Investigating teacher candidates’ perceptions of collaboration during a co-teaching experience

Corine Meredith Brown ,Martha Graham Viator

doi:10.14738/assrj.61.5914

Corine Meredith Brown , Martha Graham Viator

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.61.5914

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Abstract

While teacher candidates learn the theoretical value of instructional collaboration in teacher preparation programs, they often lack professional preparation experiences to develop collaborative skills as educators in the classroom. To address this need, some teacher education programs have integrated co-teaching as part of their required clinical practice experiences. This case study research design examines two teacher candidates’ perceptions of collaboration as they engaged in co-planning and co-teaching in a secondary level, social studies classroom. Qualitative data sources including semi-structured interviews, co-planning sessions, field notes, formal classroom observations, and candidate-created lesson plans were collected. Case study data were coded for both patterns of coherence and contradictions throughout the analysis. Four major themes emerging from the data included co-planning, co-teaching, support systems, and division of labor. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed these pre-service teachers shared similar positive perceptions regarding co-planning constructs, skills, and activities. Yet both participants struggled with individual issues of competition within the classroom, as well as personal and professional confidence as instructors, creating mixed perceptions of collaboration in co-teaching .

Highlights

To meet the demands of educating primary and secondary students in the 21st century, teachers must collaborate with colleagues to analyze test scores, student work, and instructional practices within a culture of inquiry [1]
There is much to be learned from research that explores co-teaching among current general education and special education teachers, this review focuses only on studies of dyads or triads of individuals coteaching during pre-service clinical experiences
Both teacher candidates viewed collaboration as beneficial for planning before and after the study because co-planning provided an opportunity for a division of labor and a support system

Summary

Introduction

To meet the demands of educating primary and secondary students in the 21st century, teachers must collaborate with colleagues to analyze test scores, student work, and instructional practices within a culture of inquiry [1]. Teacher candidates are graduating with limited to no experience with professional collaboration in their clinical placements [2, 3]. Teacher preparation programs theoretically emphasize the value of learning communities, often candidates’ training remains typical, culminating with a traditional student teaching experience in which candidates alone assume all classroom responsibilities. Educators learn to teach independently and continue this practice in their own classrooms. To address this gap between university learning and instructional practice in the classroom, some teacher education programs have integrated co-teaching as part of the student teaching, or clinical practice, experience. Co-teaching engages pre-service teachers in collaborative planning, classroom management, instruction, assessment and other

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