“It Just Works Better”: Introducing the 2:1 Model of Co-Teaching in Teacher Preparation

Abstract


 
 
 
 Many issues influence reform in teacher preparation including national accountability efforts, professional teaching standards, and local or regional factors. This study examines a rurally-located teacher education program’s efforts to reform clinical preparation through co-teaching. Researchers argue that their adaption of the typical one-to-one (1:1) model of co-teaching to a two-to-one (2:1) model, where two teacher candidates work collaboratively with one cooperating teacher, greatly enhances the student teaching experience. This phenomenological research describes the first year of implementation. Despite cooperating teacher concerns about teacher candidates being prepared for their own classrooms, student teachers learned valuable lessons in collaboration and co-planning, built strong relationships with peers and cooperating teachers, and greatly impacted K-6 student learning. Implications suggest a 2:1 co-teaching model of student teaching allows for fewer placements, which ultimately allows selection of quality cooperating teachers who mentor teacher candidates in powerful ways.
 
 
 
 

Mutual Mindsets: The Hassles and Hopes of Co-teaching in Teacher Preparation

“…Research supports the use of co-teaching in rural settings as a way to address these challenges. Specifically, engaging TCs in a 2:1 co-teaching setting (two TCs and one cooperating teacher) requires fewer cooperating teachers, thus allowing larger numbers of TCs to be placed in rural schools (Tschida, Smith, & Fogarty, 2015). It also provides the opportunity for TCs to build teaching and learning relationships with both their cooperating teacher and a peer throughout the semester.…”

“…It is important not only to examine the experiences of inservice teachers in rural settings but also to explore experiences of TCs. In their research on coteaching in teacher preparation, Tschida et al (2015) discussed the importance of examining the experiences of TCs in teacher preparation programs in rural regions. Similar to their study, the present study examined the experiences of TCs as they engaged in a co-teaching model as part of their practicum experience and worked to support literacy engagement in content-area courses.…”

Simultaneous Renewal: An Inclusive Approach to Collaboration and Teaming

“…Additionally, engagement with schools creates opportunities for university-based faculty to engage in practice-based research. Utilizing simultaneous renewal, both school and university-based partners receive embedded professional development related to pedagogy and research (Henning, Gut, & Beam, 2015;Tschida, Smith, & Fogarty, 2015). Most importantly, the children within inclusive early education environments benefit from having more personal and practical resources (e.g., teacher candidates and university faculty) within their classrooms and school community (AACTE, 2018;Kamens, 2007;Scruggs, Mastropieri, & McDuffie, 2007).…”

Co-teaching, A comparative Study to Assess The state of Adoption for Co-teaching Practice Across Elementary Schools in The US and Saudi Arabia

“…It initially started as an association between special education and general education. This was a reaction to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Tschida, Smith, & Fogarty, 2015) that advocated for the provision of support to students suffering from various forms of disabilities in general education classes. In its initial implementation period, co-teaching was defined as a type of teaching that incorporated special and classroom education teachers where general education teachers had extensive knowledge of the content while the special education teachers had professionalism in the process of delivering instructions to educate different students who might learn in a particular manner (Kariuki, 2013).…”