What Inclusion and Co-Teaching Truly Look Like
- Charley Jo Vaughn
- May 4
- 4 min read
Moving Beyond the Buzzwords Into Real Classroom Practice
"Inclusion" and "co-teaching" are two of the most commonly used terms in education--and two of the most commonly misunderstood.
Too often, schools say they are "doing inclusion" because students with disabilities are physically present in the classroom.
Or they say they are "co-teaching" because two adults are in the room.
But presence alone is not inclusion.
And shared space alone is not co-teaching.
When implemented well, inclusion and co-teaching create meaningful access, stronger outcomes, and more supportive learning environments for all students.
So what does that actually look like?
What Inclusion Truly Means
Inclusion is not:
Simply placing a student in general education
Expecting the student to "keep up" without support
Modifying everything after the lesson is already planned
Treating accommodations as optional
True inclusion means students with disabilities have access to grade-level learning, meaningful participation, and appropriate support within the least restrictive environment.
What Co-Teaching Truly Means
Co-teaching is not:
One teacher teaching while the other "helps"
The special educator acting only as an aide
Dividing students into "your kids" and "my kids"
Planning separately and hoping it works out
True co-teaching means both educators actively share responsibility for planning, instruction, support, and student outcomes.
What Real Co-Teaching Looked Like for Me
I have co-taught in many different settings, and not all of them truly felt like co-teaching.
Sometimes it felt like I was simply another adult in the room--supporting from the sidelines, filling gaps, or trying to navigate unclear expectations between general education and special education roles.
But one 2nd grade classroom changed my understanding of what co-teaching can be when it is done well.
From the beginning, the mindset was clear.
They were all our students.
Not "my special education students" and "her general education students."
Not "my caseload" and "her classroom."
Our students.
That shift changed everything.
I never felt like I was there to babysit or provide support from the background. I was not an extra set of hands or a glorified aide.
I was a teacher in that classroom--and so was she.
The Structure That Made It Work
One of the most effective strategies we used was station teaching.
While one of us led a hands-on literacy station, the other taught a separate targeted skill. Then we rotated.
The power of that model was not simply in the small-group format--it was in how we implemented it.
Neither of us taught only "our" students.
I did not work exclusively with students who had IEPs.
She did not work exclusively with students who did not.
We both taught every learner in the room.
That mattered.
Because when students begin to notice that one teacher only works with certain children, questions naturally follow. Labels become more visible. Confidentiality becomes more difficult to protect. Support can unintentionally become stigmatized.
But in this classroom, support was normalized because it was embedded into the structure of learning itself.
No group was labeled.
No support was singled out.
No student was separated by disability.
It was simply how our classroom worked.
Why It Worked
That experience reinforced something I believe deeply:
True co-teaching is not two adults occupying the same room.
It is two educators sharing ownership of instruction, support, and student success.
It requires both teachers to:
Plan collaboratively
Lead instruction meaningfully
Support all learners
View every student as shared responsibility
When that happens, co-teaching stops feeling performative and starts feeling purposeful.
Students receive support without stigma.
Teachers collaborate without hierarchy.
And inclusion becomes something students experience--not just something schools claim to provide.
Practical Tips for Making Inclusion Work
Plan for Diverse Learners From the Start
Don't retrofit accommodations after instruction is planned.
Instead ask:
-Where might students struggle with this lesson?
-What barriers exist to accessing the content?
-How can I build supports in proactively?
Simple Strategy:
Use a "must know / should know / could know" framework when planning.
Clarify Adult Roles Before the Lesson
Avoid the "one teaches, one circulates" trap every day.
Ask:
-Who is leading which part?
-When will each teacher instruct?
-How will support be delivered?
-What does active participation look like for both adults?
Simple Strategy:
Use a 2-minute pre-class planning check-in.
Normalize Supports for Everyone
Accommodations should not isolate students.
Instead of:
Giving one student sentence stems privately
Try:
Posting sentence stems for the whole class
Instead of:
Pulling one student aside for graphic organizers
Try:
Offering organizers as an option for all students
Good inclusion make support universal whenever possible.
Use Flexible Grouping Intentionally
Avoid grouping by perceived ability every time.
Mix groups based on:
Skill need
Learning style
Behavior support
Peer modeling
Task demands
Students should move between groups fluidly--not get permanently tracked.
Share Ownership of All Students
Both teachers should:
Know every student's goals/accommodations
Interact with all learners
Collect data/monitor progress
Communicate with families when appropriate
The special educator is not just responsible for students with IEPs.
Easy Co-Teaching Models to Start Using Tomorrow
Station Teaching
Break content into stations and divide instruction/support.
Best for:
Practice, review, differentiation, hands-on tasks
Parallel Teaching
Split class into two smaller groups; both teachers teach same content.
Best for:
Discussion-heavy lessons, reducing group size, increasing engagement
Alternative Teaching
One teacher instructs the large group while one provides targeted small-group support.
Best for:
Pre-teaching, reteaching, skill reinforcement
Team Teaching
Both teachers actively deliver instruction together.
Best for:
Modeling dialogue, collaborative discussion, shared expertise
Final Thoughts
Effective inclusion and co-teaching require more than good intentions.
They require:
Shared planning
Clear communication
Role clarity
Flexible supports
A belief that all students belong
When inclusion is done well, students don't just sit in the room--
They access, engage, participate, and grow.
And when co-teaching is done well--
Both educators teach.
Both educators lead.
Both educators support all learners.
Need Help Building Practical Inclusion Systems in Your School or Classroom?
Spesh helps educators move from compliance-based inclusion to meaningful implementation through practical tools, planning support, and individualized consultation.
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IEPs • Inclusion • Real classroom practice
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