Although collaboration is at the center of coteaching, planned solo time for teacher candidates is an important component of the clinical experience. Allowing teacher candidates to have planned moments during the yearlong experience to be in the classroom with the students by themselves can help teacher candidates to develop classroom management skills as well as juggle the numerous responsibilities of being a teacher.
SOLO TIME DONE RIGHT
Effective solo time during a coteaching clinical experience looks like the following:
Planned in advance
Begins small (e.g., one class section) and is limited in duration (e.g., half of a period or one lesson)
Clear purpose/reason for solo time (e.g., develop classroom management skills)
Frequent cooperating teacher check-ins to see how it is going
Reflect and dialogue together after solo time
WHAT TO AVOID
Extended periods of time when the cooperating teacher is not present
Once solo time occurs, continuing only with solo time. Instead, move from solo time to team teaching (and other coinstructional strategies) and back to solo time
Solo time in all aspects of coteaching (i.e., planning, instructing, & assessing). Remember, teacher candidates may be given solo time for instruction, but this does not mean that solo time needs to also occur at the same time for planning and assessing.
