team

1. Team Teaching
Special Educational
Needs

2. To get us started…..
 What are your experiences of team
teaching? Was it a success? Would you try it
again?
 What are your views on team teaching?
 Do you think it could help you, in your own
classroom?

3. School Context
 Bishop McEgan College, Macroom, Co. Cork
 VEC mixed school with 120 pupils
 DEIS school – JCSP, HSCL, project worker
 Approximately 30% pupils have SEN

4. SEN Department
2005
 Set up department (3 teachers +
Principal and Vice principal)
 Weekly meetings
 Began drafting SEN policy
 Up skilling SEN department - SESS

5. Successful SEN department
 Timetabling – Non Irish and Non French
 The Team – “right people” – consistency
 Planning – time to meet.
 Support of whole staff, management,
teachers, parents and outside agencies.
(Subject teachers, tutors, Guidance team, care team, pastoral
care team, primary schools, Parents, HSCL, School
Completion, NEPS, SENO, Enable Ireland, Speech & language
therapist)

6. Whole school Approach
 Up skilling all teachers with regard to SEN
 Various presentations by SESS and SLSS
“Engaging the Reluctant Learner”, “The Road
to Inclusion and Differentiation” Team
Teaching is mentioned as an effective
strategy.

7. Whole school Approach….
2006
 Draft policy presented to staff.
 Told we are entitled to DEIS
 Presentations on DEIS and JCSP made to
staff.
 All subject departments up and running with
regular meeting times.
 SEN/ICT Partnership with Co Cork VEC

8. Whole School Approach
2007
 Final draft of SEN
policy accepted
 DEIS and JCSP begins
 Sign up to Co. Cork
VEC team teaching
pilot project.
2008
 JCSP Success
 Team Teaching
Success
 DEIS planning –
literacy & numeracy

9. Team Teaching
 September 2007 – May 2008
 One Team – Sarah & Máire
 No previous experience of team teaching
 TY English – 20 pupils, 9 pupils with SEN
 RA ranging from 8:11 to 15+

11. Types of Team teaching
 Traditional Team Teaching – both teachers actively share the
instruction of content and skills, both teachers accept equal
responsibility for all pupils and both teachers are actively involved
throughout the class.
 Lead and support Teaching – one teacher leads the lesson
assuming responsibility for teaching the content, the other teacher
provides support and follow up activities.
 Parallel Instruction – the class is divided into two groups and each
teacher delivers the same content and skills/ Both teachers are
performing the same tasks in parallel fashion.
 Differentiated split-class team teaching – The class is divided into
two groups according to a specified learning need. Each group is
provided with activities to meet that specified need

12. Getting started…..
 Planning – 2 day meeting in May as part of
pilot.
 Ground rules – discipline & behaviour,
workload, correcting, meeting parents.
 Schemes – rough plan of work for year.
 2/3 weeks lesson plan in detail.

13. Up and running….
 Weekly meeting time.
 Keep principal and staff informed – staff
meetings.
 Wider support – other teams to share
difficulties, successful methodologies etc.

15. Methodologies – More successful!!
More frequent!!
 Experiential
 Jigsaw – character wheels
 Group/pairwork
 Chalk & Talk
 Higher Order questioning
 Drama games
 Roleplay
 Freeze Frames

16. The Challenges
 Time!!!
 Teachers/Class being labelled.
 Picking a team that works!
 Getting used to another teacher in your class.
 Altering your personal approach.
 Evaluation – how will we know it works?
 Is the child whose Resources hours “pay” for team
teaching benefiting as much as they would from one
on one support!!!

17. The Benefits
For Students:
• Better teaching and learning.
• Improved participation, self esteem, group dynamic,
written work.
• Improved class test results.
• Less distractions due to improved discipline.
• Improved attendance.
• Overall attitude to class more positive – they are
enjoying the innovation.
• Better teacher/student relationships.

18. Benefits….
 Reaching the child who doesn’t qualify for
learning support! They can now benefit from
extra support!

19. The Benefits….
For Teachers:
• Improved teaching and learning
• Less correcting
• Less Stress
• More Support
• Greater sense of achievement
• Opportunity to learn new methodologies
• Less time spent on discipline - instant
gratification/less boredom/two sets of eyes.
• Trying something different!!!

20. Evaluate – how do we know it’s
working!
 Tracking results, attendance, discipline -
red/yellow cards. Comparing with similar
group not in receipt of team teaching.
 Student Questionnaire/feedback – 100%
enjoying English, 15/17 see two teachers as
a benefit.

21. In their own words….
 Advantages
“ You have more help if you get stuck”, “more help”, “learn more”,
“getting more work done”, “they pay more attention to us”, “can
get help faster”, “have better chance of getting a question
answered, easier, help with the homework”, “less messing in
the class”, “more strict so more work done”, “one teacher can
help so the class isn’t disturbed”
 Disadvantages
“more giving out”, “if you get in trouble you have two teachers
giving out”, “can’t mess”, “you get caught easier if you’re
messing”.
7 pupils said there were no disadvantages

22. Group Work
 What opportunities can you see in your
school for developing team teaching?
 What challenges would there be to setting up
team teaching?