Planning and Implementing a Co-Teaching Model of Instruction in a Fourth Grade Classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to implement a co-teaching model of instruction in two fourth grade classrooms to evaluate the collaborative process among teachers and to study the affects of co-teaching on student achievement. This was a mixed methods design where a special education teacher and a general education teacher co-taught a unit of social studies over a period of six weeks in two fourth grade classrooms that had six students with disabilities integrated. The teachers met regularly, kept reflective journals, and assessed the students' progress throughout the study. Student achievement on unit tests were used to measure student progress using an ABA single subject design. The findings of this study showed that there was no clear pattern of improvement in student achievement during the intervention period. The teacher participants reported positive outcomes from the collaborative work.