The Co-Teach Model

Baylor School of Education has implemented the “Co-Teach” Training Model for its seniors who are teaching interns in local schools. Launched in the fall of 2015, Co-Teach enhances pre-service teacher preparation as well as K-12 student learning.

Through Co-Teach, mentors (teachers in the classroom) and SOE interns (pre-service teachers at the senior level) use seven distinct variations for teaching together in the classroom.

The co-teaching models immerse the interns in the complete teaching experience from the first day of their senior field experience. Mentors and interns collaborate on lesson planning, implementation and formative assessments. All Baylor interns, supervising faculty members, K-12 mentors, Professional Development School (PDS) university liaisons and site coordinators receive Co-Teach Foundations Training before the intern experience begins each fall.

Highlights of the Co-Teach Model:

• Intern and mentor quickly establish rapport and positive working relationship.
• Co-Teach provides immediate immersion in the planning and teaching process for the Baylor pre-service teacher.
• Both mentor and intern are active teachers in the classroom.
• Co-Teach Model reduces the student-to-teacher ratio in the classroom and allows more individualized instruction.
• Area administrators are strongly supportive of the initiative.

The Co-Teach model for intern training is based on the work of Dr. Nancy Bacharach and Dr. Teresa Heck from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota*. Initially these two researchers trained over 40 Baylor faculty members and experienced teachers from partnership school districts at the Co-Teaching Trainer of Trainers professional development. These certified trainers now prepare other Baylor faculty and teachers in SOE’s Professional Development School districts, Waco ISD and Midway ISD, to use co-teaching strategies. Partner districts with trained teachers include Robinson ISD, Connally ISD, and LaVega ISD.

Baylor faculty members are conducting research on the effectiveness of the co-teach model at two campuses within the Baylor PDS partnership and plan to expand to multiple campuses.

*Academy for Co‑teaching and Collaboration

For more information:

Research information:

Dr. Madelon McCall
Clinical Associate Professor
Madelon_McCall@baylor.edu

Dr. Rachelle Rogers
Clinical Associate Professor
Rachelle_Rogers@baylor.edu

Co-Teaching Research citations:

Rogers, R., McCall, M. & Crowley, B. (Fall, 2021). Implementing Co-Teaching: What Mentors Believe and What They Do. School-University Partnerships, 14(2), 105-114.

McCall, M., Rogers, R., Gasway, J., & Veselka, M. (Spring, 2018). Clinical experiences in middle and high schools: Results of a one-year implementation of the co-each model. School-University Partnerships, 11(1), 26-35.