides individualized support for students, can be less intimidating for new teachers beginning their work with students in a classroom setting.
Caution: Students can perceive one teacher to have more authority of the lesson than the other, can lead to one teacher focusing on students' behaviour rather than their learning
Benefits: The observing teacher can gather evidence about what students are doing and saying during the lesson which can be used as diagnostic, formative, or summative assessments.
Caution: Be careful that the observations don't evaluate the teacher or the quality of the lesson, but focus on what students are doing or saying during the lesson.
Benefits: Allows teacher to work with smaller groups of students, useful for focused work on particular content, creates the opportunity for students to learn content in different styles and share their learning with the other group of students after the parallel lessons have finished.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into different ability groups.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into ability groups.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into different ability groups.
Caution: This approach can lead teachers towards dividing up the work rather than collaborating in a co-planning, co-teaching, and co-learning cycle.
- One Teach, One Assist - In this model, one teacher individually plans a lesson(s), and has the primary responsibility for teaching it to the entire class. The other teacher moves around the classroom working with students to help them complete the task or activity they are working on.
Benefits: Provides individualized support for students, can be less intimidating for new teachers beginning their work with students in a classroom setting.
Caution: Students can perceive one teacher to have more authority of the lesson than the other, can lead to one teacher focusing on students' behaviour rather than their learning
- One Teach, One Observe - Teachers co-plan a lesson and one teacher will take the responsibility to teach the lesson while the other teacher observes what students are doing throughout the lesson. Afterwards, both teachers reflect and debrief the lesson and plan future lessons.
Benefits: The observing teacher can gather evidence about what students are doing and saying during the lesson which can be used as diagnostic, formative, or summative assessments.
Caution: Be careful that the observations don't evaluate the teacher or the quality of the lesson, but focus on what students are doing or saying during the lesson.
- Parallel Teaching - Two teachers co-plan a lesson, and then split the classroom in half and teach each group the same content, but in different ways. The two groups are then brought back together to share their learning.
Benefits: Allows teacher to work with smaller groups of students, useful for focused work on particular content, creates the opportunity for students to learn content in different styles and share their learning with the other group of students after the parallel lessons have finished.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into different ability groups.
- Alternative Teaching - One teacher teaches a lesson to the majority of students, while the other teacher works with a smaller group inside or outside of the classroom to focus on teaching or assessing particular content or competencies. Teachers or students can choose who is selected for work in the smaller group, and members of the group can change throughout the class.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into ability groups.
- Station Teaching - Teachers organize learning stations that focus on content and competencies. The teachers work at certain stations while the other stations are run independently by the students. Throughout the lesson the students spend time at each of the different stations.
Caution: Be careful that this approach does not lead to the separation of students into different ability groups.
- Team Teaching - Both teachers collaborate in the co-planning of a lesson or sequence of lessons and then are actively engaged in co-teaching all aspects of the lesson. After the lesson, both teachers reflect and debrief the lesson and plan future lessons based on their observations.
Caution: This approach can lead teachers towards dividing up the work rather than collaborating in a co-planning, co-teaching, and co-learning cycle.