Use of Two Teachers in the Classroom Creates a Calm Environment for Children to Learn
Co-Teaching is not easy and for some can be uncomfortable. Once you have the right two individuals come together, they form a bond that is beneficial to the learning and development of young children. Co-Teaching is a practice that has developed in Early Childhood classrooms because it not only benefits the teachers but has been proven to effectively create an environment that allows children to be safe and learn from both teachers. Best Practice in Early Childhood education can be shown in a variety of ways, co-teaching is a model that is used at Huffer Memorial Children’s Center to benefit the staff and children. There are challenges to creating an effective Co-Teaching classroom, but the benefits out weigh the negatives. Creating a calm environment that allows children of all abilities to be successful is important for their growth and development.
Challenges or Obstacles:
- Invading one another’s personal and classroom space.
- Not having proper planning time.
- Learning to work together and not one person taking over.
- Inconsistent Discipline (student’s try to play one teacher against another).
Benefits and Successes:
- Both teachers are active in planning.
- Students generally benefit more by having two teachers that are fully involved.
- Creates a calm environment that allows for developmentally appropriate learning.
- Takes the stress of all the responsibilities being on one person.
Submitted by: Erika Serf, Huffer Memorial Children’s Center