WINTER 2008

Co-teaching in the ESL ClassroomBY ANDREA HONIGSFELD AND MARiA DOVE

The authors explore the transferability of co-teaching models and techniques from the fieldof Special Education to that of Teaching Englishto Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Theyreview five possible co-teaching configurationsand offer suggestions on avoiding potentialpitfalls. They conclude that co-teaching can(a) become an effective support for inclusivepractices to accommodate the needs of diverseEnglish Language learners; (b) help all studentsmeet national, state, and local standards; (c)establish a vehicle for creative collaborationbetween English as a Second Language (ESL)and mainstream teachers.

^ ^Creative collaboration flourisheswhen everyone understands thatgreat ideas generally emerge from

a democratic process of throwing allideas (good and goofy) into a pot wherethey tumble and merge, collapsingand reforming into something oftencompletely unexpected and new" (Snead& Wycoff, n.d.).

TeachercoUaboration must have intriguededucators ever since the Little Red School Houseexpanded to include more than one teacher. Eventhough most schools are still considered to followthe early 20th century model of "Cells and Bells"(Nair & Fielding, 2005) with most teachersworking in isolation in their own classrooms, we

ANDREA HONIGSFELD MARIA DOVE

believe that for the sake of our students, there is aplace and time for creative collaboration amongall teachers.

Co-teaching is traditionally defined asthe collaboralion between general and specialeducation (SPED) teachers for all of the teachingresponsibilities of all of the students assignedto a classroom (Gately & Gately, 2001). Thisdefinition has frequently been expanded toallow the collaborative partnership between amainstream teacher and a service provider orspecialist other than a SPED teacher, such asa remedial math teacher, a reading specialist,a teacher of the gifted and talented and, morerecently, the English as a Second Language (ESL)teacher. The purpose of this article is to explorehow co-teaching can (a) become an effective

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support for inclusive practices to accommodatethe needs of diverse English Language Learners(ELLs); (b) help all students meet the national,state and local standards; and (c) establish avehicle for creative collaboration between ESLand mainstream teachers. In addition, we alsoshare practical tips on how to implement aneffective co-teaching model to differentiateinstruction for ELLs.

To date, limited resources are availableconcerning co-teaching between ESL andmainstream educators. Oflen, educators workingwith special-needs chiidren, at-risk youth,ELLs, or gifted students look to borrow possibleprogram models and ideas from a related field.Vaughn, Schumm, & Arguelles (1997) outlinedfive possible co-teaching models for the inclusiveclassroom to illustrate ways special educators andtheir mainstream colleagues might collaborate.We have adapted these five models to illustrateways in which they could be applicable to theESL context.

Co-teaching Models(1) One Group: One Lead Teacher and OneTeacher "Teaching on Purpose"

The mainstream teacher and the ESLteacher take turns assuming the lead role, whilethe other teacher "teaches on purpose." Thisapproach provides the teachers an opportunity togive short (1 -5 minute) mini lessons to individuaistudents, pairs of students, or even a small groupof students. Teaching on purpose may focus on aunique language need or take the opportunity topre-teach or re-teach a concept or a skill.

(2) Two Groups: Two Teachers Teach SameContent

The students in the class are placed intwo heterogeneous groups; each teacher workswith one of the groups. By learning in smallergroups, ELLs experience additional opportunitiesto interact with each other, listen to their peermodels, volunteer responses, or receive feedbackfrom the teacher.

(3) Two Groups: One Teacher Re-teaches; OneTeacher Teaches Alternative Information

Teachers assign students to one of twogroups, based on their language proficiency levels.

knowledge, orskillsfortarget content. During thistype of fiexibie grouping arrangement, studentsare assigned to their groups on a temporary basis.As the topic and skills that are addressed change,so does group composition.

(4) Multiple Groups: Two Teachers Monitor/Teach

Creating multiple groups allowsteachers to facilitate and monitor student worksimultaneously as they work on a designated skillor topic. At the same time, selected students canreceive instruction targeting their unique needs.Learning centers, learning stations, and guidedreading groups also can be incorporated into thismodel of co-teaching.

(5) One Group: Two Teachers Teach the SameContent

Two teachers are directing a wholeclass of students, and both teachers are workingcooperatively and teaching the same lessonat the same time. For example, a mainstreamteacher presents a lesson, and the ESL teacherinterjects with examples, explanations, andextensions of the key ideas. The ESL teacher canprovide strategies to assist the students in betterremembering and organizing the information thatwas presented.

How do Co-taught Classes SupportInclusive Practices to Accommodatethe Needs of Diverse EnglishLanguage Learners?

In a co-taught classroom, ELLslearn mainstream content along with theirmonolingual peers. When learning groups remainheterogeneous, ELLs are given the opportunity towork with students who have various academiccapabilities and English language fluency. This isin contrast to remedial or ESL pullout programs,in which ELLs are either grouped with youngsterswho are struggling readers and writers or haveno English language proficiency.

ELLs have different needs than doremedial students. An ESL program shouldenhance student understanding of English whilelearning classroom content, as well as offerEnglish-proficient peers to serve as languagemodels. In our view, these are some of the basic

10ingredients of a successfiil ESL co-teachingmodel. Within a mainstream classroom, an ESLteacher can demonstrate strategies during a co-taught lesson, and the classroom teacher cancontinue to use the same strategies with ELLswhen the BSL teacher is no longer present. Often,the exchange of ideas between teachers allowsfor more risk taking and the use of innovativestrategies on the part of each teacher to benefit allstudents in the classroom.

Planning is an important factor in asuccessful co-teaching program. It gives teachersthe opportunity to divide lesson preparation tasksand modify class work, textbooks, and homeworkassignments so that all students can take partin the learning process. The ideal co-planningstructure provides ESL and classroom teacherstime to meet on a weekly basis to plan activitiesand strategies based on the curriculum and statestandards. The proper amount of joint-meetingtime can help educators review, select from, andshape a variety of co-teaching models into well-organized, productive academic programs forELLs. However, many school districts are unableto schedule adequate time for ESLand mainstreamteachers to meet during the school day. For thisreason, we urge collaborating teachers to agreeupon a feasible model and experiment with itspracticability: a model of instruction in which oneteacher leads and the other assists or teaches onpurpose may prove to be an effective approach toco-teaching. Having one teacher lead and theother assist students during a lesson requiresless planning time and coordination between theteachers involved. As trust and mutual respectfor each teacher's ability build, this model can beexecuted simply with rewarding results for bothstudents and teachers. It is most successful whenboth the ESL teacher and the classroom teachershare the responsibility of taking the lead role. Inthis way, both teachers' individual talents can beused to benefit the students.

Parallel teaching is another co-teachingmethod that may be implemented successfullyeven if less-than-adequate planning time isavailable. In this teaching environment, theclass is divided in half heterogeneously, andeach teacher delivers instruction using the samecontent to one part of the class. This type ofsmall-group instruction benefits ELLs because

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they can obtain more individual attention.Eurthermore, activities are easier to manage, andmore students are able to participate when theteacher-student ratio is lower.

Some co-teaching teams have opted touse an eclectic model of instruction. This worksbest when the ESL and mainstream teacher havean established rapport with one another and theirteaching styles are able to accommodate muchflexibility. A team that has similar instructionaland disciplinary styles will have less difficultynavigatingtheuseofdifferentco-teachingmodels.However, others work best using establishedroutines and well-defined expectations.

Establishing a Vehicle for CreativeCollaboration between ESL andMainstream Teachers

When planning time is scarce, teachersneed to develop communication strategies thatconsistently keep all parties informed and allowfor shared decision making. Ideas regardingplanning and implementing instruction are oftensupplemented with creative ways to communicatewith each other about students, lesson ideas,teaching strategies, and supplementary materials.A teaching log can serve to frame the majorconcepts and skills that all students must learnfor a particular unit of study and assist the ESLand the classroom teacher to organize lessons.We offer the following templates that mainstreamteachers and their ESL colleagues can utilize asthey exchange key ideas about their instructionalplans (see figures 1 and 2)

Meeting National, State, and LocalStandards

Teacher collaboration provides thenecessary venue for meeting national, state,and local standards with ELLs. ESL specialistsare trained to design and implement lessonsutilizing national and state level ESL standards(if available). Teachers of English to Speakersof Other Languages (TESOL 2006) revised itsstandards to include language development bothfor social and academic purposes:Standard 1: English language learnerscommunicate for social, intercultural, andinstructional purposes within the school setting.Standard 2: English language learners

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communicate information, ideas, and conceptsnecessary for academic success in the area oflanguage arts.Standard 3: English language learnerscommunicate information, ideas, and conceptsnecessary for academic success in the area ofmathematics.Standard 4: English language learnerscommunicate information, ideas, and conceptsnecessary for academic success in the area ofscience.Standard 5: English language learnerscommunicate information, ideas, and conceptsnecessary for academic success in the area ofsocial studies.

Many states have published their own setof ESL standards in recent years. For example.New York State ESL Performance Standards(2004) establishes clear guidelines for teachersregarding the expectations for their students'language and literacy development (see figure 3).

Performance indicators aligned to each ofthe five standards specify the measurable skillsELLs need to develop. ESL teachers are bestequipped with strategies to address the variedlinguistic needs of their students, but they cannotdo it alone. Conversely, mainstream educatorsare most well versed in content-specific, grade-appropriate learning standards. Their daily lessonplanning must include goals and objectives thathelp all their students master the required content-based material. Most mainstream educators,however, have limited training in second languageacquisition or pedagogy. Collaboration betweenthese two groups of teachers helps ensure thatEnglish language learners have access to themainstream curriculum and language instructionthat helps them stay in school and develop (a)socially by interacting with their peers in Englishand (b) academically by demonstrating adequateyearly progress in the various content areas(Wertheimer & Honigsfeid, 2000).

Parting WordsWoodrow Wilson once said "I not only

use all of the brains I have, but all I can borrow."His acknowledged reliance on others may fit ourco-teaching context as well. We are confidentthat once they have tried it, many teacherswill welcome the opportunity to collaborate

11regularly, even co-teach in the same classroomfor several periods a day to be able to borrowfrom each other, to share wisdom about teaching,to experience complex situations together, toreveal insights about instructional planning, toshow skills of delivering a lesson, and to meetchallenges and enjoy rewards of helping a newgeneration become integrated into the fabric ofthe classroom and the school community.

ReferencesGaiely. S.. & Ciately. F. (2001). Understand ing co-teaching components.

Teuching Exceptional Children, 33(4), 40-47.ESL Slandards for Pre-K-12 Students. (1997). Alexandria. VA: TESOL.Keefe, E.. Moore. V, & Duff, F. (2003). The four "knows" of collaborative

teaching. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36(5). 36-42.Nair, P., & Fielding, R. (2005). The language of school design: Design

patterns /or 21 st century schools. www.DesignShare.com.New York State ESL Performance Standards (2004). Retrieved July 18,

2(H)7, from http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/biiing/resaurce/ESL/standanls.html

Pre-K-12 English Language Proficiency Standards. (2006). Alexandria, VA:TESOL.

Snead, 0 . L. & Wycoff, J. (n.d.). Stimulating innovation with collaborationrooms. Retrieved July 27. 2007. from http://www.thinksmart.CO m,'a rt i c I e s/c 01! aborat i on_roo m s. htm 1

Vaughn. S.. Scliumm, J. S.. & Ai^uelles, M. E. (Nov/Dec. 1997). TheABCDEs of co-teaching. Teaching Exceptional Children, 30(2).

Wortbeimcr. C . & Honigsfeld. A. (2000), Preparing ESL students to meet tbenew standards. TESOL Journal. 9( I), 23-28.

rea Honigsfeld, Ed.D., is a member of AlphaPi Chapter. New York, and is associate professor ofthe Division of Education at Molloy College. Sheis a Fulbright scholar and member of the AmericanEducational Research Association. Association forSupervision and Curriculum Development. KappaDelta Pi. International Reading Association, PhiDelta Kappa. Teachers of English to Speakers ofOther Languages (TESOL). and NYSTESOL.Maria Dove is an ESL teacher in Valley Stream.N.Y. and adjunct instructor at Molloy College. Sheis currently pursuing an advanced degree in theInstructional Leadership Doctoral Program.

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Figure 1. Planning templates

Mainstream Educator

Day AimBig Idea

Key Activities Assessment

ESL Specialist

lypeot Co-teaching Language and ContentModifications

Notes on IndividualStudents

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Figure 2. A Bird's Eye View of the Curriculum

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Content Area:

Teacher:

September

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

K.ey Ideas Language Goals

•

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Figure 3. NYS ESL Standards

Statidard I: English for information and understanding refers to the competencies and knowledgeof English that students must obtain in order to communicate effectively in social and academic settings.Students learning English as a second language leam, use, and reflect on English language and conceptsfrom the core content areas, such as social studies, sciences, and mathematics. The organization ofinformation and the ability to explain the relationships among pieces of information (in forms such ascause and effect, chronological order, problem/solution, comparing and contrasting, and interpreting)form the essential concepts in Standard 1.

Standard 2: English for literary response, enjoyment, and expression requires that studentsdevelop the knowledge and skills of English to read and understand rich literature that ranges fromclassical to contemporary, and includes works representing a variety of cultures. Students are required topresent oral and written interpretations of literature, and write works of literature of their own. ThroughStandard 2 students gain an understanding of literary concepts such as genre, plot, setting, character,point of view, theme, and other literary elements. Students become familiar with and competent usingstrategies in English such as predicting, previewing, reviewing, and purposeful listening to increasecomprehension and meaning of text in English.

Standard 3: English for critical analysis and evaluation develops students' abilities to read, write,listen, and speak in English to analyze and evaluate texts and issues. Students learning English arerequired to consider divergent perspectives on oral and written texts and evaluate texts and interpretationsof texts, using a variety of criteria. Students develop an understanding of the impact of personal andalternative points of view and use English to form, present, and defend their own positions on significantissues, both orally and in writing. To meet Standard 3, LEP/ELLs are expected to take an experience,text, or idea, and question it from a variety of critical perspectives. These viewpoints are informed bythe students' cultural background and their experiences as newcomers to the US.

Standard 4: English for social and classroom interaction outlines the skills and strategies, bothin and out of school, that LEP/ELLs must master to communicate effectively in English. The focus ofStandard 4 is to develop the competencies students need to engage in functions such as negotiating,explaining, participating in discussions, following and providing directions, and requesting and providingassistance in English. The indicators in Standard 4 apply to an array of meaningful and authenticcommunicative contexts, from informal social situations to formal academic situations.

Standard 5: English for cross-cultural knowledge and understanding articulates the componentsof acquiring a "second culture" in both a social and academic context. Interactions and knowledge that aresubsumed under Standard 5 are designed to help LEP/ELLs entering the United States to be successfulin their new host culture. Standard 5 validates and builds on the cultural background of the individualstudent, promotes articulation and exchanges of ideas and assumptions across cultures, and provides acontext in which the student can explicitly and implicitly acquire knowledge and understandings thatfacilitate the process of acculturation. Teaching to Standard 5 requires an awareness of the dimensionsof culture by ESL teachers, bilingual teachers, and other educators of LEP/ELLs. These dimensionsinclude the varieties of cultural practices, norms, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations that fall underthe general descriptor of "American." In addition, attention to Standard 5 heightens the contributioncultural diversity makes to classroom instruction and interaction. Education under Standard 5 does notpromote a list of cultural "facts" or "do's and don'ts," but, rather, encourages an exploration of the facetsof culture, the student's own as well as the cultures of others, and how culture is manifested in words,actions, and learning.