Designing CO-TEACHING METHODS
Different methods will be used throughout the day. They can include: one teaching-one supporting, team teaching, parallel teaching, complementary teaching, pre-teaching, as well as station teaching. The one teaching-one supporting method is one teacher heading the lesson (usually the general ed. teacher) then one teacher assisting the children with special needs as necessary. Complementary teaching involves the special education teacher providing support to one child teaching him or her a specific skill to enable the child to participate independently in the activity in time. This strategy uses prompts that decrease over time.
During parallel teaching both teachers will be teaching the same lesson using similar teaching strategies to best reach the children in their group, which enables more teacher to student attention. Team teaching is what co-teaching should reflect the majority of the time where both teachers share the instruction and there is no one leader of the lesson. This form of co-teaching involves the most planning but done well; it is extremely effective. Pre-teaching is used when a lesson might require skills beyond the student’s level and the special education teacher may need to provide direct instruction to that child to prep him or her before the group lesson. Finally, there is station teaching which is used to support children’s learning in a certain center where they will be able to instruct a group of children in areas they might struggle in.
During parallel teaching both teachers will be teaching the same lesson using similar teaching strategies to best reach the children in their group, which enables more teacher to student attention. Team teaching is what co-teaching should reflect the majority of the time where both teachers share the instruction and there is no one leader of the lesson. This form of co-teaching involves the most planning but done well; it is extremely effective. Pre-teaching is used when a lesson might require skills beyond the student’s level and the special education teacher may need to provide direct instruction to that child to prep him or her before the group lesson. Finally, there is station teaching which is used to support children’s learning in a certain center where they will be able to instruct a group of children in areas they might struggle in.