Co-teaching perspectives from middle school algebra co-teachers and their students with and without disabilities

Special teachers and the use of co-teaching in Swedish-speaking schools in Finland

“…Our results indicated that there were no significant differences in the use of co-teaching in relation to school level, region or size. This conflicts with earlier Finnish studies, where results showed that classroom teachers in primary schools co-taught more often than subject teachers in secondary schools (Saloviita, 2018;Saloviita & Takala, 2010;Takala & Uusitalo-Malmivaara, 2012), despite international research showing that students in higher grades particularly benefit from co-teaching and that they appreciate co-teaching as a support strategy (King-Sears et al, 2018;Rea et al, 2002;Rivera et al, 2014;Wilson & Michaels, 2006). The present finding -namely, that the amount of time devoted to co-teaching was similar among respondents in primary and lower secondary schools -is therefore surprising.…”

“…This, since co-teaching involves a redirection of special education knowledge towards the classroom. Instead of referring certain pupils to an intensive special education service outside of the regular classroom, the SET brings his or her competence into the regular classroom (Friend et al, 2010;King-Sears, Jenkins, & Brawand, 2018;Scruggs & Mastropieri, 2017). Another central benefit conferred by co-teaching that supports inclusive education is the increased teacher-pupil ratio, which improves teachers' abilities to differentiate between students and meet individual needs without excluding pupils (Friend et al, 2010;Krammer, Gastner, Paleczek, Gasteiger-Klicpera, & Rossman, 2018).…”

“…During co-taught lessons, students have reported that teaching methods are more varied and that they receive more help (King-Sears et al, 2018). In particular, students (both with and without learning difficulties) in lower secondary schools experienced increased academic success, an improved sense of belonging and greater school enjoyment when they were in co-taught classrooms (King-Sears et al, 2018;Rea, McLaughlin, & Walther-Thomas, 2002;Rivera, McMahon, & Keys, 2014;Wilson & Michaels, 2006). However, students have also expressed negative experiences of coteaching.…”

“…Conflicting results have arisen regarding the effect of co-teaching on students' learning outcomes. Research has shown that co-taught lessons improved learning experiences among students with special educational needs (King-Sears et al, 2018;Hang & Rabren, 2009). Nevertheless, Murawski (2006) found no significant differences in learning outcomes when pupils receiving support through co-teaching, special classroom teaching or ordinary classroom teaching were compared.…”

Active Instruction for Co-Teachers in a Support Role

“…One-teach/one-assist and one-teach/one-observe are the most widely used co-teaching models (Scruggs, Mastropieri, & McDuffie, 2007; Strogilos, Stefanidis, & Tragoulia, 2016). The role of the assisting or observing teacher has been described as the support role (King-Sears, Jenkins, & Brawand, 2018; Solis, Vaughn, Swanson, & McCulley, 2012), often filled by the special educator (Hang & Rabren, 2009). For this article, the one-teach/one-assist and one-teach/one-observe models are combined and referred to as a “one-teach/one-support model,” with the teacher not leading instruction in the support role.…”