Problem Co-teachers often receive little to no professional development. Solution The Designing...
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Transcript of Problem Co-teachers often receive little to no professional development. Solution The Designing...
Problem Co-teachers often receive little to no
professional development. Solution The Designing Quality Education Program
offers intensive ongoing professional development based on best practices.
Outline
Definitions Acronym Glossary Reauthorization of Individuals With Disabilities Act and No
Child Left Behind Act The Need for Inclusive Education How Effective is Inclusive Education? Challenges with Co-teaching The Designing Quality Inclusive Education Program Grant Proposal
Acronym Glossary
IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
ICT- Integrated Co-teaching IEP- Individualized Education Plan LRE- Least Restrictive Environment NCLB- No Child Left Behind PD- Professional Development DQIE- Designing Quality Inclusive Education
Definitions Co-teaching is a service delivery option. It is a means through which
students with IEPs receive some or all of their specialized instruction and related services in the context of the general education classroom.
Two or more professionals with equivalent licensure or status are co-teachers, one who is a general educator and one who is a special educator or specialist.
Both professionals participate fully, although differently, in the instructional process. General educators maintain primary responsibility for the content of the instruction; special educators hold primary responsibility for facilitating the learning process. Instruction employs evidence-based practices and accountable differentiation.
(Friend 2008)
Federal Law Requirem
ents
Now interest in co-teaching has intensified considerably. One key factor contributing to this interest is the NCLB Act of 2001, including the requirements that all students, including those with disabilities, access the general curriculum; be taught by highly qualified teachers; and be included in professionals’ accountability for achievement outcomes.
Chamberlain, Cook, Friend & Shamberger 2010
Federal Law Requirements (cont’d)
Chamberlain, Cook, Friend & Shamberger 2010
A second key factor is the renewed increased emphasis on educating students in the least restrictive environment embodied in the most recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004.
Chamberlain, Cook, Friend & Shamberger 2010
What the Law Says (cont’d)
The (NCLB) of 2001and the reauthorization of the IDEA of 2004 set two requirements that build a presumption of teacher and other professional collaboration: (a) that students with disabilities access the general curriculum and (b) that they do so in the LRE increasingly determined to be the general education classroom.
“If the goal is for all students to be fully included in the mainstream of school life, then co-teaching is a strategy that should be considered… Co-taught classrooms foster an atmosphere where diversity is accepted as having a positive impact on all students, where labels are avoided, and where everyone is thought of as a unique individual with gifts and needs.”
Mitchell 2005
Rationale for Inclusion/Why it Works
Students in co-taught classrooms performed significantly better on state assessments as compared with students in similar general education classrooms without co-teaching.
Students with disabilities enjoyed school more, learned more, and felt better about themselves when they received special education services in a co-taught general education classroom as compared with a self-contained special education setting
Walsh 2012
Rationale for Inclusion/Why it Works (cont’d)
For general education students, inclusion supports an increased awareness and sensitivity for students with disabilities
Winter 2007
Benefits of Co-Teaching Reduction of student teacher ratio Greater support for all students Teachers offer professional support to one
another Children with exceptionalities have access to
general education curriculum Reduces stigma often associated with “pull-
out” model Promotes positive self-esteem Helps build stronger peer relations Enhances academic performance
Successful Co-teaching Video
Sit back and watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5kxv69N-MY
Challenges Co-teachers Face Dysfunctional Partnerships/
lack of effective collaboration Unclear roles and
responsibilities Differences in teaching
philosophies/ lack of flexibility
Lack of mutual professional respect (regarding teaching partner as a subordinate teacher)
Coordinating schedules to plan together
Need for Professional Development
Effective Inclusion programs for students with disabilities require a culture of collaboration as both special education and general education teachers face a myriad of issues as they implement quality inclusion.
Carpenter, Dyal & Shumack Effective teamwork…will enhance the development
of the child with special needs. On the other hand lack of teaming results in insufficient results for key players’ and perhaps even harmful service delivery.
Tannock 2009
Need for Professional Development (cont’d)
What is clear is the strong need for a continued dialogue concerning the theory of collaboration for school professionals, its translation into appropriate practices and its impact on outcomes for students with disabilities.
Cook & Friend 2010
Much of the current teaching workforce has little co-teaching preparation for co-teaching roles. The implication is that high-quality professional development related to co-teaching is urgently needed
Chamberlain, Cook, Friend & Shamberger 2010
Effective professional development must be sustained, intensive and collaborative.
Walsh 2012
Teacher’s Perspectives
Personal compatibility is consistently reported as a key factor in the success of a co-teacher
(Pugach & Winn 2011) Lack of collaborative planning time led to
increased conflicts (Tannock 2009) Teachers report that sustained and intensive
professional development has a greater effect on changing practice than shorter professional development (Opfer & Pedder)
Need for Administrative Support
Instructional leaders play a vital role in the success of the consultative model and must provide resources and support for this approach to work. They should support the consultative process with effective classroom appraisal and resources to develop effective practices in the classroom.
Dyal, Carpenter & Shumack 2012
“I don’t think I’d like to work in this type of program again. She felt like a visitor in
my classroom, and we never connected personally. We struggled because of
differences in roles, teaching and communication styles, and philosophy. The students also were confused. They felt that
I was the teacher and she was my aide. I felt like she was always watching me and judging me. We didn’t know how to do it
and received little support from our principal.”
Salend, Gordon, & Lopez-Vona, 2008
Designing Quality Inclusive Education Program
DQIE is a professional development program which addresses the needs of co-teachers and students in inclusive classrooms
What it Offers
Teachers receive continuous professional development: coaching and training followed by classroom observations and relative feed back
Individualized professional development (differentiation strategies to meet the needs of their individual students)
Administration are informed on how to best support co-teachers and what to look for when they observe the teachers in their classrooms