A theory of co-teaching

Abstract

Interaction is a core element of teaching and learning. Teachers interact with students. Students interact with each other, for example, when working on a group assignment. Co-teaching is an example of interaction between teachers. The literature on interpersonal relationships in education (e.g., Wubbels, Den Brok, Levy, & Van Tartwijk, 2012) focuses on such interactions. Through interaction, actors become interdependent. It depends on both the behaviour of teachers and students how much and what students learn and how satisfactory such learning is for teachers and students. The quality of the final product of students’ work on a group assignment depends on each student’s contribution. Similarly, the results of co-teaching depend on each teacher’s ‘input’ of time, effort, and expertise...