“If a student has a need to learn in a different way, then we need to adapt to teach them in a different way,” shared Carrie McSwain, a 5th Grade Teacher at Challenger Intermediate School, as she explained her co-teaching philosophy. Students in McSwain’s classes are taught by her and her co-teaching partner, Angela Mans, an Instructional Support Teacher at Challenger. This method keeps students of all abilities together in the classroom, and avoids having students with specialized needs instructed separately.
By having a Special Education instructor co-teaching alongside her, McSwain is able to provide an inclusive, blended learning environment. Additionally, it helps her provide resources in her classroom to benefit all students. Some examples of these include balance boards and incorporating Bal-A-Vis-X tactics and strategies. This helps improve active engagement and behavior management.
“It’s all intentional, and makes all the difference in the world - to provide the students what they need, when they need it,” explained McSwain. Tactics such as Bal-A-Vis-X engage both the left and right sides of the brain, and when simultaneously combined with learning the curriculum, can lead to better long-term retention. Co-teaching allows both McSwain and Mans to incorporate more of these strategies in the classroom for students.
“They aren’t ‘her students’ or ‘my students.’ They’re all ‘our’ students,” noted McSwain. Co-teaching supplies the students who need it with the extra attention they need to succeed, while keeping them included with their peers, contradicting previous methods of separating Special Education students. “It allows us to meet all students where they are, and give them what they need to succeed.”
