Collaborating for inclusion: ideal and real teachers' perceptions about co-teaching practice

Abstract

The co-teaching as a shared practice in which two teachers work together with groups of students sharing the planning, organization, delivery and assessment of instruction, as well as the physical space, represents a positive inclusive practice based on collaboration (Ghedin et al., 2013; Conderman et al., 2008; Nevin et al., 2009; Villa et al., 2004). Based on these statements, it became
necessary to investigate the meanings and perceptions of teachers in order to bring out the ‘’collaborative ethos “(Rytivaara, 2012) that characterizes their daily practices. The research is an exploratory study aimed to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of co-teaching (Ghedin et al., 2013; Friend & Cook, 2007; Murawski, 2003) from an ideal and a real point of view, considering these
research questions: what is the importance given to the collaborative dimension in teaching? Which collaborative practices (co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessment) are predominantly implemented in teachers’ daily work? Do exist differences in collaborative practices perceived and realized by curricular teachers and special education teachers in different school levels? Research
results suggest paths of study to design training courses for teachers in order to implement collaborative practices in the classroom.