An Exploratory Study of the Association Between Co-Teaching Approaches and Evidence-Based Instructional Practices
By Amy S. Gaumer Erickson, Jennifer A. Brussow, Shonda Anderson, Richard A. Villa, and
Kasey Monroe
In this evaluation of a five-year professional development initiative, co-teachers participated in training, observation, and coaching to improve their implementation of parallel, complementary, and team co-teaching approaches as a method to increase their use of student-centered instructional practices in inclusive classrooms. Analyses showed that the use of multiple co-teaching approaches was associated with implementation of evidence-based instructional practices that increase student engagement and performance. Specifically, when co-teachers applied complementary, parallel, and team co-teaching approaches, they were more likely to check for understanding, provide prompts, reinforce behavioral expectations, and provide specific feedback.