The terms consultation, collaboration, and coteaching have similar meanings but they also have distinct differences that need to be explained. Some terms are easy to understand such as consultation. Most individuals have lived through varied experiences of the meaning of this word. Just think of the endless consultations that you might have had at the bank, doctors’ office, or with a lawyer. Depending on the circumstance the word does not always bring a smile to your face. The context of the word in education can sometimes have a negative connotation as well.
The purpose of this chapter is to look closely at forms of collaboration through models of consultation and coteaching as they pertain to special education. This chapter will detail different aspects of consultation and coteaching and how they connect to the secondary classroom. The chapter will explore different models and application of the models as well as discuss the differences between coteaching and consultation. The first part of the chapter will look at coteaching and how it has changed over the years along with collaboration in the classroom. The second part of the chapter will detail the Inclusive Consultation Model and its use in the secondary classroom.
Coteaching
In recent years, a rising focus on inclusive educational styles has emerged. Co-teaching is one strategy for achieving an inclusive approach. To put it simply, co-teaching is a method of teaching in which two or more educators (or other trained employees) share responsibility for a single class or workplace. Co-teaching is not identical with conventional team teaching, which does not change the student-teacher ratio and does not include numerous instructional strategies. Unlike team teaching, co-teaching relies on the abilities of both the general educator and the special educator, who may identify specific student learning needs and adapt curriculum and instruction to meet those needs-teaching is most frequent in elementary and middle schools. However, many children with disabilities struggle throughout middle and high school due to teacher misunderstanding, increased assignment complexity, or the demands of a content-focused classroom. Secondary teachers may also struggle to satisfy the academic demands of special education pupils. Students with disabilities must get the same material knowledge as their classmates, a difficult challenge at the secondary level, when curriculum areas become more specific and demand deeper comprehension. Because special educators cannot master all curriculum areas, experts say general education partnership is vital. Co-teaching therefore facilitates teamwork.
The emphasis on content knowledge, the need for independent study skills, the faster pace of instruction, high stakes testing, high school competency exams, less positive attitudes of teachers, and the inconsistent success of strategies that work at the elementary level make co-teaching at the high school level challenging. Despite this, new research indicates that co-teaching is becoming more popular at all school levels.
To fulfill the requirements of all students, co-teaching is an approach that promotes cooperation and communication among all members of a team. However, what makes a team varies greatly from one instructor to the next, and even from one school to the next. Despite the growing popularity of this service delivery paradigm, there is presently no comprehensive empirical evidence on its overall performance. Case studies, observations, survey research, and comments from instructors participating in the process have constituted the extent of the research. Nonetheless, several benefits are presented in the literature because of the current work, including increased collegial exchanges of strategies between professionals, increased understanding of all students' needs, stronger instructional programs grounded in general education content for students with disabilities, increased peer acceptance of students with disabilities, and decreased professional burnout. Several common features emerge from the study literature on co-teaching that are crucial for this model's effective implementation. These themes emphasize the need of co-teacher contact, administrative assistance, comparable ideals, and preparation time.