Co-teaching/ Co-mmunication.

Last year, I taught with a male counterpart, not so much older than myself. We shared similar philosophies in some respects, differed in others, but combined those differences into what became our classroom. He is now going to teach with another teacher, leaving me with a new female counterpart. There is nothing new about this, in fact my neighboring co-teaching team is that of a male/female combo. I don't mention any of this for the sake of discussing how to work with a female co-teacher, but only to bring up a major isssue that can arise with any co-teaching team.



Last year, our successes were primarily built upon the grouping, teaching strategies, and relationships that were found in the classroom. And we had great success, any failures were semi-acceptable given prior circumstances. On the other end of the spectrum, however, we had our failures. They were found in the communication, understanding, and effort departments. Inconsistent would best describe all failures that arose in our classroom best, regardless of any specificity. But why the inconsistency? Where did it come from? The answer to that lies in the communication department.

I think that we didn't communicate a clear vision of what was to be expected in the classroom. For example, attendance was something I left to him. My thought process was that he had duty during a large portion of the time when students were entering, which was when I would be getting class started. He would come in at a time during which attendance should be taken, so I left it to him so I could continue running the class that I had gotten started. I'm not sure his take on it (lack of communication.) We eventually settled on the fact that it was his responsibility after we were called into the Principal's office to be reminded that, "Although mundane, attendance is a very important part of the classroom and must be taken." This wasn't the only occurrence of inept behavior, but it highlights a general problem in the communication domain.

The problem with our communication disorder wasn't just that we weren't talking. No, our communication disorder was merely the symptom of another problem. That problem being, our pride and prejudice (royalties have been paid to Jane Austin.) Pride was what told us that we were doing enough, and that it was the other person's job. Prejudice resulted from this pride and is what made us blame the other person for any issues. Admitting that you are wrong, in fact, assuming that you are wrong before you enter a situation is the best safeguard against misunderstandings, which most often are the result of a lack of communication.

I mean, don't get me wrong, our success was great, but there should have been more. And the fix to that is clearly establishing the expectations for what each other is to do. We went to training on the whole co-teaching model and yet somehow fell apart in some areas. I think the part that was missing was the initial setup of determining the amount of time each person HAD to devote to specific tasks such as an IEP or Lesson Plans, then divvying up all other tasks. Following up to make sure each person isn't overwhelmed would be next, followed by a restructuring who does what if there is a need.

What do you think? What is the answer? Have I found the root problem, or is there more to it?