Language, Content, and Teaching Together: Examining Co-Teaching Through District Case Studies

• In Event: Co-Teaching for English Learners: Evidence-Based Practices and Research-Informed Outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore different co-teaching constructions in classrooms in New York’s Hudson Valley region, an area which has experienced significant growth in the number of Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in the last decade. With new state mandates propelling co-teaching partnerships between content teachers and English as a New Language (ENL) teachers (NYSED, 2015; NYSUT, 2015), more research investigating what modes of instruction work best in what contexts are necessary to determine best practices for teaching MLLs.

Perspectives

Though co-teaching in public school has existed for many years through integrated Special Education programs (Beggs, 1964; Cook & Friend, 1995; Cook, McDuffie-Landrum, Oshita, & Cook, 2011; Scruggs & Mastropieri, 2017), new models of co-teaching between ENL teachers and classroom teachers have been hailed as beneficial for delivering high levels of accessible, academic content for MLLs (Author & Author, 2010a; Graziano & Navarrete, 2012; Author & Author, 2010a; 2015a). Despite coteaching’s potential to capitalize on the concept of two teachers being better than one, it is not clear how the educational responsibilities of co-teaching are being shared in diverse settings. In fact, it is not yet known to what extent the goals of co-teaching, e.g. higher levels of academic achievement, smoother MLL integration into general education classrooms, and the development of teacher partnerships and leaders, are ultimately being reached. The research questions that guided this inquiry were the following: What systems of co-teaching are currently in place in schools for MLLs? How do stakeholders understand the goals of co-teaching, and how do current educational systems meet these goals?

Methods and Data Sources

Identified co-teaching models and relationships between partner teachers were analyzed using Author and Author’s (2010a) seven-model framework. An array of school based factors, including, the number of MLLs in the school, the differences between elementary vs. secondary contexts, the flexibility of scheduling co-taught classes, and staffing were also studied insofar as they characterized or even dictated the teaching models used. Data collection included classroom observations followed by one-on-one interviews with administrators, teachers, and students to learn more about perspectives on the affordances and weaknesses of co-teaching. Students’ perceptions of co-teaching were a particular focus in this study, in that their own conceptions of the instruction they receive and its mode of delivery are important sources of information about model efficacy.

Results

Preliminary findings suggest that there is great variation in the ways that co-teaching is implemented across this region depending on an array of unique, contextual variables. This variability is coupled with wide disparity in opinion as to what constitutes true co-teaching and what does not.

Significance

This study has very practical applications in that it documents differing co-teaching models, leading to better understanding to whether certain models lend themselves better to one context over another. By recording and learning how school districts implement co-teaching, this study begins to capture stakeholders’ conceptions about its efficacy and establishes a basis from which other co-teaching models can be further considered.

Authors

• Beth Clark-Gareca, SUNY - College at New Paltz

• David Mumper, Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network