A roadmap by which teacher and healthcare professional-in-training set out on a path to more effective and inclusive education through complementary co-teaching (Samen op weg)

From the Research Centre for Learning in Diversity, a pilot project was set up called: "Complementary co-teaching between a teacher and a care professional in training: a living lab in a Ghent elementary school." Herein, through a participatory action research project, complementary co-teaching between a care professional in training and a teacher was experimented with, with the aim of achieving more effective and inclusive education. This research exposes the added value of a healthcare professional-in-training as a co-teacher within a classroom context, but also presents a number of challenges. First, we saw that it took a long time for a healthcare professional-in-training to fill a role as a co-teacher on the classroom floor. Second, teachers reported looking for a co-teacher to support both cognitive and social-emotional skills of students. However, care professionals in training are still searching for which evidence-informed actions are appropriate and effective within a specific context. Third, it was noted that although the actions taken by the care professional in training inspired the teacher, they were not yet (too) structurally embedded in classroom practice. The departure of the care professional in training due to the end of the internship period implied that the actions disappeared or were used only sporadically. To respond to these challenges, we developed a "route planner.This route planner is a working tool that consists of 9 assignments that teachers and healthcare professionals in training who are in front of the classroom together through complementary co-teaching set out on during their collaboration period.This route planner focuses both on the preconditions of co-teaching and on how to work with a class group in an action-oriented way.Through the research project 'On the road together' we want to explore the way in which this route planner facilitates the interpretation of the role of a healthcare professional in training who is a co-teacher in a classroom. The departure of the healthcare professional in training due to the end of the internship period implied that the actions disappeared or were used only sporadically. To respond to these challenges, we developed a "route planner.This route planner is a working tool that consists of 9 assignments that teachers and healthcare professionals in training who are in front of the classroom together through complementary co-teaching set out on during their collaboration period.This route planner focuses both on the preconditions of co-teaching and on how to work with a class group in an action-oriented way. Through the research project 'On the road together' we want to examine how this route planner facilitates the role of a healthcare professional in training as a co-teacher in a classroom. On the other hand, we want to examine what impact this route planner has on teacher skills for effective teaching and whether that impact is sustainable.

Keywords:coteaching, teacher, healthcare professional, elementary education, specific educational needs, inclusive education

Disciplines:Mathematics and numeracy curriculum and pedagogics

Project type:Collaboration project