Applying Co-Teaching Models to Enhance Partnerships Between Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists

U.S. schools are required to educate students in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The number of students with high incidence disabilities, including those with speech or language impairments (SLI), who spend most of their day in the general education classroom has increased in the last decade. Establishing classrooms that proactively address the learning needs of students with SLI is essential to ensure that students are educated in the LRE. Co-teaching is an instructional strategy that utilizes the expertise of two educators to provide instruction in the general education classroom. This article provides an overview of the research on co-teaching and rationale for use with teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), defines two models of co-teaching that can be used between teachers and SLPs to provide instruction in general education classrooms, and offers examples of co-teaching models in practice.