Partnerships in Instruction: Collaborative Teaching in Roanoke County

Joni Poff, Associate Director Pupil Personnel Services
Roanoke County Schools

and

Cecil Snead, Assistant Principal
Cave Spring High School

All students can learn. This statement is short and simple in meaning, but has broad implications in education. With the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the birth of the assessments of the Virginia Standards of Learning, and the ever-present conscientiousness of educators, there needs to be alternative forms of methodology and structure in the classroom that the past clientele did not require. The successful teacher must stay within the boundaries of the SOL while presenting lessons that meet the needs of a diverse group of learners. One structure that has proved beneficial in meeting the demands is co-teaching or collaborative teaching.

The collaborative teaching model is an instructional delivery structure that we have embraced in Roanoke County for over 13 years. Our model involves assigning two teachers, a content specialist and a learning specialist, to teach a body of information to a classroom of heterogeneously grouped students. Ideally, the teachers capitalize on their own teaching styles while reaching the learning style of each one of their students. We have found that co-teaching provides a continuous learning environment for the teachers and helps sharpen their skills in the areas of methodology and cooperation. The students are the beneficiaries of this energy.

Defining collaborative teaching

Collaborative teaching is the process that takes place between two teachers who explicitly plan, carry out, and assess classroom instruction. The team shares a common goal—the success of ALL students in learning critical course content. While the two professionals carry equal responsibility for the instruction, on a daily basis their contributions may not be equal. The role each teacher plays varies based on the activities of the lesson and individual instructional strengths. In our experiences, we have clearly found what collaborative teaching is not. It is not simply the placement of two teachers in a classroom at the same time. It is not one teacher being an assistant to a lead teacher. It is not a method of improving weak teachers. It is not about a special education teacher going into the classroom to work solely with the special education students. Good collaborative teaching is not an accident but the result of careful planning and thoughtful decision-making.

Staffing

It is important, as an administrator, to understand your personnel’s strengths and weaknesses. We have been fortunate to have regular educators and special educators who have meshed well with their talents, skills, and personalities. This connection occurs more naturally when: you pair a content expert with a learning specialist who has some knowledge and interest in the content area, a common planning time is provided, and the faculty values both team members as equal contributors to the education of the children in the classroom.