Co-Teachers in Classrooms Getting Coffee (Season 3 Episode8)
Sometimes the most effective teaching isn’t taught in a course—it’s learned in the classroom, one student at a time. In this episode, Lauren Catherwood-Ginn, Project Coordinator at the T/TAC at Radford University, reveals that as a new teacher, she had no formal training in co-teaching. Instead, she relied on intuition—working closely with her special education co-teacher to use small-group instruction informed by informal, anecdotal data.
A key concern discussed is the piecemeal instruction many students receive from multiple adults throughout the day. This often results in disjointed learning experiences and highly complex schedules for special educators to manage.Lauren emphasizes that school teams need protected time to talk, plan, and problem-solve together in order to create cohesive and meaningful learning opportunities for students. Changes implemented based on the Virginia Literacy Act have led to a shift from the traditional role of reading specialists. Teachers are benefiting from embedded coaching and support that helps improve outcomes for all students.
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