Team Touched UNITED Protocol Steps for CoTeaching Success

Team Touched UNITED Protocol Steps for Co-Teaching Success Tyra Jenkins & Rebecca Hughes

UNITED Protocol Unveil beliefs, vision, and mission Beliefs guide our work, our words, our actions…what are your individual beliefs about teaching and learning? Name Tyra Role Individual Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Teachers should be flexible, creative and knowledgeable. They should exercise skills to integrate academic and lifelong learning in the classroom. All students can learn with proper tools and guidance. They should be accountable for their learning and refrain from excuses and “I don’t knows” because it shuts their brain down from developing creative possibilities. Rebecca I try to run my classroom like my home—I have to want to be there. I set high expectations that I expect students to reach, I am stubborn and don’t back down from what I believe they should and can do but I’m very supportive and nurturing at the same time. I want my students to see the good in themselves that I see daily and differentiate lessons to ensure that all their strengths are addressed. I believe that nothing should inhibit their successes and I try to find opportunities for my students to excel outside of the classroom as often as possible. I believe it is my role as a teacher and case manager to teach their whole being not just them as a student. I think that students, regardless of their situations need to be provided with the supports essential for their success.

UNITED Protocol Unveil beliefs, vision, and mission Your team’s shared beliefs are cornerstone of your collaboration as co-teachers. These beliefs will guide your words and actions as a team and contribute to how your function as a cohesive unit. ~ Capture your team’s shared beliefs ~ The beliefs you have in common WE BELIEVE… 1. We should address the “whole” student and not just the “school” student 2. We should instill life-long learning skills and principles within our students 3. We hold students accountable for their academic and personal achievement 4. We set high but attainable expectations for all our students regardless of ability 5. We provide the supports necessary for all students in the classroom to be successful

UNITED Protocol Unveil beliefs, vision, and mission A vision statement is about significant improvement, the difference you want to make, and where you want to end up as a co-teaching team. OUR VISION Our vision is a co-teaching partnership where each individual is equally invested and included in the management, planning, and logistics of the classroom. (parent contacts and communication, lesson planning and execution, behavioral and small-group interventions, creating supports and manipulatives for students)

UNITED Protocol Unveil beliefs, vision, and mission A mission puts your vision into practice. What will you do to bring forth your vision ? OUR MISSION Our mission is to plan together, share the pedagogy and management responsibilities, utilize the strengths of each partner, and be flexible and open to the day-to-day changes and needs of the students in the classroom.

UNITED Protocol Unveil beliefs, vision and mission The vision and mission should link together since the mission explains how you will realize your vision. OUR VISION and MISSION In order to establish a classroom where each individual is equally invested and included in the management, planning, and logistics of the classroom, we need to ensure that we take the time to utilize each other’s strengths to plan creative, engaging, and rigorous lessons that scaffold learning so it is accessible to all students.

UNITED Protocol Name operating standards A high performing co-teaching team is guided by core set of standards that promote positive interactions and efficiency. Operating standards foster a basic discipline for high performance teamwork. BOUNDLESS LEARNING CO-TEACHING: Operating Standards • Listen to understand. • • • Complete activities on time. Participate and contribute to the team. Respect each other. Offer help willingly. Be organized and prepared.

UNITED Protocol Identify six high performance teaming principles POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE “Sink or Swim Together” INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY “No Free Riders” PERFORMANCE MONITORING “Check it out” LOOKS LIKE. . SOUNDS LIKE. . FEELS LIKE • Demonstration of an understanding that all members of the coteaching team are vital to reaching the team’s goals • Support of one another to maximize your individual and team potential • Demonstration of an understanding that all team members share equal responsibility and roles in all aspects of the classroom and instruction • Assessment of the co-teaching team’s progress in reaching team goals and demonstration of teaming principles and operating standards • Shared decision making about areas of improvement and change • Active involvement of all team members in every aspect of coteaching: planning, implementation, assessment ENGAGEMENT & MOMENTUM “Energize and Execute” • Frequent and purposeful interactions • Collaborative data analysis, problem-solving, and exchange of information and resources • Energy, involvement, interactions of the co-teaching team benefits students COLLABORATIVE COMPETENCE “All for One and One for All” • Competence and cooperation in planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating co-teaching • Positive conflict resolution

UNITED Protocol Target goals and roles Goals direct planning and teaching activities and provide benchmarks for coteacher to assess progress throughout the year. Specific with clear outcomes of what you want to accomplish Measurable indication of what you accomplished Attainable through a series of action steps Results-oriented toward targeted change Time-bound with clear action steps across a manageable timeline TIMELINE SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE TARGETS RESULTS September 24 Weekly co-planning meetings on Monday during 3 rd period Shared roles during instruction, divide “management” responsibilities for the week September 24 Develop supports needed for individual students on a weekly basis (organizers, prompts, manipulatives) Instruction is accessible for all students in the classroom (goes hand-in-hand with planning) November 1 Collected FAST 1 and SRI data To identify students that need additional supports or challenges GOALS: (example) By November 4, our team will meet weekly to co-plan lessons that use shared roles during our instruction as evidenced by

UNITED Protocol Target goals and roles While the collective effort among co-teachers is shared, individual roles and responsibilities may vary based on areas of expertise, background, and experience. Co-teaching success derives from the artful blend of individual knowledge, skills, experience, and backgrounds into a balanced, collaborative team. If your role demands a higher level of expertise than you current have, consider your plan for your professional growth and development. Access the Primary Co-Teaching Roles, Responsibilities, and Expertise Form. As you work through each statement, discuss and record how your individual roles combine to create a balanced co-teaching team.

UNITED Protocol Establish team identity T. J (Performing Arts, Independent & Collaborative) R. H (kinesthetic, need to move around, performing arts, independent) S Share 3 – 5 interests, activities, work style, etc. I Identify commonalities & differences Arts, get things done, creative G Generate team name that reflects your beliefs Team Touched (T. T) N Notify stakeholders (administrators, students, colleagues, parents ) of your team identity

UNITED Protocol Determine logistics for working together Logistics is about managing the flow of information, resources, and people’s needs in order to meet the goals of a group/team or organization. It is developing a support system that moves a program forward. Developing a logistics plan allows co-teachers to dialogue and make critical decisions together that address the complexities of daily life in a classroom environment.