Start in the classroom
Matt Rhoads tells this story from his years as a high school special education co-teacher. In one year, his two co-teaching assignments were “a study in contrasts.” In the first, “our roles were undefined, our philosophies felt worlds apart, and despite being in the same room, we operated on separate islands.” In the second, “my co-teacher and I dedicated time before school started to discuss our non-negotiables, our strengths, and our vision for the classroom.” The difference showed: “Our lessons were dynamic, we were able to be more responsive to student needs.” (The Heart of Co-Teaching, matthewrhoads.com)
Most co-teaching friction starts here: not with a bad strategy, but with an unspoken assumption.
The principle: agree first, then plan
The Co-Teaching Evolved framework puts the partnership first. The home page describes it as the first of three parts: “Clarify strengths, roles, beliefs, communication, responsibilities, and planning routines.” Strategies and instruction come after.
Co-Teaching Evolved, by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge, turns that into essential agreements. The book page lists “Establish clear roles, shared expectations, and essential agreements” as the first thing teams will learn (The Book).
Two steps, two free tools
Step 1: Think on your own
The Essential Agreements: Individual Brainstorm (Chapter 4, two pages) asks each teacher to reflect separately on:
- philosophy
- relationships
- families
- feedback
- inclusion
- IEPs and accommodations
Doing this alone first means both voices come to the table.
Step 2: Agree together
The Essential Agreement Template (Chapter 4, one page) is where partners agree on:
- lesson design
- inclusion
- assessment
- planning
- communication with students and families
That pre-school conversation is what these two tools structure: decide on assessment, accommodations, and communication before the first student question tests it.
Make the roles visible too
Agreements cover beliefs. Roles cover the work. The free Division of Labor and Responsibilities tool (Chapter 5) assigns how lesson planning, content, feedback, strategy selection, and family communication will happen. The Planning Role Breakdown helps when time is short. The site’s advice: divide preparation “without separating responsibility” (For Teachers).
Why this matters for planning
On matthewrhoads.com, Matt puts it plainly: “A co-teaching lesson plan is not two individual lesson plans stapled together.” The most common failure he names is parallel planning, where two teachers plan their parts separately and hope the lesson holds together (Co-Teaching Lesson Planning Kit). Agreements are what make shared planning possible.
Try it this week
- Each partner completes the Individual Brainstorm on their own.
- Meet for 30 minutes and fill in one Essential Agreement Template together.
- Pick the one item you disagree on most and settle it first.
- Revisit the agreement after the first grading period.
All 30 reproducibles are free in the resource library, no email gate. The full framework is in Co-Teaching Evolved by Matthew Rhoads and Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge (Solution Tree).
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