Collaborative Teaching

Co-Teaching Amy's story perfectly illustrates some of the main issues and challenges that arise in co-teaching scenarios. Especially when one or more parties are unfamiliar with co-teaching, miscommunications and misunderstandings are inevitable. Amy's story also demonstrates the importance of training co-teachers, educating them as to the various models and methods of collaborative teaching in heterogeneous classroom environments. Many of the challenges that arise during co-teaching can be solved by simple common sense communication and interpersonal skills.

The actions proposed for Amy and her co-teachers like Joe include the collaborative development of a lesson plan; regularly scheduled meetings for lesson plan development as well as constructive criticism and feedback; implementation of one or more different co-teaching styles; and improved communications with the principal of the school. Collaboratively developed lesson plans will eliminate the discomfort Amy initially felt when she first entered Joe's classroom as a co-teacher. The rationale behind a collaboratively developed lesson plan is that both Amy and Joe will feel like partners, like true collaborators.

Instead of forcing Amy to fit into Joe's pre-developed lesson plan, the two teachers need to work together to develop a plan that suits both of their needs. Therefore, the first step toward developing a collaborative lesson plan is to create a list of shared educational and classroom management goals and objectives. These objectives must be clearly stated; otherwise the two teachers could pull in opposite directions.

For example, if Joe is concerned with grade improvement or improved standardized test scores, he must iterate that goal to Amy and if she doesn't agree then the two can create areas of compromise. Also, in order to create a collaborative lesson plan, Joe needs to surrender some of his routine in favor of the new ideas that Amy will introduce to the classroom. Both teachers need to trust each other's judgment and respect each other's abilities while at the same time assertively express concerns and criticisms.

The development of a collaborative lesson plan will be an ongoing process that will depend on the success of the following step: regularly scheduled meetings. Regularly scheduled meetings will enable Amy and her co-teachers like Joe to work on their lesson plans, discuss problematic areas of concern, and offer each other feedback.

The rationale behind the meetings is that they will ensure that the two teachers will have an open forum with which to discuss their needs rather than try to squeeze their comments into brief moments before or after class. Regular meetings also ensure that the lesson plans are being followed and that the educational goals are being met. Amy and Joe would also be able to experiment with different co-teaching methods: one teaches/one drifts; alternate co-teaching; and parallel co-teaching and discuss their experiences during meetings.

The co-teachers can also discuss their student's progress and other specific issues related to their classroom. Meetings can be scheduled at the beginning or at the end of each week. However, before regularly scheduled meetings become a reality for Amy and her co-teachers, the principal must become more open to allowing Amy to use her school time for meetings. The soundest option is to schedule Amy and Joe's planning period together. Alternatively, the principal could set up a time during which the two.