Creating Optimal Opportunities to Learn Mathematics Blending Co-Teaching Structures With Research-Based Practices

Ms. Thomas, the general educator, and Ms. Merced, the special education teacher, plan to co-teach mathematics classes during the upcoming school year. Based on previous interactions with students and knowledge of students' abilities from school records, they know that several students, including students with disabilities, struggle with mathematics (e.g., communication, problem solving, computation, and recalling facts, among other areas). Ms. Thomas and Ms. Merced also realize it is imperative to design lessons and activities in which all students have equal opportunities to develop mathematical knowledge and understanding. They discuss instructional content and methodology. Their biggest concern is how to create an effective learning environment. The teachers are familiar with co-teaching structures, but they believe it is important to use instructional strategies and practices that are effective for students with learning disabilities. The question is how to integrate the two practices. Throughout this article, we provide examples to demonstrate how Ms. Thomas and Ms. Merced integrated co-teaching and research-based mathematics strategies in their instruction.