3 Common Co-Teaching Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Don’t let co-teaching challenges lead you to burnout. Here are 3 quick solutions that you can implement today!
All right, here we go…
We’ve got the top 5 answers on the board.
We asked 100 teachers to name the #1 #teacherproblem they wish they could leave behind…
Buzzer Beep…
After school meetings that could have been an email…
Excessive and redundant paperwork…
Sacrificing family time for late night grading…
Doing the majority of planning, teaching and grading by myself even though I have a co-teacher…
Being treated like an assistant even though I’m a licensed special education teacher…
Ok… You got me! Obviously I’m not Steve Harvey and this isn’t Family Feud, but I did create a social media post asking this question and those were real responses that teachers gave.
Like most professions, teaching comes with its challenges.
Wait a minute… Did I just hear someone say ‘low pay?’ I agree, but I’m not even going there today. LOL!
All jokes aside. Teaching does come with its share of challenges, but co-teaching… OMG! If you think teaching is challenging, it doesn’t come close to the challenges that co-teachers face.
Today we’re looking at 3 common co-teaching challenges and of course I wouldn’t leave you hanging without giving you a few quick solutions!
3 Common Co-Teaching Challenges [+ Simple Solutions]
Challenge #1: Co-Teachers don’t have time to develop a strong, collaborative relationship
A common practice in education is to toss two teachers in a classroom and expect them to make magic happen. In the dream education world that may work, but not in real life.
Our teachers are people, not magicians. They come with their own ideas of what the classroom should look and feel like as well as the policies and procedures that they plan to use. Adding another teacher to that equation often results in chaos when they’re not given the opportunity to explore and discuss how to manage their co-taught classroom.
In order to turn that chaos into clarity so that the co-teachers can effectively meet the needs of all students, they must be provided time to develop a collaborative relationship.
Now I understand that time is a luxury that most teachers don’t have so here’s a quick and easy way to kill two birds with one stone. If you’re anything like me, you must have coffee or your day just won’t go right.
Do I have any coffee lovers in the house?
If you’re a coffee love, then simply invite your co-teacher to join you before school for a Co-Teaching Coffee Chat. You all can sip coffee (or tea) while discussing classroom procedures and establish expectations for both of your roles. Trust me, when you do, not only will your day go a lot better, but everyday will!
Challenge #2: The general education teacher feels like she’s planning, teaching + grading… alone.
Going back to that education dream world that I spoke about earlier, the expectation that many administrators have is that when they observe a co-taught class, they shouldn’t be able to identify the general education teacher from the special education teacher because both teachers should be actively engaged in providing instruction and scaffolded supports.
While I agree that is the ultimate goal and what we hope to see in a co-taught classroom, it’s only possible when there’s effective co-teaching training and time to co-plan.
Unfortunately what we most often observe in the classroom is one teacher, typically the general education teacher, providing instruction while the other teacher walks around to assist. This situation leads to the general education teacher being frustrated and overwhelmed due to feeling like she’s carrying the majority of the workload alone.
If you’re a general education teacher that feels this way, one quick solution is to plan small, bite-size portions of the lesson that the special education teacher can lead. Often times special education teachers aren’t equipped with the same level of content knowledge that you have and therefore, they don’t feel prepared to lead the entire lesson, but even when this is the case, they usually feel comfortable enough to review homework or practice problems with the students.
Another way that this solution can be implemented is during the mini-lesson. At the beginning of the mini-lesson, the special education teacher can be tasked with reviewing the learning target and success criteria, introducing the topic and relating it to a real-world experience. Once it’s time to transition to teaching new skills, that’s when you can take over. This method leads to more of a team teaching approach and as the year progresses, your co-teacher will begin to feel much more comfortable leading instruction.
Challenge #3: The special education teacher doesn’t feel valued as an equal co-teaching partner.
While the general education is left feeling like she’s carrying the majority of the workload alone, the special education teacher often doesn’t feel valued as an equal co-teaching partner.
Many special educators feel that despite the fact that they have earned their degree and are licensed teachers, they are treated as if they are paraprofessionals or teacher aides. Not only are they made to feel this way by their co-teacher, but they also feel as if administrators, students and parents view them as an assistant as well.
If you’re a special education teacher that feels this way, one quick solution is to work with your co-teacher to redesign the classroom so that you have more of a presence in it. Simple changes such as having your name added to the door next to the general education teachers name goes a long way in changing student and parent perception. If you have a desk in the classroom, add pictures of your family and other decor that gives it a personal feel. Taking a little effort to add your personality helps to create a shared classroom environment where both teachers are viewed as equals.
Another solution is to use small group instruction to provide interventions and scaffolded supports to any student that needs it in order to achieve success in meeting the learning targets. Don’t just work with those students on your caseload, but assist every student that needs it and soon you’ll find that they value you just as much as they do the general education teacher.
Co-teaching can definitely be challenging, but by making a commitment to implement small changes everyday, you’ll look up and find that you and your co-teacher have a collaborative relationship and are effectively meeting the needs of all students.
