I chose the video Co-Teaching Strategies because it was the only one I could find that had student testimonies. I was shocked at how hard these testimonies were to find. I looked for almost two hours and only found this one. The entire video is good and part of a trilogy. The team teachers say they base their philosophy on that of Bruce Tuckman. Bruce Tuckman’s mantra for team teaching is forming, storming, norming and performing. This video discusses the first two mantras of forming and storming.

Forming encompasses the preteaching phase of team teaching. This is when the teachers organize their classroom and make rules about what is and is not permitted in their classroom. The teachers formulate structures and routines and get to know each other better. This is an especially important step for teachers who have never team taught together before. Imagine a prearranged marriage, you would want to get to know your partner a bit and set some rules before you tie the knot.

The storming phase is when the teachers regroup to reflect on how they are doing. They fine tune their machine making any and all necessary changes. This should happen periodically with even the most experienced team teachers. New students, lessons and other variables always bring new challenges to be addressed.

The unique aspect of this video is that we actually get student testimonials from the Brooklyn Preparatory School about how students feel about team teaching. One boy says he likes that, "while one of the teachers is teaching, the other one is always available for help".  Indeed this is a great advantage to team teaching. Another boy says he likes team teaching, "because it helps with discipline and classroom management". Once again a student has picked up on another great advantage. A girl remarks that she particularly enjoys class with these two teachers because they are seen as equals by the students. Keeping up on this notion a boy says that he prefers team teaching because the great rapport and witty banter betwixt the teachers makes the class more fun and engaging. This is my own favourite aspect of team teaching. When the teachers are having fun it is contagious. The students are drawn into the dialogue, and learning takes place in authentic ways of which children are often unaware.

 
Team teaching with Michaela was an absolute pleasure. It was made even more interesting because we were experiencing and living what we were teaching. In our model of two teachers teaching together trust and rapport are invaluable. We didn’t have these things when we began, but as we progressed so did our relationship and our effectiveness as team teachers. Since we also did our mini lesson together, we had ample time to get to know each other’s teaching styles, strengths and weaknesses. It quickly becomes obvious that the better you know each other and get along, the more effective you are as team teachers. I imagine this would be even more significant in a real classroom with students because each teacher would build individual rapports with them. I hate to use the analogy of good cop bad cop, but this could also come into play. I am eagerly anticipating our team teaching mini lessons together, and since we got an amazing mark on our mini lesson I am expecting great success. If it were not for Michaela, I would not be looking forward to the lesson, but since we are together it is going to be fun. Furthermore, we will be each other’s support networks. In case I forget something, I know Michaela will be there to fill in the gaps and vice versa. There is strength in numbers, and with Michaela by my side I feel omnipotent.

 
Why co-teaching? Co-teaching  is a creative way to connect with other teachers and to help students learn. In co-teaching two teachers share their ideas and plan the lessons together. I actually like the idea of co-teaching where both teachers are working together, planning together on the same lesson and use their own teaching style. Both teachers support each other,  respect each others opinion and work as a team. In co-teaching students are learning in a different way but still on the same topic. Having two teachers inside the classroom is far better than only one teacher. Both teachers also learn from each other, brainstorm together, talk about their success and other ways to present their lessons. Both of them monitor their students' progress and adjust instructions accordingly. They work together to improve the lesson and learning activities. Students will benefit more from this kind of co-teaching, especially students with learning disabilities.

 
This video explains that the only way that co-teaching can be successful is when both teachers have equal authority and share equal responsibility for teaching all their students. Both teachers share responsibility for students' outcomes. They also emphasize flexible grouping as one of their key instruction strategies. They trade off and both work with all of their students and equally demonstrate their abilities to accommodate their diverse learning needs. In co-teaching both teachers have equal authorities in the classroom and evaluate student outcomes to help them find areas that may require re-teaching. Both teachers gain more confidence and  learn from each other when they shared their work, their skills, experiences and responsibility for the benefits of their students.

 
This video emphasized that co-teaching is all about collaboration between a general educator and special educator. It also explains the benefits of co-teaching and the importance of collaborative co-teaching. Co-teaching promotes differentiated instruction, increases instructional options and flexible grouping which leads to lower student to teacher ratios. The video also highlights the core of co-teaching which is partnership between two teachers who share everything including planning, instruction and assessment. Both teachers should start to build mutual trust and respect, and open communication. They needed to decide who will plan the lessons, whose teaching strategies they have to use, and how to determine students' grades. To work well as a team, both teachers should also share their teaching styles, philosophies and teaching values. The video also emphasizes the importance of commitment, collaborative working relationships, and that both teachers should create a schedule and meet regularly to plan instructions and evaluate students' outcomes.

 
I taught EAL in Japan for almost seven years, and I am about to take a course entitled EAL Fundamentals. So I reviewed an article by Dr. Haworth called Crossing Borders to Teach English Language Learners, and I was a bit concerned with the results of the interviews and observations. Haworth interviewed and observed eight teachers who had direct interaction with EAL students to get their opinions on what it was like team teaching. Haworth found that the classroom teachers did not interact with support teachers unless the support teachers initiated the contact. They felt that if they went to a support teacher it meant they had a problem teaching a student, which has a negative imagery. This is unfortunate because it totally goes against the concept of team teaching- being a team. Furthermore, the general education teachers did not view EAL professional development as necessary for themselves, as it was the job of the support teacher. In addition, the general teachers did not want to take time out of their days to meet, plan, or discuss with the support teachers. They basically wanted to be in control of everything and saw no need for them to alter their lessons to provide scaffolding for the EAL students. This study suggests that EAL teachers are devalued in the school setting. They are portrayed as virtual babysitters, an annoyance, or as essentially unnecessary by classroom teachers. If EAL teachers are phased out due to them being perceived as largely unnecessary in schools, what effect would it have on EAL students, and what effect would it have on classroom teachers? I certainly hope these situations are not congruent in Canada. In our multicultural society, with our high influx of immigrants support teachers and general school teachers need to work together. Indeed, one could easily argue that the entire fabric of our society is depending on this weave.

 
The article by S. Arkoudis was a very insightful article.  Though it focused on ESL teachers and mainstream teachers, it could have been speaking about the collaborative struggles between general and special education teachers.  I paused and reflected when it was highlighted how ESL teachers feel like they are side-lined out of the mainstream classroom and often feel devalued in their role as a teacher.  The assumption that their only area of expertise focuses on such a narrow group of students, that the are not able to positive influence an entire classroom.  The feeling of isolation is compounded for an ESL, and I would infer a Special Education teacher.  

The article spoke at length about the importance of the dialogue between the two teachers as they collaborated and planned together.  It was interesting to read the transcripts and note the change in their language as the conversations continued.  I was encouraged when the author of the article pointed out that as these interchanges continue, each teacher influences their colleague in a positive way, shares their expertise and enlightens the other person to become a more effective teacher.

Arkoudis, S. (2006). Negotiating the rough ground between ESL and mainstream teachers. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 9 (4), 415 – 433.
 
    I just read an article about the relationships between EAL teachers and classroom teachers, using the collaborative teaching model.  While reading, the struggles EAL teachers face was brought into the spotlight for me. The article makes it clear that the EAL teacher could have a more positive role in a regular classroom, but nonetheless is regularly “encouraged” to take students out of their classroom environment and work with them in a separate room. I believe, it would greatly benefit the language learning students, along with all the other students, to have both teachers instructing the lesson. Sadly it is rarely the case that we see a partnership as such take place in the classroom.  The article points out the importance of the teacher–teacher talk when aiming for the best possible outcome, including the shift from main teacher and support teacher roles, to two equal ability teachers. This brings to light the issue of the EAL teacher having to tiptoe around the habits and routines of the classroom teacher. I feel collaboration between two professionals should not be this problematic, especially when the focus of everyone involved should be the benefit of all children. It seems that EAL teachers need to be very flexible when required to adjust to the classroom teacher, and their philosophies. The idea of collaborative teaching however, is more of a partnership than a leader and assistant roles. I think through real collaborative teaching we will all benefit, when there is inclusion of everyone, by working towards our common goal of helping all students succeed.

Gardner, S. (2006). Centre-stage in the instructional register: Partnership talks in primary EAL. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 9 (4), 476 – 494. 

 
    When watching the video: Co-teaching models for special education it was very clear that co-teaching means working together to help all students. They did not split students between them and focus on “their” students alone. That is how co-teaching should work. It should be for the benefit of all students, not just the “behind” students.  The special education teacher and the classroom teacher are seen as equal by all students in the room. One is not there to simply assist the low students. They are both part of teaching the lesson and assisting everyone.
    One of the most important strategies teachers can use is modelling. There is no better way to model cooperation then through co-teaching.  The students see their two teachers working together and talking with one another. They learn turn taking by watching them switch back and forth between their instructional teachings. We always explain to our students that they need to be able to work with others. I think it’s about time we practice what we preach as teachers.
    The video describes how co-teaching steers away from pulling lower achieving students out of the room to work, but instead having all students learn together and benefit from each others' strengths. I think this is the key when we think about inclusion. Inclusion does not mean having an Educational Assistant glued to the side of a student in the classroom. Inclusion means making the classroom environment work for everyone that is in it, regardless of their abilities and/or needs. The special education teacher sees the different needs of all the students in the class, not just the labelled ones. Both teachers are more readily available to help anyone that needs it.

 
The video entitled Co-Teaching Strategies was great. It clearly displayed all five team teaching styles: team, station, alternative, parallel and one teacher with one support. I would have liked it to be a bit longer and more informative, but all in all it gave a decent demonstration. Another thing I liked about the video is that it seemed authentic and not at all staged. One can clearly see the distinction between the five teaching strategies. Even without the headings it is apparent when the teachers are working as a team with one head and two bodies. Of course the station teaching is very apparent as is the one teacher one support. Another reason why I chose this video is because it has the ideal of Marita Shingler being a general education teacher, and Cindy Alexander being a special education teacher. When they are doing the one teacher one support strategy it is clear who the special education teacher is, but at other times they weave together with the automaticity of a finely tuned machine. This is the type of team teaching that will close the gap between the special and regular education students because it is inclusive and productive with two specialized teachers working as a team.