If you are a co-teacher, you might wonder how co-teaching fits in with the components of balanced literacy. Or you might be a main stream (general education) teacher that has a co-teacher and you wonder how to best utilize two teachers in the room during workshop. Many ESL teachers co-teach in classrooms that embrace the reading and writing workshop. It's important to know which approaches fit best with each part of the balanced literacy classroom.
The best thing about the workshop model is that it allows for differentiation for all students. Students are reading and writing on THEIR level.
The best thing about co-teaching is that it lowers the student-teacher ratio allowing for more interaction with individual students and the ability to customize instruction.
Teachers wear so many hats in a given day. We are counselors, mothers/fathers, referees, coaches, guides, facilitators, listeners, mediators, and so much more. Having diverse students in our classrooms adds a new layer to our responsibilities. And by diverse, I mean all types of diversity:
As a Collaborative Teacher or Co-Teacher, you may go into multiple classrooms and various grade levels each day. This type of schedule has its advantages, but it also can be quiet a heavy load as far as planning is concerned.
In my own experience, I have been in the shoes of the classroom teacher and the ESL teacher coming in to co--teach. In both cases there were times when planning together just wasn't possible. I found that having a toolkit with me was a lifesaver as I came into classrooms to serve students.