Co-Teaching

Abstract

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Co-teaching that works: special and general educators’ perspectives on collaboration

“…Thus, we know from earlier studies that various teaching responsibilities bring together competence and expertise with great potential for supporting pupil learning processes (Brendle, Lock, & Piazza, 2017;Jurkowski & Müller, 2018). Effective coteaching also reduces labelling and stigmatisation because the educators' collaborative approach and the adaption of the teaching improve the chances of being included in the class environment (Chitiyo & Brinda, 2018;Cramer, 2010). Moreover, the successful working climate increases the sense of belonging (Pesonen, Rytivaara, Palmu, & Wallin, 2020), thus providing a safe environment within which to tackle educational challenges and discuss sensitive issues (Blanton & Perez, 2011).…”

“…In this context the collaboration is based on elaborating mutual goals, mutual responsibility, shared accountabilities for outcome and development of trust and respect . Coteaching, often described as a model where two or more professionals share teaching for a group or a class of pupils (Cramer, 2010;Noonan et al, 2003), is one of the most important types of collaboration in education and perceived as a prominent part of educators' professionalism (Hargreaves & O'Connor, 2018). In historical terms, the concept of co-teaching in education was promoted in the 1980s due to an emerging and increasing focus on inclusion (Friend, Cook, Hurley-Chamberlain, & Shamberger, 2010).…”

“…It is expected that collaborative efforts between different types of educators will, when relevant, improve teaching, give motivation and provide more expertise. It is important to note that successful professional collaboration not only yields improvements for the educators but also produces a positive outcome for pupil learning and achievement (Cramer, 2010;Hargreaves & O'Connor, 2018). Furthermore, and as noted above, the widespread implementation of the ideas based on inclusive education (Unesco, 1994) resulted in a paradigm shift in many cultural contexts where it is now expected that children with disabilities should be able to participate in mainstream or general education (Lindqvist & Nilholm, 2014).…”

“…Based on these developments, it is not uncommon to find collaborations between the special and the general educator in the form of a co-teaching team where the partnership requires shared planning, instruction and assessment of the pupils Fluijt et al, 2016;Pratt et al, 2017). In this collaboration, the general teacher leads the class, has more in-depth pedagogical content knowledge within specific subjects and possesses valuable knowledge of conditions in the class as a whole (Cramer, 2010;Miller & Oh, 2013). However, the overarching aim is to have an inclusive classroom and an adapted learning context that satisfy the needs of all pupils (Friend et al, 2010).…”

“…This is a logical step considering that such interdisciplinary collaboration between somewhat different professions is claimed to be a prerequisite for inclusive education (Hedegaard-Sørensen, Riis Jensen, & Børglum Tofteng, 2018). Consequently, the issue of collaboration between general and special educators has lately received a considerable amount of attention in research Cramer, 2010;Easen, Atkins, & Dyson, 2000;Scruggs, Mastropieri, & McDuffie, 2016;Van Garderen et al, 2012). The research findings support the obvious common-sense value of a collaborative approach and it is virtually impossible to find voices explicitly stating that collaboration between special and general educators is a bad idea.…”