Coteaching & Coinstructing

Through the coteaching model, the cooperating teacher (CT) and teacher candidate (TC) are both engaged in student learning, at all times, through daily coplanning, coinstructing, and coassessing. Through the coteaching process, reflective dialogue and collaboration has the potential to lead to the professional development of both teachers.

Coinstructing sees coteachers mutually engaged in the instructional delivery of content with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. The six instructional strategies coteachers can use include:

1. One Teach, One Observe

2. One Teach, One Assist

3. Team Teaching

4. Parallel Teaching

5. Station Teaching

6. Differentiated Teaching

To learn more about these six strategies, please review the SOE's Coinstructional Strategies information sheet. You can also view the sample video below that highlights the coinstructional strategy of team teaching.

Benefits of using the coteach model include:

• Two content-strong adults in the classroom

• Lower student-to-teacher ratio

• Scaffolded experience for teacher candidate to learn about teaching

• New ideas generated through collaboration

• Ability to reflect together since both coteachers experience the same lesson

To have a successful coteaching relationship, the CT and TC should:

1. Meet weekly and stay connected

2. Be intentional and establish a routine

3. Determine what the role of each coteacher will be in all aspects of teaching (planning, instructing, assessing) and how these roles will evolve/transition throughout the clinical practice

4. Address and assess student needs and accessibility to curriculum/resources

5. Regularly share successes and areas needing improvement

Online Articles and Documents

• Coteaching Video Collection: The coteaching video collection website contains over 40+ video clips (and growing) showcasing exemplar coteaching, representing a variety of grades and disciplines. Coteachers can view these clips together, reflect on their own coteaching practice, and set goals for enhancing their collaboration as they learn together and support the learning of PK-12 students

• Implementation of Coinstructing Tool: This document provides characteristics of effective coinstructing in a clinical practice placement.

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Website: https://soe.calpoly.edu/20202021-clinical-practice-website