In order to perform photosynthesis, plants need raw materials such as carbon dioxide and water. Plants convert carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen in the presence of sunlight. Air, water, sunlight, and soil are the four things that plants need to grow.
It is the collaborative work of nature that creates an environment where a plant can grow. Without any one of air, water, sunlight, or soil, the plant simply cannot grow. Similarly, I believe that it takes the collaborative efforts of teachers and students to create a learning environment where students can thrive. For me, it was the switch to “push in” resource support whereby I collaboratively taught a class with a colleague, that developed my understanding of the power of, and the need to, work together.
~ Create respectful, supportive, and inclusive learning environments ~
Along with changing the way I do my job as a resource teacher, the experience of co-teaching over the past year has changed the way I conceptualize teaching and learning. Going from working with students in my resource classroom to working with them in their regular classrooms, I have discovered a potential for connecting with a broader group of students, adapting assignments more effectively, and developing my own cross-curricular knowledge. Furthermore, I have noticed the benefits of learning alongside my students.
Working in classrooms has enabled me to develop relationships with students outside of the special education program, the benefits of which, I believe, are the ability to support a whole demographic of students who may not have otherwise received the support they needed. Moreover, it has helped in destigmatizing what it means to receive extra support. By bringing resource teachers into classrooms, I believe a gap is bridged between what we would traditionally call “regular” and “special” education and have taken a step towards a more inclusive classroom.
On a personal level, I feel like co-teaching has enabled me to develop my expertise within specific subjects and broadened my ability to identify cross-curricular links, which in turn allows me to make more relevant suggestions about how to adapt for students in a way that preserves the integrity of the assignment and emphasizes interdisciplinary connections. Moreover, in this situation, the classroom teacher is more involved in the process of adapting for students and broadens their understanding of diverse teaching and learning methods. The co-teaching model has taught me to let go of the common assumption that teachers work in their specialty because that is all they know and highlighted our individual skills beyond our teachable subject. Keefe, Moore, and Duff (2004) reinforce the need for a shared responsibility of roles between resource teachers and classroom teachers to enrich education and really create a learning environment that is respectful, supportive, and inclusive.
