Module 8: Using the Co-Teaching Models

Cooperative teaching or co-teaching has been around for years. A widely held definition of co-teaching is two or more teachers working side-by-side to deliver instruction in the same physical space to improve student outcomes (Friend & Cook, 2017). Initially, co-teaching was used as an inclusive service delivery option for students with disabilities and paired a general education teacher and special education teacher together to deliver instruction. The use of co-teaching in schools today, however, is not limited to teaching between general education and special education teachers. Today, one sees the use of co-teaching strategies in collaborative teaching teams, paraprofessional support models, and most recently in teacher preparation programs as a way to combat challenges with traditional student teaching placements (e.g., cooperating teacher’s reluctance to handoff responsibility).