High-Impact Coaching: Teaching with a Partner; The Coaching Podcast, Ep. 6

Do you miss teaching? I miss teaching every single day. Co-teaching is such a unique and fun part of the coaching cycle because you get to be in the classroom.

It can be a bit scary though because those aren’t your kids, and this isn’t your classroom. But I am here to tell you that it is worth it and there is a simple way to make it work for you and the teacher!

Here’s what you need to do before, during, and after you co-teach.

Before Co-Teaching

I can not say this enough: plan, plan, plan. Planning is such a huge part of co-teaching because everyone has to be on the same page in every way. You need to plan your lesson, who’s doing what, what the behavior expectations are, who’s making what, who’s bringing what, the list goes on and on.

If you’re not on the same page in every way, your cotaught lesson is going to be miserable! (Trust me – I’m speaking from experience!) Listen to the full episode to find out what happens when two teachers don’t get together to plan, and how to make sure you aren’t falling into the same trap.

During Co-teaching
During the process of co-teaching you want to make sure you always follow the plan you worked so hard to create. If you veer from the plan, your teacher might not know what to do, and your goal is to work together! You also want to exercise the tried and true think-aloud. If you can slow your thinking down for the teacher, then they can actually internalize those thought processes and start applying some of that decision making to their own teaching because that’s the nitty gritty of teaching.

After Co-teaching
After everything is said and done, you have to do the second most important step: debrief. If you don’t debrief, everything you just did was pointless because you’re not giving the teacher anything to walk away with. When you sit down with your teacher, you want to talk about how co-teaching felt and what went great and what was only ok. You also want to review student work together!

Need more tips for providing feedback to teachers? I sat down with Nicole Turner in Episode 4 of Buzzing with Ms. B and she gave us some great insight as to how to give a teacher meaningful feedback without damaging the relationship you have with him/her.

Co-teaching is such an amazing way to get back into the classroom and to provide great coaching to your teachers. You can find out more about what you need to do before, during, and after your co-teaching lesson by tuning into Buzzing with Ms. B: The Coaching Podcast Episode 6, and tune in next week to find how to plan collaboratively with teachers. Happy coaching!

Listen here to Episode 6, or subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, and Spotify! Direct Link for Apple: https://apple.co/31bUNdN 

Ready to co-teach? Check out the free download: the Preparing to Co-teach Checklist. It’ll help you be ready for your next co-taught lesson!

Want to learn more about Co-teaching in Classrooms?
Prepare and Plan for Co-teaching with these forms
Preparing to Model and Co-teach

Thank you for listening to Buzzing with Ms. B: the Coaching Podcast. Want more coaching ideas? Check me out at buzzingwithmsb.com and on Instagram @buzzingwithmsb. If you love the show, share it with a coach who would love it too, or leave me a review! It’s free and it helps others find this show, too. Happy coaching!