Elizabeth
Stein’s post “What Kids Say about Inclusion” reveals students’ perspectives on
co-teaching and management in inclusion classrooms. Generally, students view co
teaching as a positive and like the extra help the second teacher can provide.
However, students typically view one teacher, usually the general education
teacher, as the “real” teacher and the special education teacher as the
“co-teacher” or “helping teacher.” Steins' students stated that they understand
the second teacher is there to support those students who need a little extra
help, but believe that the two teachers are not there to benefit all
students.
What is your opinion on co-teaching? Do you view it as a positive or a
negative? What do you imagine classroom management in an inclusion classroom to
look like? Do you think it is possible for both teachers to be viewed as “real”
teachers or will one always be viewed as the “helping teacher?” Can a better message be sent besides “a
second teacher is there to help the special education kid”?
I believe that co-teaching can be extremely beneficial when the co-teachers are paired up appropriately. It may take careful planning and consideration by the principal/superintendent, but I believe, given the personalities of the two teachers, there can be a mutual respect and mutual approach to teaching the class. The two teachers must be able to be flexible, mature, and willing to cooperate. Compromise is also vital. I imagine co-teaching to be where one teacher presents the material while the other could model to the whole class, assist/support targeted students, or work with a small group. If the general education teacher usually presented the lesson, he/she should always be sure to ask the special education teacher if there is anything he/she would like to add. In a inclusion classroom where a co-teacher is present, the students should not be able to tell who the general education teacher is and who the special educator is. If these characteristics are present, then I believe that the special educator will not be deemed as merely a "helping teacher." The message the special educator can send to all students is that he/she is present for anyone with any questions, concerns, or any assistance regarding the material being presented.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I agree that it is usually obvious when there is a cooperating teacher in the classroom who’s main focus is on one or a couple of children. I remember being in elementary school, middle school, and high school and being in a classroom with one or more teachers. I remember knowing that the second teacher was in the classroom for specific children. I have been exposed to this situation as a student and as a teacher in the classroom. While I was student, I remember being in a middle school classroom, the cooperating teacher had one goal in mind and that was to help “one” student appropriately functions throughout the day. I also recall being in a classroom in high school where there was a cooperating teacher but I could not pinpoint who she was in the classroom for. The cooperating teacher aided every student during the main teachers’ lesson plans. The cooperating teacher walked around, assessed, and helped each student, including myself. My point is that the main classroom teacher and the cooperating teacher have the ability to define themselves as purely educators. The two teachers must collaborate in order to show that they are both in the classroom as educators and everyone is going to benefit from their knowledge. The teachers must establish this sort of authority from the beginning of the school year; they must establish that they are both in the classroom to help everyone succeed. The classroom I am cooperating teaching in now has an assistant teacher. The assistant teacher’s main focus is on one student but she does not portray this as her main objective. The assistant teacher aids the student when needed but she helps other students, walks around the classroom, and partakes in multiple jobs within the classroom which benefits all students. I think two teachers in a room is important because it ensures that while the main teacher is teaching a lesson, there is another pair of eyes that can check for understanding and also assist in the many roles within the classroom. Overall, if the teachers work together and demonstrate that they are BOTH in the classroom to help their student’s succeed then there should not be an issue.
ReplyDeleteI believe that co-teaching can be extremely positive, but it takes a lot of work, compromise, and planning. I was lucky to have the opportunity to observe in an inclusive classroom in which the teachers really planned it out so that they were both seen as the "real" teachers. The teachers both taught the lessons, sometimes they alternated the subjects, and both helped all the students. The special education teacher did not exclude the general education students and vise versa for the general education teacher. The students recognized both as their teachers and when they needed help they did not just ask the general education teacher. The teachers worked hard to be seen as equal by sharing equal teaching time and reaching out and helping all students. The only time the special education teacher showed who she was there for was during tests, which was because these students would take the tests in her classroom that she shares with two other special education teachers. The other important fact about these two teachers is that they have been working together for almost ten years. This factor of time allows for this type of co-teaching relationship. These teachers prove that it is possible to create a co-teaching relationship in which both teachers are seen as "real teachers" but it takes time, planning, collaboration, and compromise. I think that this type of co-teaching is ideal and is the type of relationship I would want to strive for if I am in an inclusive setting. I think it is important for the teachers to share the work and have equal teaching time, so that one teacher is not seen as beneath the other. I think that if both teachers show respect for each other, equally divide the work and lessons, and show students that they are there to help all of them, then they both will be seen as the "real teachers."
ReplyDeleteI believe that co teaching could be a great thing. Classrooms are becoming much more crowded in today’s age. I am in a classroom with 30 children and only one teacher and I can see how difficult it is for her to manage everything. Everyday there are teacher aids that come into the classroom to “help” but honestly they do not help at all. They actually sit down and complain about how cold it is, or what they are eating for lunch more than they help the children. Last semester I observed a classroom where there was a special education teacher that came into the classroom twice a day. This was very beneficial to the class, and especially the teacher. They took turns with lessons and going over the activities. The special education teacher helped all students while she was there but only during tests you could see the students she gave the one on one attention too. If co teaching is done right I think it is very positive for classroom. If both teachers get along and collaborate well together, along with helping all students equally, they will certainly be seen as the “real teachers ".
ReplyDeleteI believe that the second teacher is there to help the students who need the extra help; however, I do not believe that there is a difference in status between the two. I feel that if both teachers work as a team and have the same goals, the students will see both teachers as the "real" teacher. If the inclusion teacher stays to herself and only focuses on the students that need help that can hinder her presence in the classroom. Therefore, I think that the second teacher should always chime in when she has an idea or when the students are not focused and need to be redirected. Another idea I have for the "second" teacher is that they should be given a subject to teach in the classroom, so that the students understand that they are also a teacher.
ReplyDeleteI think co-teaching is possible without one teacher being viewed as the “real” teacher. Just as the others have mentioned, I think with cooperation and planning, two teachers could both be positively effective teachers in the classroom. If two teachers work together, they could teach as a team. I imagine the instruction of both teachers as having one brain with two bodies. It would basically be like a tag team between the two teachers teaching simultaneously to the class. This could be beneficial in terms of helping students understand the material more than one way. There is more than one brain to create different strategies for the students to learn. This would, of course, require mutual trust and commitments between the general education teacher and the special education teacher. I also imagine that sometimes, the teachers would break up into stations and instruct small groups of students at a time so that there is individual delivery of instruction. This small group instruction could prevent the idea that the second teacher as only being for the special education students. This way would also allow students more opportunity to participate and a smaller “audience”. In both scenarios, I think both teachers would be actively engaged in instruction and not one teacher is dominant over the other.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jessica for choosing such an interesting, relevant subject to blog about. I completely agree with all of the main points Morgan, Jennifer, Nicole, Lauren, Tiffany, and Amelia have made. The biggest point that seemed common among all of the posts is that effective co-teachers work together and respect one another. I think that without the level of mutual trust and respect between the co-teachers, there is no way that any of the students will benefit as much as they should.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure there are some teaching candidates who actually want to co-teach; however, I am going to make a generalization and say that I think all teachers could agree that co-teaching is a precise science that takes a lot of extra work and cooperation. For this reason, I think it is possible to compare co-teaching to being assigned a group project in a college class. Although some college students do like to be assigned group projects, it is hard to deny that group projects demand of a student a high degree of patience, diplomacy, and flexibility that is not required on such a high level with independent projects. All of the extra work with group projects might make a college student absolutely dread having to complete one; but ultimately, they do not have much of a choice about doing it or not doing it if they want to pass the course at hand. The choice that they do have is this: Am I doing to make this a good experience or am I going to be unpleasant and make it a negative experience for everyone? Similarly, with co-teaching, if a teacher hopes to keep her job and make a good impression on the school principal, I would imagine that no matter what her preconceived attitude and opinion on co-teaching, she does not have much a choice in co-teaching or not co-teaching. Like with group projects, all that a co-teacher can do is make the best of the situation. Although co-teaching is a huge challenge and perhaps even a daunting and under-appreciated task to take on, the only productive attitude to take on is a positive one! Just as it is not fair for fellow members of a college project group to suffer simply because doing a group project is not something you feel like doing, it would be terribly unfair for students to feel the tension and hostility present in a room between two co-teachers who make it known through their attitudes that they don’t actually want to be co-teaching.
The attitude of the children in the class (good or bad) is often a reflection of the teachers themselves. When student aides and "co-teachers" are treated as assistants in the classroom and are not involved or acknowledged are equals with the "main" teacher the students will pick up on that. Once the teachers are separately distinguished, the students themselves will begin to distinguish the differences between "specials" and "normals". I have seen this time and again when I have observed. The whole purpose of the inclusive classroom become null because they are only in the same room not truly integrated. Extra effort must be made while remembering that the whole purpose of the class is for learning; there should be no relevance in territory or hierarchy among teachers. It boils down to a single underlying message: acceptance. Accept the differences in everyone, and do not let the fact that we may excel or falter in areas be the basis for one's value or worth. I have seen classrooms as well that were fully integrated inclusion classes and the difference were only mere adjustments to curriculum nothing more.
ReplyDeleteI think co-teaching is a wonderful concept, if it is done correctly. I think that if both teachers reach out to help all the students, there will be less of a difference between the teachers for the students to pick up on. There are many different methods of co-teaching, and when the teachers collaborate, and even switch off with teaching, or teach together, students will respect both teachers equally. They will also see both teachers as positive models. I'm in an inclusion classroom this semester and I noticed that all the students love the co-teacher just as much as they love their general education teacher. I think it is absolutely necessary to have two teachers in an inclusion setting though. The students with special needs will be able to get the extra attention that they need to succeed. The other students may also benefit from having the special education teacher because he or she may be able to help them if they are stuck and the general ed. teacher is going on with the rest of the class.
ReplyDeleteI believe that co-teaching is a good teaching strategy and can be effective. It all begins with the chemistry of the two teachers. If the two teachers in one classroom do not get along, there is no longer a benefit of having two teachers in the classroom.The two teachers have to work together to benefit all the students in the class and figure out how and who teaches what. In most cases, the special education teacher takes a back seat and becomes more of an aid in the classroom but that is not how it should be. I think that there is a way for both teachers to be viewed as "real teachers". To me, it all depends on how you structure your classroom, who disciplines, who teaches, who sits back most of the time. It doesn't always have to be the same in the classroom, the two teachers can use different strategies such as parallel teaching or station teaching. A better message can be sent as long as both teachers have equal roles in the classroom. Don't let the class now who is the special education teacher and who is the general education teacher. They should both work together to help all the students in the class. Planning is the biggest part of co-teaching. If the planning is done correctly, the special education teacher will not need to always be the one to go help the students in the class with special needs.
ReplyDeleteChristina Calvitto
ReplyDeleteI think co-teaching can be very helpful to a class. With the amount of students in classrooms today, it is beneficial for everyone in the room. I observed in a first grade inclusion classroom with a general ed teacher, special ed teacher, and two aids. It was very clear that the students perceived the general ed teacher as the "real teacher." The general ed teacher took on more of the responsibility involving planning and teaching while the special ed teacher modified things for certain students. I believe if they worked together and maybe one taught something they were strong in while the other teacher taught something they were strong in that things would be worked out better and one teacher wouldn't be considered the "real teacher" over another. It is called team teaching or co teaching for a reason!
I think co-teaching is a positive setting for students. Having extra hands in the classroom allows for each child to get the help or attention he or she needs. Especially in lower grades, it is virtually impossible for teachers to be able to help every single student in the classroom. Having a co-teacher helps students who have questions or who need assistance because there is now someone else in the room who can help them. It is expected that the management within the classroom would be equal, considering the two co-teachers are seen as equal. I firmly believe both teachers can be seen as “real” teachers, as long as they are presented that way. At the start of the school year, the students should be introduced to the co-teacher, and it should be explained that during some periods of the day, they will have two teachers teaching, and that they can answer any questions the students may have. The teacher does not have to be introduced as someone for the special ed children, however, said teacher can use her own judgment to give additional help to those students.
ReplyDeleteI think that co-teaching can be a really positive addition to any classroom. I think the most significant positive aspect of co-teaching is that it can help provide a different perspective on a subject. A student might not understand an idea taught by one teacher but the other teacher may be able to rephrase the idea in a way that the student can understand. In a co-teaching setting, however, both teachers must be fully committed to providing the least restrictive environment for all students. Co-teaching requires a lot of planning and cooperation on both sides and so both teachers must be willing to be flexible and compromise to reach a common goal and provide the best education for the students as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible for both teachers to be viewed on an equal level. This feat, however, is the responsibility of both teachers. In order for both teachers to be seen as "real" teachers, both must provide support to everyone in the classroom. The special education teacher should not just be helping the special education students and the general education teacher should not just be supporting the general education students. Although the special education teacher may be better equipped for assisting special education students who may be struggling academically and/or behaviorally, both teachers should put equal effort into educating and supporting all of their students.
A cooperating teacher can be very beneficial to the classroom. Today in the classroom there is so much to accomplish on a typical school day and it's very difficult for a teacher to give every child individualized attention, especially how I've been noticing class sizes are getting very large today.
ReplyDeleteCurrently in the class I observe at, there is a cooperating teacher with my teacher. This is a godsent because the class has four children with IEPs and two "gifted" children. The cooperating teacher mainly works with the children with the IEP, but it helps the teacher focus more on the rest of the children and even the two gifted children.
Co teaching can be a wonderful thing, but yet be carried with much negativity as well. I have seen ot it in many classrooms I have observed with, and I can that it can only be possible with ttwo teachers who have the same goal within the classroom. Co teaching takes a lot of dedication, trust, and respect. It is not all about one teacher, it is exactly what the word states itself, "Co-teach".
ReplyDeleteI also expierenced co teaching in inclusion classes, otherwise known as aides. Most of the time, the aides always tend to concentrate of those special ed children, but this type of aid can use her expertese with other students as well. I have seen aides work well helping with lessons alongside teachers, and this type of positivity can create a good enviorment for classroom managment and behavior.
If done right, co teaching can be super beneficial, for both students and teachers themselves !
I think co-teaching can be so beneficial to the students and the teachers; however, it seems rare to see true co-teaching in the classroom. True co-teaching occurs when both of the teachers teach part of the class. I think we see more of what the article described; one teacher does most of the teaching and the other teacher is there for support. When working independently, I know the students get frustrated when they have their hand raised for a long time and the teacher cannot get to them in a timely manner. Having the co-teacher to help eliminates some of this frustration.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine classroom management being a little easier in an inclusion classroom with a co-teacher. There are now two bodies instead of one. Whoever the second teacher is at the time can make sure the students are following along, can keep track of time, and can eliminate any misbehavior.
I do not think it is possible for both teachers to be viewed as “real” teachers. One of the teachers will always be the one to give the content information, and the other teacher will focus on the support of specific students. This is not the way it has to be, but this seems to be the way things turn out. Finally, I think if the second teacher pushed more to teach the class, there would be a better message than him/her being there to help the special education kid.