8/1/24, 4:03 PM 6 models of co-teaching

Educators

6 models of co-teaching
By Amanda Morin
Expert reviewed by Kristen L. Hodnett, MS

As more schools move toward inclusion, integrated co-teaching (also known as

collaborative team teaching) is becoming more common. However, not all teachers
are familiar with co-teaching models, the planning and collaboration it takes, or the
different ways it can look in a classroom.

Co-teachers are often general education teachers and special education teachers
working together in the general education classroom. You plan lessons together and
teach together to support the diverse academic and social-emotional needs of all
students — those who have been identified as having a disability and those who
haven’t.

Studies show that this co-teaching can successfully meet the needs of all learners
when the co-teachers:

Have ample time to build a trusting relationship with one another

Have shared planning time
Each have the chance to use their expertise in the classroom

There are six basic models of co-teaching. Read on to learn how each model works,
what it looks like in the classroom, and when to use it. You’ll also learn about the
benefits and challenges of each co-teaching model.

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Which of these is your main concern?

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1. Team teaching
In team teaching, both teachers are in the room at the same time but take turns
teaching the whole class. Team teaching is sometimes called “tag team teaching.” You
and your co-teacher are a bit like co-presenters at a conference or the Oscars. You
don’t necessarily plan who takes which part of the lesson, and when one of you makes
a point, the other can jump in and elaborate if needed.

Team teaching can make you feel vulnerable. It asks you to step outside of your
comfort zone and allow another teacher to see how you approach a classroom full of
students. However, it also gives you the opportunity to learn about and improve your
teaching skills by having a partner who can provide feedback and — in some cases —
mentorship.

In team teaching, as well as the five other co-teaching models below, a teacher team
may be made up of two general education teachers, two special education teachers,
or one of each. Or in some cases, it may be a teacher and a paraprofessional working
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together. Some IEPs specify that a student’s teaching team needs to include a general
education teacher and a special education teacher.

Here’s what you need to know about the team teaching method:

What it looks Both teachers teach at the front of the room and move about
like in the to check in with students (as needed).
classroom

Benefits
Provides both teachers with an active instructional role

Introduces students to complementary teaching styles

and personalities

Allows for lessons to be presented by two different

people with different teaching styles

Models multiple ways of presenting and engaging with

information

Models for students what a successful collaborative

working relationship can look like

Provides more opportunities to pursue teachable

moments that may arise

Challenges
Takes time and trust for teachers to build a working
relationship that values each teacher equally in the
classroom

Necessitates a lot of planning time and coordination of

schedules

Requires teachers to have equal involvement not just in

planning, but also in grading, which means assignments

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need to be evaluated using a rubric or other non-

subjective methods

When to use it When students would benefit from learning content and skills
using multiple strategies and having access to more than one
teacher’s experience and perspective

2. Parallel teaching
In parallel teaching, the team splits the class into two groups and each teacher
teaches the same information at the same time. Parallel teaching works well to
differentiate instruction when the content being taught is particularly challenging.
Students can benefit from learning difficult material in a smaller group.

Parallel teaching can be a comfortable way to start co-teaching. You and your co-
teacher plan together to make sure you’re covering the same material. And since
you’re teaching your half of the class, you’re less likely to feel closely observed by your
colleague. Here’s a closer look at parallel teaching:

What it looks like The class is divided into two groups, and both teachers teach
in the classroom the same information simultaneously in different sections of
the room.

Benefits
Provides both teachers with an active instructional role

Lowers the student-teacher ratio and reduces the load

of teaching a large class

Allows for small group instruction, which can be

especially helpful for students who learn and think

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differently
Gives students the chance to ask more questions during
lesson time

Provides a chance for students to work in heterogeneous

groups (made up of varying abilities instead of groups of
students with similar strengths and challenges)

Keeps the academic rigor of a demanding lesson, but

splits the responsibility between both teachers

Challenges
Requires both teachers to have strong knowledge of the
content so students will learn the same thing

Can be challenging to control for noise, distraction, and

space when working in the same classroom

Requires careful timing to make sure both teachers end

the lesson at the same time

When to use it When teachers have equal content expertise and there’s a lot
of information being covered in one lesson

3. Station teaching
In station teaching, the class is divided into three or more groups and the classroom
has multiple learning centers. As the students rotate through the stations, the
teachers teach the same material in different ways to each group. For example,
fractions may be taught with a fraction line at one and with cubes at another. If there
are more stations than teachers, some stations may be student-led and at least one
will focus on independent work or practice opportunities.

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Both you and your co-teacher are responsible for planning and teaching an in-depth
concept that helps meet the overall lesson goal. Learn more about station teaching:

What it looks like Different learning stations are set up in various areas of the
in the classroom classroom, one for each teacher and at least one for
independent student work.

Benefits
Provides both teachers with an active instructional role

Allows teachers to use flexible grouping to tailor

teaching to each group’s needs

Lowers the student-teacher ratio

Resets student focus with each station rotation,

increasing engagement

Provides time for students to engage with the content

on their own as well as with teachers

Supports a UDL approach to teaching

Allows for more material to be covered in a shorter

time frame

Provides a clear teaching responsibility for each adult

in the room

Challenges
Requires significant planning for teaching and material
preparation

Students may not get to all of the stations if they’re not

moving at the same pace

May be noisy and distracting for some students

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Requires pre-teaching around expectations for

independent work time

When to use it When co-teachers have varying depths of knowledge on a

topic and the students would benefit from differentiated
instruction

4. Alternative teaching
In alternative teaching, one teacher instructs most of the class and the other teacher
teaches an alternate or modified version of the lesson to a smaller group of students.
Alternative teaching is also sometimes described as “big group/small group” teaching.

Small groups are often put together based on students’ learning needs. You and your
co-teacher will need to find time to look over student data. This will help you figure
out which students need support filling in gaps in background knowledge, which
students need remediation, or which students could benefit from accelerated learning
because they already know the content or have mastered the skills of the large group
lesson. Here’s more of what you need to know about alternative teaching:

What it looks like One teacher is at the front of the room or roaming providing
in the classroom large group instruction, while the other teacher works with a
small group of students in a different space.

Benefits
Provides both teachers with an active instructional role

Allows for a lower student-teacher ratio

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Provides additional support to struggling students

without specifically singling them out

Gives a chance to re-teach, review, and pre-teach

Allows for intervention as well as enrichment

opportunities

Lets teachers use flexible groups

Challenges
Requires strong data collection in order to group
students appropriately

May make students feel self-conscious, especially if

they’re often in the small group

Can be challenging to control for noise, distraction, and

enough space when working in the same classroom

Needs careful planning to make sure students don’t miss

material being taught to the large group

When to use it When there is a small group of students who need pre- or re-
teaching of skills or content or who would benefit from
enrichment on the topic.

5. One teach, one assist

In the “one teach, one assist” model of co-teaching, one teacher teaches a full group
lesson, while the other teacher roams and helps individual students. This is sometimes
called “one teach, one support,” because the second teacher often provides
additional support for learning or behavior management.

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This model of co-teaching can be difficult to negotiate because it may leave one
teacher feeling more like an assistant. Building a strong relationship with your co-
teacher and talking through when it makes sense to swap roles can make it easier.
That’s key to making sure that both of you have a chance to teach content and to
provide support to students one-on-one.

Debriefing after a lesson is also key. Both of you need to know which students needed
extra support during the lesson, what that support looked like, and what each student
was struggling with. Here’s what you need to know about this co-teaching method:

What it looks like The lead teacher is at the front of the room, where all
in the classroom students can see, while the other teacher roams among
students and assists as needed.

Benefits
Allows one teacher to teach a lesson without
interruption from students who need assistance

Gives real-time help for students who need it

Allows teachers to use proximity to keep students on

task

Provides for increased classroom management, which

can be helpful if the class makeup is particularly
challenging

Can provide newer teachers with the opportunity to

observe more experienced teachers

Challenges
Can create a dynamic in which students see one
teacher as the one who manages behavior

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Can appear as though one teacher is more “in charge”

than the other

Sets up a possible expectation that one-to-one support

can always be immediate

Requires solid planning to make sure the supporting

teacher is used efficiently

When to use it When one teacher is more familiar and comfortable with
teaching a strategy, and you know many students will need
individual support

6. One teach, one observe

In a “one teach, one observe” setting, one teacher serves as the primary instructor,
while the other is simply observing students’ learning and collecting data, which can
be useful in:

Determining what instruction takes place next

Seeing which students need additional help
Deciding what co-teaching model may be used next to address any identified
needs
Identifying and tracking helpful school services, such as IEPs, 504 plans,
functional behavioral assessments (FBA), behavior intervention plans (BIP), or
response to intervention (RTI)

What it looks like The instructing teacher is at the front of the room teaching all
in the classroom the students, while the other teacher is stationed somewhere
inconspicuous to make observations.

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Benefits
Allows for uninterrupted observation and data collection

Provides data that can inform future instruction,

interventions, and student grouping

Challenges
Can create a dynamic in which students see one teacher
as the “real” teacher

Can make it difficult for co-teachers to build a strong

partnership

Loses instructional opportunities in a true co-taught

classroom

When to use it When something specific needs to be observed, whether it’s

information for an IEP meeting, FBA, or RTI, or simply about
how students respond to the way material is being taught

Making co-teaching work

Co-teaching definitely has benefits, but it can also be challenging to implement. It can
be especially hard for new teachers who are paired up with teachers who have more
experience, or for co-teachers whose teaching philosophies differ from each other.
But there are several steps you can take to help make co-teaching work:

1. Plan who’s doing what. No matter which co-teaching model you use, you and your
co-teacher need to thoughtfully plan out which responsibilities each of you will have.
Planning is vital to your success as a co-teaching team.

2. Agree on expectations. Having a conversation before the year begins about your
expectations for students, behavior, homework, bathroom use, etc., can help you work

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out any differences you may have and come to a consensus for how your shared class
will run. It’s also essential that both teachers share behavior management equally.
Avoiding a “good cop/bad cop” situation can make it easier to maintain a positive
classroom culture.
3. Understand the needs of all of your students. It’s critical that both you and your co-
teacher understand the needs of all of your students, including those who learn and
think differently. Knowing how to read an IEP or 504 plan, implement
accommodations, and participate in IEP meetings is a shared responsibility.

4. Use signposting. Making sure both of your names appear on the door, on
assignments, and in the classroom can also help your students see you as the team
you are.

5. Keep setting aside time to collaborate. Planning and reflecting on the lessons you
teach together is especially important. Keeping lines of communication open, raising
concerns respectfully, and having a supportive and involved administrator can help
bridge any gaps.

Read next

What is co-teaching?

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