Chapter 13: Shared Spaces: Systems At Work in English as a New Language Co-Teaching Classrooms

Recent legislation in New York has spurred increased implementation of co-teaching models of instruction between content teachers and English as a new language (ENL) teachers (NYSED, 2015). In response to increasing numbers of multilingual learners (MLLs) in New York schools, new legislation has been introduced to ensure that the specific learning needs and appropriate instruction for this growing population of students are being met (NYSED, 2014, 2015). Co-teaching partnerships have great potential to deliver high levels of accessible, academic instruction for MLLs. Though co-teaching for MLLs can take many different forms (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2010; Honigsfeld & Dove, 2012), its overarching promise is that students will benefit from the expertise of two or more teachers in one class while maximizing opportunities to use the target language in authentic settings (Graziano & Navarrete, 2012). In model co-teaching partnerships, each teacher works to his/her strengths, learns from the partner teacher, and negotiates and collaborates toward the mutual goal of a cohesive curriculum that is both linguistically and academically sound. This is the conception with which co-teaching was implemented in New York, in hopes that it would reduce the instructional transitions for MLLs caused by pullout instruction, that is, when students are withdrawn from class for small-group instruction, and allow students greater access to core content in general education classes.