Together and apart: co-teaching in the time of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

In this instrumental-comparative case study, we analysed how seven US teachers reported co-teaching experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting remote instruction. We sought to understand how co-teaching during the pandemic affected teachers’ psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Data collection included: an initial questionnaire, weekly reflections, and semi-structured interviews. We found that special education co-teachers (SE-CTs) reported diminished feelings of competence and autonomy due to scheduling complications and demands associated with meeting the needs of students with disabilities. General education co-teachers (GE-CTs) experienced similar challenges, yet reported experiences of competence and autonomy associated with increased flexibility. SE-CTs with longstanding, trusting relationships with GE-CTs reported feelings of relatedness, which seemed to mitigate some of the threats to competence that we saw otherwise. Although our findings come from a time of crisis across the world, by providing a unique perspective on co-teaching experiences these findings may inform future education research, theory, and practice in K-12 settings considering remote instruction.

KEYWORDS:

• Co-teaching
• special education
• self-determination theory
• remote learning

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the other members of the CALM research team who assisted with data collection and transcription: John Adamski, Shanna Anderson, Tania Dumicic-Pinto, Veronica Pardo, and Evangelina Pride. We also extend our gratitude to the teachers who participated in this investigation, generously sharing their time and experiences with us while facing the challenges associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Craft knowledge is understood as teachers’ ability to bring “all of the knowledge bases to bear on the act of teaching” indicating an occupational “savvy” to engage varied bodies of knowledge in specific contexts for defined goals that is developed through experience and reflection (Grimmett & MacKinnon, 1992, pp. 387–e388).

2 We reference our quoted data using each participant’s last name-teacher type (G = general education; S = special education), the data source (I = interview, IQ = initial questionnaire, OR = ongoing reflection) and the date.

3 “The Individualised Education Program (IEP) is [a] written statement of services that will be provided to the student” (Woolfolk & Usher, 2023, p. 207).

4 Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, schools accommodate students within a general education environment when a disability limits one or more basic life activities (e.g., reading or communicating). A child who does not qualify for an IEP might still receive a 504 (U.S. Department of Education, 2020).