The Power of Partnership: Co-Teaching Opportunities and Challenges in Developmental Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Curricular and Instructional Models for the Future

Abstract

Developmental education has historically acted as a gatekeeper to college-level coursework. However, reform efforts increasingly favor the corequisite model, which enables students to simultaneously enroll in a support and college-level course. While a single instructor for both corequisite sections may be ideal, co-teaching is a popular approach used by community colleges nationwide. Our qualitative case study explored co-teaching within the corequisite model at a large, diverse community college system. Utilizing interviews from 34 faculty and 41 students, our findings demonstrate clear and explicit pedagogical connections between the two courses as essential. Students also benefited from co-teaching when diverse perspectives and teaching approaches were provided. Our implications offer insights into effective corequisite teaching that supports students' future success in college-level coursework.

Authors

• Susana H. Hernandez, Northern Arizona University

• Lyle McKinney, University of North Florida

• Andrea Backscheider Burridge, Houston Community College

• Amy Tan, Connecticut State Community College