Abstract

Successful teaching and learning involves an interaction of the teacher, the learner, the materials, and the context. Upon entering today’s classrooms we find a diverse population of students who have a wide range of learning styles and needs. Teachers are faced with challenges daily about what to teach and how to teach content information so that maximum learning takes place. Successful teaching involves the interaction of the teacher, the learner, the materials, and the context. Today’s classrooms have a diverse population of students with a wide range of learning needs. Schools must provide options to students who require support. Teachers need to be prepared with a range of strategies that can be used to modify an activity or assignment when students’ lack of comprehension dictates it. Because of the movement toward the inclusion of special needs students in the general education classrooms, teachers must present information that meets the needs of the curriculum and the students at different ability levels within the same classroom. Teachers must address these various levels of ability and, in the instructional design, are also expected to meet designated standards for the various lesson plans being taught. One system that can be used to address the needs of both faculty and students is collaborative teaching. In collaborative teaching, general education teachers and special education teachers or instructional assistants share responsibility for planning and teaching exceptional students who are in the general education classroom. When these individuals work collaboratively they combine subject area knowledge with special education techniques and create change in the way classes are taught. The presenters in this journal article will share one collaborative teaching program that was developed and proven successful for a middle school (grades 6-8) in a southern California setting.