Start in the classroom
Picture a math lesson. One teacher is explaining a new problem type at the board. A second teacher is in the room. What should that second teacher be doing?
Here are three real options, each from the strategy overview on coteachingevolved.com:
- One teach, one observe. The second teacher gathers preselected evidence, for example tracking which prompts increase participation.
- One teach, one support. The second teacher makes the explanation accessible, for example by building and labeling a visual model.
- Graze-and-tag teaching. The second teacher monitors understanding and tags in to clarify or extend, for example after noticing a common error.
Same lesson, same two adults, three very different jobs. The choice should come from the learning goal, not from habit.
The principle: match the structure to the need
Co-Teaching Evolved: Partnership Strategies for an Equitable, Inclusive, and Tech-Powered Classroom, by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge (Solution Tree, 2025; first released October 2024), organizes eleven strategies into three stages: supportive, team, and advanced (The Book). The site is clear that the stages “are not a ranking of teacher quality.” They help partners talk about complexity, shared responsibility, and the structure that serves a particular lesson (Strategies).
Supportive co-teaching
- One teach, one assist: one leads, the other circulates, prompts, and supports.
- One teach, one observe: one teaches, the other gathers preselected evidence.
- One teach, one support: one explains, the other delivers targeted supports such as visuals, paraphrase, notes, or vocabulary.
Team co-teaching
- Graze-and-tag: one begins, the other tags in with a clear cue and purpose.
- Parallel teaching: both teach the same objective to smaller groups.
- Station teaching: each teacher leads a planned station while students rotate.
- Alternative teaching: one teacher leads a flexible small group for reteaching, preteaching, or enrichment.
Advanced co-teaching
- Conversation teaching: both model a content-rich academic exchange.
- Role-play teaching: both take planned roles to make a process or perspective visible.
- Interactive teaching: both alternate complementary explanations, models, questions, and checks.
- Shared teaching: both move fluidly among teaching, questioning, and assessment.
A quick chooser
The For Teachers page offers a fast way to decide:
| If you need | Consider |
|---|---|
| Focused evidence | One teach, one observe |
| More student talk | Parallel teaching |
| Multiple tasks or modalities | Station teaching |
| A low-preparation bridge | Graze-and-tag teaching |
| Short-term reteaching | Alternative teaching |
| Expert dialogue | Conversation, interactive, or shared teaching |
The site adds a fair warning: “No single structure is always best.”
Watch for the weak spot
“One teach, one assist” gets a bad reputation. The site’s answer: it becomes weak “when the second teacher has no planned instructional purpose” (For Teachers). The fix is planning, not abandoning the strategy. Decide before class when the assisting teacher will lead or gather evidence.
Try it this week
- Download the free one-page Co-Teaching Strategy Quick-Reference Guide (Chapter 2). No email required.
- Pick one lesson. Name the goal and the evidence first.
- Choose one strategy from a stage you have not tried yet.
- After class, debrief one question: did each teacher’s role serve the goal?
Want the full framework? Get Co-Teaching Evolved by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge from Solution Tree.
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