Addressing Diverse Needs through CO-TEACHING: Take Baby Steps!

Kappa Delta Pi Record, Winter 2005 by Murawski, Wendy W

By incorporating these suggestions, teachers can begin to establish a differentiated and inclusive co-teaching environment.

To assist students with diverse needs within the general education classroom, one possible service delivery model is co-teaching (also known as collaborative teaching, team teaching, or cooperative teaching). The idea of a general education and special education teacher working collaboratively on a coequal status to meet the unique needs of all students in a general education classroom is often quite appealing to teachers. The process of moving from a program that primarily uses a pullout model to one of co-teaching, however, can be a daunting process; and educators admit confusion and frustration at figuring out how to begin.

Though co-teaching was cited as the most frequently used service delivery option for students in general education classrooms (National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion 1995), teachers who reported to be co-teaching may be providing in-class support, but not actually co-teaching. Cook and Friend (1995, 2) defined co-teaching as "two or more professionals delivering substantive instruction to a diverse, or blended, group of students in a single physical space." Thus, a paraprofessional or special education teacher who spends the majority of class time circulating, providing one-on-one assistance, modifying, and helping with behavior management, is not truly co-teaching in that classroom.

Merely being in the same physical space is not sufficient; co-equal professionals both should be responsible for delivering substantive instruction to students. To meet individual needs, however, this type of substantive instruction often needs to be differentiated. Establishing a situation or relationship in which co-teaching is possible takes work; and it is critical that educators who are interested in co-teaching, and in meeting those individual needs, lay the groundwork for this to occur. Following the Baby Steps provided in Table 1 should help in these efforts.

Baby Steps

Break out of your room and routine. Special educators often are segregated from their general education colleagues, both physically and philosophically. This sometimes self-imposed isolation may be the result of a school climate that supports teachers who don't make waves or admit difficulties. Within this type of environment, special educators often do not find the time, interest, or energy to leave their rooms to interact with other teachers. By staying in their own classrooms, however, special educators are less likely to be exposed to the grade-level curriculum and expectations held by their general education colleagues. As a first step toward co-teaching, getting to know other teachers is a must. Special educators are encouraged to join other teachers at lunchtime, attend faculty gatherings, and volunteer for committees.

At the same time, general education teachers frequently resist change, especially if they have had success within their classrooms previously. However, given the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), children with disabilities likely will be included in more general education classes. Many content teachers are concerned that they do not know how to meet those specific academic, behavioral, and emotional needs. At the same time, they consider special education teachers experts in modifications, accommodations, and differentiated instruction.

General educators must recognize that change is inevitable. They must be proactive and break out of their own classrooms and routines. Often, the initial rapport established with special educators will lead to consultative discussions regarding strategies for meeting diverse needs. These strategies sometimes can be used immediately. Moreover, this type of relationship can lead to future collaborative teaching.

Assess the current situation and environment. Every school has its politics, its stronger and weaker teachers or departments, and its areas of particular need. By breaking out of their own classrooms, teachers have opportunities to assess these issues. Is the current school situation one in which co-teaching would be embraced quickly, or do some wheels need to be greased? Are administrators willing to support teachers who volunteer for this collaborative and inclusive endeavor?

Special educators should begin to consider the teachers, grade levels, and departments at the school. General educators should begin to consider the special educators with whom they have rapport, and the individuals with disabilities they would be most willing to include within their own classrooms. For example, are students with mild to moderate disabilities more easily integrated into a particular classroom, or would students with more significant disabilities be equally welcome? Are particular individuals or departments more amenable to this arrangement than others? If so, these are the people to get to know better and with whom to begin dialogue about establishing a collaborative classroom.