Instructional Activities and Group Work in the Us Inclusive High School Co-Taught Science Class

Abstract

In the US, there is a significant number of learning-disabled high school students included in regular science classrooms. It has been argued that students with learning disabilities can succeed in science if they receive the kind of instruction they need. To facilitate such instruction, the special education teacher is often incorporated into the class along with the learning disabled students. We observed 53 high school science lessons from ten pairs of science and special-education teachers who were responsible for delivering instruction to groups of students, some of whom were learning-disabled. We analyzed narrative notes collected in these lessons reflecting the kinds of classroom activities, organization of work, and teachers' roles. In addition, we interviewed the teachers individually to gain a better understanding of these inclusive classes. The underlying question of this research was whether inclusive classes with two teachers delivered the type of science education that is better than solo-teaching in addressing the needs of learning-disabled students. Our evidence indicates that even with a specialeducation teacher present in the class, learning-disabled students usually did not receive a science education that met their needs. We elaborate on the reasons for this problem and make suggestions for improvement.

Specialized Instruction in Co-Taught High School Classes

“…Studies emphasize the need for thoughtful pairing of co-teachers, considering teachers' interest in co-teaching, their personalities, and their individual strengths (Austin, 2001;Kellems, 2014), and also limiting the number of different co-teachers an individual teacher is assigned to work with in a given year (Weiss & Lloyd, 2002). Researchers universally stress the importance of including common planning time in teachers' schedules, giving them protected time in which they can discuss individual student needs and determine appropriate instructional practices for them (Fenty & McDuffie-Landrum, 2011;Hang & Rabren, 2009;Moin, Magiera, & Zigmond, 2009;Pancsofar & Petroff, 2013;Rice & Zigmond, 2000;Walther-Thomas, 1997). Another scheduling concern is the distribution of students to co-taught classes.…”

“…We know, for instance, SETs tend to take on an assistant role, working with students individually or performing clerical duties, such as making copies (Ashton, 2014;Bessette, 2008;BruscaVega, Brown, & Yasutake, 2011;Fenty & McDuffie-Landrum, 2011;Harbort et al, 2007;KingSears, Brawand, Jenkins, & Preston-Smith, 2014;Mageira, Smith, Zigmond, & Gebauer, 2005;Moin et al, 2009;Ploessl & Rock, 2014;Rice & Zigmond, 2000). We also know they spend most of their time monitoring and responding to individual students within a whole-group environment, and a substantial amount of time on non-instructional tasks (Bettini, Kimerling, Park, & Murphy, 2015;Harbort et al, 2007;Moin et al, 2009;Murawski, 2006;Vannest, Hagan-Burke, Parker, & Soares, 2011).…”

“…We also know they spend most of their time monitoring and responding to individual students within a whole-group environment, and a substantial amount of time on non-instructional tasks (Bettini, Kimerling, Park, & Murphy, 2015;Harbort et al, 2007;Moin et al, 2009;Murawski, 2006;Vannest, Hagan-Burke, Parker, & Soares, 2011).…”

“…The largest observational study on instruction in co-taught classes was conducted by Moin et al (2009). They completed more than 50 observations in nine co-taught classrooms across schools.…”

“…No curricular adaptations were observed in any classes; essentially, the instructional practices in co-and solo-taught classes were identical, making the only difference the extra set of hands in the co-taught classes. Moin et al (2009) conducted follow-up interviews with participants about school structural supports and their approaches to co-teaching. In these interviews, co-teachers described a lack of administrative support.…”