Supporting Student and Preservice Teacher Successes Through Co-teaching

Abstract

As increasing inclusion in schools has been emphasized with each reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments, the implementation of co-teaching has increased. Co-teaching has emerged as a supportive framework that uses principles of social justice in building inclusive nurturing environments, yielding positive student outcomes in social as well as academic areas of education. The authors explored the use of co-teaching within a laboratory school setting by analyzing experiences between general education faculty and not only special education faculty but also preservice teachers. Research has found that co-teaching to support preservice and early-career teachers is a natural outgrowth of the special education and general education partnerships created in the co-taught classroom when an intern is placed in such a setting. When used with fidelity, co-teaching is an instructional option that plays an integral part in building effective and efficient ways to foster student learning while enhancing classroom community. Co-teaching can be a powerful mechanism that supports sharing of responsibility and accountability for student achievement, as well as social, emotional, and behavioral growth. A child-centered philosophy was perceived as important to both preservice and co-teachers because of the individual factors that guided practice. With strong leadership from school administrators, commitment and flexibility on the part of classroom teachers, and skills of colleagues, preservice teachers report outstanding growth. Co-teaching, carefully implemented, can foster a nurturing classroom culture and support preservice teachers as they apply knowledge and skills in a constant reflective process, which benefits all teachers and students.