Here at Fern Bacon we are fortunate to have a wonderful Special
Education team that work alongside our General Education
teachers.
Co-Teaching Instructional Model for our Special Ed
Students
Co-teaching is an initiative option designed to provide the
support necessary to meet the academic, social/emotional and
behavioral needs of students with disabilities in the least
restrictive learning environment.
What is Co-Teaching?
Two or more professionals who deliver high quality instruction to
students with and without disabilities in the same classroom
(Friend and Cook, 2007).
When two or more educators co-plan, co-instruct, and co-assess a
group of students with diverse needs in the same general
education classroom (Murawski, 2003).
Co-teaching is becoming one of the fastest growing inclusive
practices in school. Despite this rapid increase in popularity,
co-teaching remains one of the most commonly misunderstood
practices in education (Steele, Bell, & George, 2005).
As co-teachers, the special education teacher and the general
education teacher share the responsibility of educating all
students in the class. Together, they understand the needs
of each student, plan effective instruction, exchange roles and
responsibilities, and employ flexible teaching practices to
create opportunities for student learning (Wilson and Blednick,
2011).
Why Co-Teach?
As compared with typically achieving students, students with
special needs are more likely to be retained for at least one
year (26%), have a lower graduation rate (41% drop-out rate), are
less likely to go to college, have less earning potential, and
are more likely to be involved in our penal system (Bowe, 2006).
