Two teachers are better than one! With schools shifting toward distance learning, teachers are learning to adapt. Co-teaching can be just as effective (and fun!) in the virtual classroom as the traditional one.

Whether you’re new to co-teaching, or you and your co-teacher have been together for years, we’ve got strategies to help you take your classroom virtual.

We know co-teaching can be a challenging experience on its own, and co-teaching virtually adds a new layer of difficulty. But, we at Albert are here to help! Read on for strategies, resources, and tips for a successful school year of co-teaching from beginning to end.

Common Co-Teacher Models for Remote Learning

Of course, there isn’t just one structure to co-teaching. You and your partner teacher might be delivering the same lesson at once, or maybe you’re instructing while the other provides support. Below, we discuss five common co-teachers structures, and what they might look like in the virtual classroom.

1. One Teach, One Moderate

In this structure, one teacher delivers instruction to the whole class, while the other circulates the room and provides behavior. In the virtual setting, one teacher could be lecturing in Zoom while the other monitors the chat box and responds to questions.  

2. Parallel Teaching

Here, co-teachers split the class in half to deliver the same lesson to a smaller group. This works just as well with distance learning, teachers can host two separate but identical live lessons at two separate meeting links.

3. Station Teaching

In this model, teachers teach different content to different students, then swap. This could be done via Zoom call, sending the students to the other teacher’s Zoom link after a set amount of time. It could also be completed by assigning different resources and activities to each student. 

4. Alternative Teaching

For this structure, one teacher works with the majority of the class while the other takes a smaller group. Content is presented in different ways with different resources tailored to support individual needs. This could be done during a live lesson, or asynchronously by assigning leveled content.

5. Team Teaching

Both teachers present the same content together. They interact with each other and build off each other’s ideas. This would be done over a synchronous, live lesson.

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Co-Teaching Preparation and Planning: What to Do Before You Co-Teach Virtually

Whether you’ve worked with your co-teacher for years or you’re new partners, it’s always beneficial to prepare together before the students arrive. If your classroom is switching to fully or partially online, your conversations will look a little different than past years. Read on for what to cover with your teaching partner before the first day of school.

1. Establish your personal vision

Before your first meeting with your co-teacher, reflect on your own personal vision for your classroom this year. Some question stems to create your vision include:

• What technology goals do I have for myself? 
• How often will I strive to include tech tools, like Albert practice, into my weekly lessons?
• What academic goals do I have for my students? 
• How often will I focus on state test prep?
• Is there any specific content or special novels it’s important to me to include in my curriculum?

Determine your own vision, so you can share it with your partner teacher and find out theirs. Then the collaboration begins towards crafting your own shared vision!

2. Discuss strengths/weaknesses

Discuss which aspects of teaching you excel in, and where you feel you need more growth. However, just because one teacher is stronger in one area, this doesn’t mean the other teacher stands back completely. The proficient teacher might take the lead, while the other gets a chance to grow by observing practices and reflecting on their own skills.

For example, if your co-teacher is more tech-savvy in Google Suite than you, this is your chance to pick up some tips and tricks! 

3. Review IEPs/Regular education goals

Often in co-teaching, one special ed teacher and one regular ed teacher are working together. Review the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and how they align with the goals of the regular ed students. If co-teaching remotely, use a meeting software like Zoom or Google Hangouts. One teacher can pull up the IEP on their computer, and screenshare it with the other to discuss.

As both teachers are responsible for their special ed students, both should be very aware of the student’s modifications and accommodations. These might look different in the online environment (for example, the student’s read aloud accommodation may use a pre-recorded audio), so discuss what these will look like in your online classroom.

4. Determine roles and responsibilities

Your roles and responsibilities might be flexible and change throughout the year, but it’s important to establish what each teacher expects from the other one. The work should be divided up fairly, and support each other’s strength. In the online environment it might include- 

• Who is responsible for sending weekly emails?
• Who will design the live lesson plans?
• Who will adapt the paper assessment into an online one?

5. Co-teaching contract

To hold each other accountable and get on the same page, both teachers can sign a co-teaching contract. TeachersPayTeachers has a free download where you can together fill in your responsibilities. If co-teaching virtually, make this contract a chart on a shared Google Doc, so you can both edit it together. 

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How to Create Co-Teaching Lesson Plans for Remote Learning

Collaboration with your co-teacher should be purposeful, productive, and enjoyable. The online environment changes the way these conversations might look, but it doesn’t change it’s essential content. We provide three tips below for surviving the challenges of creating virtual co-teaching lesson plans.

1. Write collaborative lesson plans in Google Docs

Start with a blank lesson plan template and share it with your co-teacher. You can both work on this lesson plan together (either synchronously or asynchronously) and read the edits and comments made in real time. This way, you can divide the work evenly, while also indirectly holding each other accountable.

You can make a copy of this sample distance learning lesson plan template in Google Docs to edit.

2. Set up recurring, online meetings to lesson plan

Managing your time while co-teaching remotely is difficult. There are always important tasks to complete, and it can be hard to find the time to prioritize lesson planning. To take the stress off, set up a recurring meeting on your online calendars (Google Calendar works great!). Make sure there is a designated meeting link, so you both know where you need to be.

Not taking the time to plan together will lead to a disconnect, especially in the virtual environment. This can lead to confusion during lessons, or even animosity between co-teachers. Use a planning template like this one to outline what each week will look like.

3. Follow a planning checklist

Once you and your co-teacher start chatting, it can be easy to get off topic. To make sure your regular planning meetings cover everything they need to (and end on time!), follow a planning checklist. This co-teaching checklist should be personalized to suit your needs and resources, but below we list what should be discussed:

• Upcoming topics and curricula standards
• Student data 
• Student challenges/need
• Assignment of roles and responsibilities 
• Lesson Planning (content, delivery, tools)

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5 Co-Teaching Strategies for Meeting Student Needs During Class Time

During class time, work together to ensure all student needs are being met. You and your co-teacher should have a clear understanding of who is in charge of each responsibility. Follow these strategies to address the needs of every student in your virtual classroom.

1. Break into small groups

Just as easily as in the traditional classroom setting, you can utilize small groups in online teaching. When conducting a synchronous live lesson, the teachers can split the whole class into separate groups. The larger portion of the class can stay in the original meeting room, while the other co-teacher can share a link to his/her room in the chat pod. Students assigned to go into the smaller room with that teacher, simply click on the link.

Adobe Connect is free for 90 days, and offers a great feature called “break out rooms.” With this, you can separate the students into as many small groups as you want. Each group will have their own private room, where they cannot hear or interact with any other groups. Teachers can easily hop between rooms to support and monitor students. Zoom also has a breakout room feature.

2. Differentiate assignments and classwork

When assigning lessons and readings, make use of existing ed-tech tools that will allow you to differentiate easily. Albert has a vast library of practice problems and high-interest text passages ranging across subjects. If certain students need extra practice- like expanding their vocabulary, working on fractions, or understanding kinetic energy, to name a few- either co-teacher can give out individual students assignments as needed.

3. Have one co-teacher monitor the chat box

A great feature of most synchronous learning software is the chat box. Students can ask questions or discuss ideas amongst themselves. Shy students who hardly raise their hand in class, might be bold enough to type in the chat box. However, chat boxes also have their downsides. They can quickly get off-topic or inappropriate, and it can be easy for the instructor not to notice questions asked there.

The co-teacher who isn’t leading instruction on the lesson should be given the role of chat box monitor. This teacher can address any questions asked in the chat box, while also shutting down any distracting student behavior.

4. Share the spotlight in live lessons

In fully virtual teaching, synchronous live lessons are one of the main ways you build rapport and familiarity with students. It’s a time to laugh, connect, and see each other’s personalities. If only one teacher is leading the majority of the live lessons, students won’t build as strong of a relationship with that teacher.

Turn your cameras on, so students can easily see which teacher is speaking. Putting a face to your name and voice is important, especially when there’s two different instructors in the room.

Plan beforehand which teacher will be leading which parts of the lesson. Color-coding your lesson slides is a quick way to visually see who is responsible for what.

5. Use station teaching

Station teaching is when teachers teach different content to different groups of students, and then the students rotate. This can seem intimidating to tackle in the virtual classroom, but it can be done with a co-teaching team!

We suggest by first starting as a whole class in one virtual lesson room. Break students into groups, and give instructions of where to be, and at what times. If you wanted four stations, there would be four groups of students. And, you’d have two synchronous learning stations and two asynchronous ones. By the way, check out our free teaching strategy discovery tool.

A group might start with an asynchronous activity (like reading an article), then go to a lesson room with one teacher for a live lesson. After that, they’d complete their next asynchronous activity, then end the class period by going to their other teacher’s virtual lesson room. 

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5 Co-Teaching Strategies to Improve Student Outcomes

Every school and teacher’s goal is to increase student achievement levels. The benefit of having a co-teacher, is you’ve got double the brain-power dedicated to growing your students!  The online environment provides new challenges, but we provide five essential co-teaching strategies to improve student outcomes below.

1. Encourage family engagement

Research consistently shows the connection between parent engagement and student growth. Parent involvement in student learning is even more essential in the virtual classroom. Instead of being physically with you during the day, students are at home with their parents.

Build a strong relationship between parents and both co-teachers by sharing equally in family communication efforts. One teacher shouldn’t be the only voice reaching out to families. Use inclusive language like “we” and “our” in emails and phone conversations. Albert provides a list of strategies for connecting with parents, and keeping them engaged throughout the school year. 

2. Hold students accountable to the same standards

Both teachers should hold clear and consistent standards for student behavior. What is your policy on late work? Plagiarism? These are both incredibly common issues in the virtual environment. Have these conversations with your partner teacher before school starts. Co-teachers need to hold the students to the same standards, and present a united front.

3. Give timely, consistent feedback

The bulk of the grading shouldn’t fall on one teacher’s shoulders; co-teachers should share the load equally. Craft rubrics together during planning time, and always use the same rubric and criteria when grading student work. Students and parents talk, and it’s important that grading is consistent between teachers.

If you and your co-teacher have different grading practices, it might be easier to divide grading by assignment. So, for example, one teacher grades everyone’s project one week and the other grades all the essays next week. If choosing this method, be sure to clearly communicate the grading standards between each other, so both teachers can address any student follow-up questions.

4. Use data to drive instruction

Instructional choices should be made based on student data. What skills and content areas do students need to develop? Make sure both teachers are able to view all student data. If your school’s Learning Management System doesn’t support this, you can upload the files to a shared folder in Google Drive for free.

Guiding questions can include:

• Which students are showing mastery, and which aren’t?
• How does this class’s results compare with other current and past classes
• What results are most concerning?
• What patterns do we see across the data?
• What strategies can be implemented to meet these needs?

Data discussions should occur regularly in your planned co-teacher meetings. Analyzing data together can allow for meaningful conversation, and the development of new ideas and insights. Free software, like Commonlit, can be set up to have two teachers controlling one class. 

5. Support growth of student distance learning skills

Most students are new to distance learning. Though they might be incredibly tech-savvy, this doesn’t automatically translate into a strong online learner. Students new to distance learning need to re-train themselves in skills like time-management, keeping on-task, finding motivation, and being organized.
To maximize student achievement, both co-teachers will need to support students in honing these distance learning skills. One teacher can host recurring small-group lessons dedicated to these skills, while the other can share resources to students and families via email.

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3 Challenging Parts of Co-Teaching to Watch Out For (Especially When Remote)

Every partnership has its challenges, and co-teaching is no exception. For distance educators, we encounter different obstacles than the ones faced in the traditional classroom. Just remember to always keep a mutual respect for each other, and watch out for these potential pitfalls listed below.

1. Different teaching philosophies or styles

A common challenge in co-teaching occurs when each teacher has distinct teaching beliefs or styles that differ from the other. This can lead to clashes in instruction and assessment creation.

Approach each conflict by highlighting your shared goal: doing what is best for your students. Embrace the opportunity to try something new. Be flexible, adaptive, and open to new ideas and technologies.

If you or your partner is uncomfortable trying a new technology, practice using it with each other before rolling it out with students. Software like Flipgrid provides a fun alternative to class discussions, and Animoto allows students to create video presentations. 

2. Unequal distribution of the workload

When one teacher feels like they are pulling more weight than the other, it can lead to animosity and resentment. Establish co-teaching roles and responsibilities early on, but continually adapt and revise them throughout the year. Revisit responsibilities in every meeting, and be sure you and your co-teacher are comfortable with the distribution.

Being remote, you won’t be able to physically see each other at work each day. Your co-worker won’t be able to see if you’re overburdened from seeing your expressions or walking by your room. Keep your lines of communication clear and open. Be honest if you need help.

3. Lack of Administrative Support

The State Education Resource Center reported that teachers identified a lack of administrative support as one of the largest challenges of co-teaching. Teachers reported administrators didn’t provide enough co-planning time, and that their class make-up exceeded 33% of students with IEPs. If administration is new to distance learning, they might not include enough co-teaching planning time in your teacher schedule.

Discuss with your co-teacher in the beginning of the school year what you both need from administrators, and then bring it to administration’s attention. Even if you can’t get all the support you need, you and your co-teacher have identified these potential struggles to be better prepared to face them.

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3 Additional Co-Teaching Resources to Reference

When searching for co-teaching resources, look for ones that allow you to add a second teacher. This teacher needs to be able to have equal sharing rights to make both your lives easier. We provide a list of co-teaching resources with a variety of uses below.

1. Make the most of synchronous, live lessons

For co-teaching during live lessons, Adobe Connect is perfect for co-teachers. They are offering a free-trial for 90 days. Both teachers can be made “hosts” to share full control of the room. It allows you to monitor attendance and screen share. You can upload videos, documents, links- any learning material you can think of!

Add as many small-group break out rooms as you’d like, and both teachers can hop between rooms. Students can use their microphones, video cameras, or just type in chat boxes.

Though it isn’t free, Blackboard Collaborate shares these similar features to Adobe connect. They do offer special pricing for individuals and whole schools.

2. Assign and grade work together

Google Classroom allows you to easily add a second teacher to your class. Co-teachers can assign work, give feedback, and enter grades. Both teachers can access the class Google Drive folder to add and remove resources. They also share equal communication rights in posting on the class stream and emailing parents, students, and other teachers.

3. Make connections and build relationships

In distance education, students don’t see your face and hear your voice nearly as often as they do in the traditional classroom. When they have two teachers, it can be easy to mix them up in their heads, and take longer to learn who is who. Flipgrid will allow students to see your face, and hear your voice and thoughts. Flipgrid is a discussion software where you post prompts- they can be fun or academic- and then students respond with selfie videos. Students can view your videos, and post reply videos to their classmates. Both co-teachers can share post reply videos to student work, allowing them to connect asynchronously.

Flipgrid calls co-teachers “co-pilots,” and provides instructions for adding one to your class.

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Wrapping Things Up: The Keys to Co-Teaching Successfully During Distance Learning

While co-teaching virtually provides a lot of new opportunities and benefits, it has its share of challenges, as well. We’ve covered a lot in this post, so here are some key takeaways and co-teaching strategies:

Prepare for your year by holding recurring planning meetings frequently. Determine your individual co-teaching roles and responsibilities, review student IEPs, and create a co-teaching contract.

To foster student growth, hold them accountable with consistency, encourage family engagement, and develop your student’s distance learning skills.

Focus on creating a culture of mutual respect and rapport. When times get tough, remind yourself of your shared goal- doing what’s best for your students, and you can’t go wrong.

If you found this post helpful, be sure to check out our Back to School Hub for more free resources.

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