Co-teaching Tips for Middle School Teachers

Laney Lee

Maybe you’re reading this blog title thinking, “Wait, some people don’t have to teach by themselves all day?” Or maybe you’re saying, “Thank goodness I don’t have to teach with someone else, I’m too Type A.” Both are valid thoughts! Co-teaching has many definitions, especially in the middle school world. Whether you’re a seasoned classroom teacher or a new teacher stepping into your first co-taught class, the success of your co-teaching work hinges on how well you and your teaching partner navigate the complexities of sharing a classroom. In this post, we’ll break down co-teaching tips for middle school teachers, when co-teaching happens, what challenges might pop up, and, most importantly, how to make it work like a dream. 

What Is Co-teaching Anyway?

Before we dive into some practical co-teaching tips for middle school teachers, let’s discuss what this term means. Co-teaching can look very different from school to school and even classroom to classroom. It is simply the professional “marriage” of two educators working together in the same classroom to support all students. The idea of a co-taught class is to create a collaborative environment where both teachers bring their unique strengths to the table, ensuring diverse needs are met in a way they may not have been with only one teacher. 

When Does Co-Teaching Happen? 

There are plenty of situations where co-teaching arrangements are necessary. Here are a few common scenarios:

1. With a Special Education Teacher or Intervention Specialist: 
   This is the most common co-teaching partnership. A general education teacher focuses on the content expertise, while the special educator provides additional support to special education students or those with IEPs. Sometimes, a co-teaching team includes an intervention specialist (IS) working with specific students who need extra help in a particular subject or skill. However, the IS typically steps in to help any student in the class who needs it!
    
2. With an ELL Teacher: SPEC
   English language learners (ELLs) benefit from co-taught classes where one teacher focuses on content and the other provides language support. 
   
3. With a Student Teacher: 
   If you’re mentoring a student teacher, you might find yourself in a co-teaching setup. This is a great way for new teachers to develop teaching skills under the guidance of an experienced teacher.
   
4. With Another Classroom Teacher: 
   This is more common in elementary settings, but sometimes when class sizes are large enough, administration will assign two classroom teachers to the same group of students. Often this means that one teacher will focus on a couple of subjects while the other supports classroom management and vise versa. 
   
5. During Professional Development: 
   Some school districts implement co-teaching strategies during professional development. For example, you may be asked to partner with another teacher in your building to create and present a seminar on a topic of interest. 

There are several co-teaching models, and you’ll hear fancy terms like station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and the classic one teach, one observe.

Each of these co-teaching arrangements has its benefits, and the best strategy often depends on your students’ needs, the subject matter, and the co-teaching pair’s dynamic. In middle school, co-teaching arrangements will most likely vary from period to period, and you’ll usually learn early on in the year which periods will be co-taught. Many teachers teach “inclusion” classes where a handful of students in the class are on IEPs or ELL plans, and an additional teacher is present for support. 

If you are unfamiliar with co-teaching, know that this work isn’t just about splitting class periods or lesson plan writing in half—it’s about developing a shared vision, blending teaching styles, and providing enough time and support for every student to succeed.

The Challenges of Co-teaching

Let’s not sugarcoat it—co-teaching isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. As is true with any career, there are people you love to work with and people you’d rather not. So, there may be some very real challenges with co-teaching, including: 

• Lack of Common Planning Time: 
  Finding enough time to align your teaching styles and plan lessons together is often one of the biggest hurdles. Even if one teacher is doing most of the instruction and the other is supporting individual students, preparing for lessons is important. 
  
• Power Struggles: 
  Who’s in charge? Or do you share responsibilities in terms of managing your classroom? If this isn’t clear, your students will sense the tension just as much as you do. 
  
• Unequal Workload: 
  A co-teaching partnership only works when both teachers feel like they’re pulling their weight in their areas of expertise. If one teacher is doing all the heavy lifting, resentment builds.
  
• Different Teaching Styles: 
  Teaching styles can clash—big time. One teacher may prefer structured classroom procedures, while the other is all about going with the flow.
  
• Student Confusion: 
  If students don’t understand the specific roles of each teacher, they might not know who to ask for help or how to navigate the co-taught classroom.

Despite these challenges, a successful co-teaching relationship is possible with the right strategies in place! 

Co-teaching Tips for Middle School Teachers

Ready to make co-teaching work? Here are some practical tips:

1. Build Strong Relationships

The foundation of any successful co-teaching partnership is mutual respect and trust. Take time to get to know your co-teaching partner, their teaching style, their background, and their goals (for themselves and their students). A united front built on trust goes a long way in fostering a positive classroom environment. If you know you’ll be co-teaching with an unfamiliar face, ask them to join you for lunch at one of the teacher work days at the beginning of the school year. Get to know each other! 

2. Define Roles Clearly

Are you the content teacher, or are you the one providing extra support? Who’s responsible for grading student work? Do both teachers have the ability to enter and change grades? Clarifying these roles upfront avoids confusion and sets the stage for a smooth co-teaching model.

Furthermore, make sure that you’re on the same page when it comes to classroom management. Even if you don’t agree on everything, odds are you won’t be teaching together all day every day in the middle school setting. So, come up with something that both of you can embrace for the times that you are together, even if it varies slightly from period to period. It’s a good idea to discuss your expectations, lay out specific roles for each of you, and put everything on paper. Then, decide how you will present these expectations to your students at the beginning of the year. 

Need a starting point? Try my Ultimate Guide to Classroom Management in Middle School. 

3. Plan Together

Since so many co-teaching teams struggle to find common planning time, find unique ways to prioritize it! Maybe it’s sharing coffee once a week before school starts. Use this time to align lesson plans, identify students’ needs, and decide which co-teaching strategies to implement.

One of the keys to a successful teaching partnership is making sure that your plans are organized and easy for both teachers to access (and edit if necessary). 

Intervention specialists or paraprofessionals may not be familiar with the standards for your specific class. To give them a little preview for what you will be covering, I like to provide a pacing guide for the entire year. Here are some of my FREE pacing guides: 

• Middle School Earth Science Pacing Guide – FULL YEAR
• Middle School Physical Science Pacing Guide – FULL YEAR

4. Embrace Flexibility

Be ready to try different things. Your co-teaching arrangements should adapt to students’ needs and classroom dynamics. If your co-teacher wants to try something new, discuss it first, and be open to new methods. As teachers, it can be very uncomfortable to let go of complete control over our classroom. But oftentimes, we grow when we are uncomfortable. You might just learn something new that you can implement in the future! 

5. Communicate Often

Keep those lines of communication open. Whether it’s about a new student in your class or changes to classroom procedures, staying on the same page is critical. Assume the best of one another’s intentions. Most of the time, teachers are not trying to upset one another. They are simply doing what they think is best. Try to be a good listener and a respectable professional. 

6. Play to Your Strengths

Leverage each teacher’s content expertise. For example, the special educator might excel at providing one-on-one time for specific students, while the general educator might thrive in leading the larger group. If a certain student connects better with one teacher over the other, be okay with that! Take any good relationship with either teacher as a win! 

7. Focus on Student Learning

At the end of the day, it’s all about student engagement and understanding. Use co-teaching strategies that maximize individual student success, whether through small-group instruction, small groups, or alternative teaching. Having another adult in the room allows a bit more space for more one-on-one connection. 

8. Stay Positive

Co-teaching work can be overwhelming, especially in your first year. Give yourself grace, learn from mistakes, respect one another, and remember—you’re on the same team.

Wrapping It Up

Co-teaching isn’t just about sharing a classroom; it’s about creating an environment where everyone can thrive. While it can come with its fair share of challenges, using these co-teaching tips for middle school teachers can help you build a successful co-teaching relationship. So embrace the journey, try different ways of teaching, and always keep the students at the center of everything you do.