Be safe, be appropriate, be responsible and please make sure you remain professional and follow ALL your district policies and procedures.
Only Blog Postings from NW GLRS Site Based Co-Teaching Academy Participants
Should Be Posted Here!
"Co-Planning and Models of Co-Teaching: Knowing Which Model to
Use and How"
Hello Fellow NW GLRS Co-Teaching Academy Members! I hope all is well with you and your school year is off to a great start. Hopefully, the whirlwind of starting a new year has settled and you’re finally able to teach. All the instructors from the NW GLRS Team want to commend you on all the great instruction we saw when we visited your classrooms at the beginning of the year. Most of you were teaching the standards and a few of you demonstrated great examples of differentiating instruction while teaching in a standards-based classroom.
Our major focus this year will be to: 1) help you move from the overused and not always the most appropriate model of collaboration of “one teach-one assist” to true “co-teaching"; 2) use data to drive and improve instruction in the areas of R/ELA and Math; 3) learn to effectively use various Web 2.0 21st Century Teaching Tools to effectively co-plan, differentiate instruction, and to overall enhance the teaching and learning experience of students with and without disabilities in your co-taught classrooms.
By now, each of you should have:
· Signed up for a Gmail account and emailed your Gmail address to your instructors and to Charlise Johnston at: cjohnston@nwgaresa.com
· Joined the NW GLRS Wikispace and checked it frequently for updates
· Joined the NW GLRS Blog as a Follower and followed the blog
· Read the online assignment and due date sheet and followed all the instructions listed that need to be completed for Day 1 Face-to-Face and Day 1 Online assignments (an assignment due date list for each cohort has been posted on the NW GLRS Wikispace on the Calendars, Handouts, and Forms Page)
Now, that we’ve finished our housekeeping this month, let’s getting to Blogging:
Introduce yourself to your instructors and the rest of the co-teachers in your Cohort. Then briefly discuss which model of co-teaching you used most this month and why. Then using the K-8 Access Center Co-Teaching Handout that discusses design, instruction, monitoring, and benefits as your rubric, self-assess you and your co-teacher’s level of proficiency. What did you do well and what do you still need to work on? Did you co-plan which collaborative model you were going to use before you used it, or did you just adlib? Did you both equally share in the teaching and learning of your students? Why or Why Not? Use the NW GLRS Standards-Based Lesson Plan template as your rubric to respond to this question. Did you co-plan using Google Docs yet? How did it work for you? Pros, cons, frustrations, celebrations???
Once you respond to this blog, then read at least 2 other co-teachers’ blog post and post comments. This is how we build a true professional learning community using social networking tools.
Good evening everyone! I apologize that I have not been able to respond to your blog posts this week as I've been swamped as I know you are. Please know that I plan to carve out some time for you this weekend and I'll be in touch. Take care and I look forward to connecting with you soon!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Walker County Cohort --- Where are your blog postings??? You're only supposed to post your blog postings here! If I can't find your postings, you won't receive credit. Make sure you login to the NW GLRS Blogspot and click on the Walker County NW GLRS Co-Teaching Academy page and only post your comments there. I don't see you! I'm planning a meeting with your administrators and special education director soon to give them an update. Please help me give them a good report. Take care and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Cassandra
Testing the ability to post to this weblog from within the district.
ReplyDeleteWe finally were able to get signed up for all these things.
ReplyDeleteWe finally got signed in.
ReplyDeleteFinally. We were able to finally get this working. Sorry it took so long.
ReplyDeleteFinally.
ReplyDeleteFinally. I am not 1111. I am Renee Walker. I think I have done it right this time around. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteI have blogged, but I think that I may have blogged in the wrong location. I am still working on getting signed up for my wiki space, and I hope to have headway on that soon.
ReplyDeleteOK, OK, OK ... I admit that blogging (as though you might not have known) has not been the top of my list of things to do ... but I am signed in and am here now.
ReplyDeleteLesson plans have been higher on my list. In fact, we have already used the GLRS format and have several lessons ready to post. The form is not as daunting as it might first appear, and has helped us organize as we develop and implement our co-teaching initiative.
Well, I realized I was blogging on the wrong page.....Ben and I have been working on our wiki space. We have been also working on doing a better job of sharing the responsibilities. Since teaching by myself for 11 years, it has not been that easy to let go of being in charge of the class. I am also new to inclusion. However, I am loving it. We are getting a lot better at parallel teaching and working with flexible groups. I am very excited about our class. They are already making great strides. We are now working on using more and more technology in our lessons. We use the smartboard everyday and some computers. There is more technology on the way including, flip cameras, ELMOs, and a IPad. The kids really love getting to use the smart board and close "being" the teacher to the class.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, finally......blogging!!!
PS: Ben and I are from Stone Creek, Walker County.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Shannon McElhaney and this is my second year as a Special Ed Inclusion teacher at Stone Creek Elementary. I have had the luxury to co-teach with the same math teacher for both years. Since last year was our first year together, inclusion was new to us both, as well as, we were new to each other. This year, everything has clicked. We know each others strengths and play off of that. We do not just stick to one co-teaching model. We base what model from the task that will be taught, how the students will participate and the diverse needs of our class.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Tara Moore and my co-teaching partner is Renae McKenzie. We teach at Stone Creek Elementary School and started co-teaching together last year and we absolutely love it. The model we choose to use depends on the task being presented but most models are utilized during the week. We work very well together and our students are definitely benefitting from the inclusion classroom.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Whitney Hollifield and my co-teacher is Vanessa Bell. We teach at Ridgeland High School and this is our first semester teaching together. We usually use the "One Teaching, One Drifting" model. I will teach the material, and then Ms. Bell will monitor the class and answer individual questions. However, we've been trying to branch out. We've used Parallel Teaching recently, and I'm working on getting that lesson uploaded. It went really well, especially since we have 30 students; it was nice to split the class into small groups. We are both still trying to figure out how to use the Wikispace and Googledocs.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Lynn Morton. I am a 1st year teacher with Bobbie Colquette. At the beginning of the year, we were using the "One Teach, One Drift" method. We are currently working on the "Parallel Method." We have a small class so this method allows us to work with students one-on-one.
ReplyDeleteThank God! I finally figured this out! I am totally frustrated! My lack of participation is due to a lack of understanding. I now understand the position that many of our students deal with daily. I need some differentiation done for me.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Melodi Collier and I work with Jennifer Hobbs. We use the "Parallel" and "One Teach, One Drift" methods in our classroom. We have a class of thirty as well. We switch our methods and techniques as needed for all students and classroom discipline.
ReplyDeletedid that last message post?
ReplyDeleteHello! I can't believe that I was able to do this--(well, actually I would not have been able to with out the help of my friend, Vanessa Bell!) I teach at RHS with Melodi Collier and KC Jones. Kudos to these fabulous women!!!
ReplyDeleteFinally! I am like Melodi--technologically challenged. And like her I also need differentiation because this has been very difficult to do. I still don't think wikki is done correctly. I think I have set it up but I am not sure how to do all of the other requirements for the wikkipage. I teach Math II with Annie Loveless. We have tried parallel teaching but mainly it has been one assist one drift.
ReplyDeleteI'm Annie Loveless and my Co-Teacher is Kathy Fryer. We teach Math 2 at Ridgeland High School. Like Kathy said, we mainly use the "One Teach, One Drift" model, where I deliver the majority of the material and Kathy is utilized during worktime, assisting individual students. We have tried the "Parallel Teaching Model," which like many have said, was nice to cut down on class size. We've mostly spent our time focusing on improving our planning/collaboration, but have yet to tackle the GLRS lesson plan format.
ReplyDeleteI'm Heather Bednar from Stone Creek Elementary. I have taught at Stone Creek for 11 years. This is my second year with math inclusion. Shannon and I have worked together both years. She is my second brain. I can stop mid-sentence and she can easily pick up where I leave off or visa versa. We don't strictly follow one model.
ReplyDeleteAlright finally made it.
ReplyDeleteWe explored the site for smartboard interactive lessons at Smartexchange and found several lessons we may use for the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have already found a lesson on the smart exchange I am going to use tomorrow in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.exchange.smarttech.com/index.html#tab=0
ReplyDeletehttp://whitneyhollifield.wikispaces.com
ReplyDeleteThis is how I am using my wikispace for my classroom.
Wow, we have a smart board lesson for each math lesson next week from the smart tech. It was great to finally have the planning time to see some of the great resources. Now that I started finding these sites, I can't stop. Will use a lot.
ReplyDeleteTest. Tracy Arnt
ReplyDeletenot sure how to start the wikispace?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Chris King and I am a co-teacher in Math I and Math II.
ReplyDeleteWow! This has been a rough start to this journey of knowledge. The wikis and blogs have been difficult for me, and without the help of my team I would be drowning
ReplyDeleteI teach 5th grade SPED at Naomi Elementary. This is my second year to work with Laura Smalley, and my first year of inclusion with Autumn Hentz. What a great team! If I could have dreamed up a teaching position and made it real, this is exactly the job that I would want.
I hope we get to work together in years to come. I have seen such improvement in my SPED students. Their confidence level continues to soar as they find their way into the regular education setting. We use technology a lot and our students love it. I am so blessed to be in this situation.
I'm in.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to share what I found out today from a very reliable source (who shall remain nameless). Study Island remediation/enrichment questions are primarily DOK levels 3 and 4. Good to know, huh?
ReplyDeleteI am here Dr.Holifield.
ReplyDeleteSorry. I accidentally posted under the home page. I have finally found my way. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe are working through this wiki space stuff and blogging thing.
ReplyDeleteI am K-2 SPED teacher at Naomi School. I have a co-teacher in each grade. My co-teacher for this academy is J.Brown (second grade). We have experimented with the different models for co-teaching and are getting more comfortable with changing up methods several times a week. We find the students respond positively when things have more variety.
ReplyDeleteSince 33% of the class has an IEP, the parallel model works very well because we are able to present the same info/lesson to students with varying abilities.
I look forward to learning more as we go.
Susanne Honeycutt and Ben Cherry at Stone Creek 2nd Grade
ReplyDeleteWe have been working on taking turns teaching and using more of the parallel method. I will admit that it is easy to fall into one teach, one drift method. This is my first year with inclusion. However, since we have been taking turns with openings/closings and teaching in smaller groups, I can see the great benefits for the students. We have 18 students so it really helps to teach in flexible groups so that we can meet the needs of the students for the different subjects. We are constantly discussing the changing needs of the students learning. We often discover new strengths and weaknesses in students, which causes us to have to change our groups based on results from lessons and student work from the day before.
Plus, I have realized that Ben has awesome ideas and ways to reach the students that I may not have thought of....two brains is better than one.
I meant to say two brains ARE better than one. Bad proofreading......=)
ReplyDeleteI am still working on the wikispace. To be honest, time has been getting away from me. Where did the month go? I have found that some of the sites for upper level math have been ones that I stumbled across over the years. There is still a lot to discover, and I will continue to work on it
ReplyDeleteMelissa Barrett is my coteacher. We teach fifth grade reading/writing/grammar together. We are finding out that she is more of an expert in the area of poetry than I am. I am so excited to see what she will be "bringing to the table" in that upcoming unit.
ReplyDelete