During the 2023-2024 school year, first, second and third graders will experience a new teaching style. It’s called co-teaching — where two instructors work together guiding students through a single subject.
Leaha Williams is an education researcher and works with DPS’s gifted students. She says, nationally, the co-teaching model has been refined for more than 60 years.
“Both teachers are teaching the same subject. Together, they may teach different parts, float around the room to help students,” Williams explained. “If you have students not succeeding who need a little extra help, this method is designed to support our diverse students with their needs.”
Williams says staffing won’t be an issue — the school district already has two teachers assigned for grades one through three.
For the past two school years, DPS used "double-teaching." In the same classroom, students were divided into two groups — each teacher instructed on different subjects. However, Williams says this method was distracting and student performance was low.
Williams says co-teaching benefits students as well as their instructors.
“It helps with greater self-esteem to the teachers, you’re going to learn to develop so much better when you have a counterpart you’re working with, it’s going to elevate your experience,” Williams said. “It also helps with student culture, and it’s shown to improve student test scores as well. So, there are many factors that are positive about this method.”
