Co-Teaching the Co-Req

Stories, Successes & Strategies

Kimberly Hilton & Danielle Marshall

INADE & NADE 2015

Who are we?

Kimberly Hilton

Associate Professor with 15 years of experience

B.A. English

M.S. Adult Education and M.A. English (May 2015)

Teaching Writing and Teaching Literature Certificates

Danielle Marshall

Adjunct Instructor with two years of experience

B.S. Psychology and B.A. English

M.A. English

Teaching Writing Certificate

We taught together at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, IN

during Fall 2013 and Spring 2014

Origins of Co-Teaching

Chapman and Hyatt define this practice: “Co-teaching is an effective, evidence-based instructional strategy in which two or more caring professionals share responsibility for a group of students and work collaboratively to add instructional value to enhance their efforts.”

Typically co-teaching is found in elementary/middle/high schools and in special education classrooms.

(Chapman & Hyatt 2011)

Co-Teaching the Co-What??

A co-requisite enrolls students into a developmental class along with the corresponding college level class

At Ivy Tech, students take English 073 along with English 111, optimally with one instructor

Our initiative is based on the Accelerated Learning Project (ALP) from the Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland

According to the ALP website, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Colorado, and West Virginia have adopted the model statewide

• Enrolls in 073

• Companion 111

Student places below

English 111

Half the class

tested into

English 111

Attends class with same

teacher

• Satisfies 073 prereq

• Receives credit for English 111

Student passes English

111

Ivy Tech’s Version of ALP

• English 073 has 10 Dev Ed students in a computer lab

• Assignments in 073 are designed to support the essays in English Comp (Backward design)

• Additional time and attention is given in 073 to non-academic/affective issues such as student finances, employment, parenting, etc.

Why teach Co-Reqs?

To increase retention To increase graduation rates 073 supports the

assignments in 111 Students see 073 in a

positive light instead of a negative/punishment

Mandated statewide for Ivy Tech

Indiana Mandates Co-ReqsFormer Governor Mitch Daniels won a

$1 million grant in 2011 “Smarter Choices, Faster Completion”

Redesign the delivery of remedial coursework at Ivy Tech (Reading, Writing, and Math)

Co-requisite component that places students into college level courses with supplemental support (ALP model chosen)

(Indiana Commission for Higher Education 2013)

Why Co-Teaching?

Ivy Tech increased co-reqs to 75% of all composition courses offered

One teacher for 073

Same books for both classes

Students receive a grade in each course

Shortage of credentialed teachers for both levels

One teacher for 111

Same 111 syllabus as non co-reqs

Students must earn at least a D in 111 and a C in 073

Our Story Since Danielle had recently graduated

and had no teaching experience, we decided to create our own mentoring strategy

During fall semester, Kim taught English 111 and Danielle taught 073. She also sat in on all of Kim’s 111 classes

In spring, Danielle taught 111 and Kim taught a pilot of 075 (Integrated Reading/Writing)

For 075 we used a theme of literacy through both courses (career, music, technology, educational)

In both scenarios we planned the courses together in person, communicated regularly via email and text, and visited each other’s classes

Relevant Research

We could not find any specific research on co-teaching a co-requisite class

We searched for best practices for co-teachers in other settings; for example, middle school/high school teachers

There are guidelines for new co-teachers in other settings that can be applied to the co-req teaching partnerships

Allessandra’s Platinum Rule and Eisen & Tisdell’s Relationship Styles

Survey of Ivy Tech Indianapolis Co-Teachers Fall 2014

The Platinum Rule

Allesandra’s “The Platinum Rule” offers four possible styles of co-teachers:

1. Directors 2. Socializers 3. Relaters 4. Thinkers All teachers can exhibit aspects of

more than one style, but one will be predominant (2014)

Platinum Rule Styles

Positives Negatives Needs

Director Task-oriented, work quickly and alone

Dominating, stubborn and impatient

To control and achieve

Socializer

Enthusiasm, persuasiveness and ideas

Short attention span, aversion to working alone

To be with others and in the action

Thinker Detail-oriented, persistent problem solvers

Over-critical, perfectionists

Proof, caution in making decisions

Relater People-oriented, good listeners, loyal employees

Risk-aversive, prefer status quo

Consistency, agreement

Adapting to the Styles

With Directors, be efficient and competent. Be organized and get to the point

With Socializers, be interested in them. They are people-oriented, so give them time to socialize

With Thinkers, be well-prepared, detail-oriented, business-like, and patient. They need details, so give them data

With Relaters, be non-threatening and sincere. Talk in terms of feelings, not facts. Take things slow, earn their trust, support their feelings, and show sincere interest

(Allesandra 2014)

Using the Platinum Rule

Know yourself & your primary style

Identify what your needs are

Kim primary style is Director , then Socializer

Get to know your Co-Teacher’s style

Ask your partner what he/she needs

Danielle’s primary style is Socializer, then Director

Types of Relationships

Committed Marriage: Team members select

each other voluntarily &

commit to working closely over time.

Extended Family: Individual teachers

exchange ideas, observe each

other & commiserate.

Blind Date: Strangers are

matched by a 3rd party. This could

lead to a committed

marriage OR a one-night stand!

The Village: The team is composed

of learners & teachers who seek to foster a broad-

based learning community.

(Eisen & Tisdell 2000)

The Survey We asked full and part-time faculty

about their co-teaching experiences at Ivy Tech

A survey was presented via Survey Monkey and all responses were anonymous

Number of respondents was 16 While 37% reported having 2 to 5 years

experience teaching at Ivy Tech, 25% were first year teachers

Only 25% had over 10 years of experience

Seventy-five percent of respondents had no previous experience co-teaching, while 19% said they had previous experience at the college level

Only 6% had previous experience at the K-12 level

How Did They Communicate?

In Person

Email

Blackboard IM

Texting

Phone

Attending class

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

14

15

0

2

5

2

Method of Communication

Instructor Comments on Challenges

My first challenge was not understanding what I was supposed to teach the 073 students

My co-teacher was a brand new adjunct so she had to learn all the ins and outs of the College, Blackboard, the courses and the Co-Req all at once

Scheduling convenient times to communicate face-to-face and/or via phone was challenging

I was partnered with someone who was not engaged in the class and ended up leaving mid-semester. This caused real issues since I didn’t know what was happening in 111 other than what the students told me after I took over her class

Benefits of Co-Teaching

The students liked having two different perspectives. It helped them see their work in a different light

Working together, we could re-emphasize core concepts and reinforce each other’s messages

Students liked having another teacher to ask questions, especially if they find one teacher less approachable

I learned new techniques and ideas from my co-teacher

In sharing information, we were both able to get to know the students much better

Suggestions from the Co-Teachers

Get together with your partner early and often; trade notes about student work and share perspectives

Meet prior to the course beginning to plan

Sit in on each other’s classes now and then. I think having an experienced teacher paired with a less experienced one is definitely helpful as a mentoring aspect

If you are the 073/075 instructor, be willing to make changes to help reinforce the 111 learning

More Suggestions

Working together with personal contact makes all the difference in maximizing the benefits of the Co-Req experience for students and for teachers

The stipend helps, but it really isn’t enough when you factor in all the work that is done

Place more emphasis on professional development for co-teachers. The co-teaching relationship is overlooked because there is so much focus on the classes themselves

Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Toni & Michele’s Story Toni is an adjunct with 12 years

experience teaching developmental reading and writing at Ivy Tech

She has taught the developmental side of the Co-Req with three different co-teachers

Michele is an adjunct on her 5th year teaching Composition 1 and 2 at Ivy Tech with no experience teaching the developmental writing stand alone or co-req

She has only co-taught with Toni

They taught together Spring 2014 semester and met every week for an hour

and a half to adjust their courses according to student needs

In Their Own Words…

“For all of us, instructors and students, communication became the cornerstone of our Co-Req experience.” – T

“Although Toni and I teach differently, I feel the students were MORE engaged because our approaches were different.” – M

“I like the Co-Req classes as a co-teacher. I can spend more time with each student on their particular writing problems and I can reinforce what is being taught in the English 111 class.” – T

“Without a supportive Co-Req partner, I’m not sure my positive teaching experience or student retention would have been the same. I feel it critical to expend the time to select and coordinate Co-Req teams for success and use them.” – M

Let’s Hear from the Students! The (co-req) helped me

tremendously, not to mention I had two great English instructors that helped me through my semester. I was never lost or confused

I was able to ask questions without feeling dumb or a bother to the instructors. I also enjoyed having two teachers because it made me separate the two courses from each other

I would recommend that advisors and counselors be more aware of the classes and how they work

More Student Comments The best thing about taking 073/111

is the fact that you get them both done in one semester and get credit for both

The two teachers worked well together and they were both helpful whether it was 073 or 111. The work we did in the 073 class helped with the papers we wrote

It would be better if both classes were scheduled in one room so we don’t have to move

The 073 part was too long and could be shorter

So You’re Going to Co-Teach a Co-Req

Jane Sileo writes that, “Teachers must first know the meaning of co-teaching, as well as logistics involved with the process.”

Also important is whether the instructor chose to co-teach or if it was chosen for them. A majority of Ivy Tech Indianapolis instructors are matched by an administrator based on availability

Parity, or equal status, requires that all responsibilities are shared equally. (In our case, planning the curriculum was the primary focus

(Sileo 2011)

Get to Know Each Other

What are our styles? (Platinum Rule) What out of school responsibilities do

we each have? Child care, full time job, family issues, other classes?

What do we have in common? How are we different from each other?

How often and where will we meet to plan?

How will we communicate? How will we resolve differences?

Co-Create Your Courses

Who has experience with teaching either or both courses and/or Co-Reqs?

How will the 073 class support the 111 assignments?

What are the major papers in 111? What teaching strategies will we use?

(Lecture, discussion, group activities) What forms of assessment will we use?

(Rubrics, quizzes, informal writing) How will we use technology? (Learning

Management System, e.g. Blackboard)

Reflect and Assess Solicit feedback from your students

via journals or surveys Exchange feedback with your co-

teacher Assess what worked well and what

flopped Decide if you would/could/should co-

teach together again If so, make a proactive plan to let

your chair know you would like to be assigned together the next semester

Begin to make any changes in the courses ahead of time to ensure co-teaching and student success

Recommendations

New instructors, even if qualified to teach both courses, should only teach one class first with an experienced co-teacher

Mentoring program/handbook Get acquainted with your co-teacher

before classes start Create a habit of constant communication Stipend for co-req team teachers to

compensate for their extra time ($680 in 2014)

Maintain teams that work. A committed marriage is better for the students than a one night stand!

For copies of this presentation, please take a business card

and we will email it to you.

Thank You!

Works Cited

Allesandra, Tony. "The Platinum Rule." Alessandra.com. Allesandra & Associates, Inc., 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Sept. 2014. <http://www.alessandra.com/abouttony/aboutpr.asp>.

Chapman, Carrie, and Cate Hart Hyatt. Critical Conversations in Co-teaching: A Problem-solving Approach. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2011. 1-165. Print.

“Co-Teaching the Co-Req.” Survey Monkey results from faculty. Sep 2014.

Eisen, Mary-Jane, and Elizabeth J. Tisdell, eds. Team Teaching and Learning in Adult Education. Fall 2000 ed. Vol. 87. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000. 1-94. Print.

“Reaching Higher, Achieving More." State of Indiana. Indiana Commission for Higher Education, n.d. Web. 10 Apr 2013. <http://www.in.gov/che/2713.htm>.

Sileo, Jane. "Co-Teaching: Getting to Know Your Partner." Teaching Exceptional Children 43.5 (2011): 32-38. Print.