'A comprehensive resource for co-teaching teams and their administrators! It is full of ready-to-use, teacher-friendly forms, checklists, and charts. The co-teaching lesson plan forms are phenomenal! The number of practical ideas included is astounding' - Michele S. Dalton, School Psychologist, Poudre School District, Ft. Collins, CO 'A tremendous contribution to the field. This text is for anyone who is thinking about being in, or who is already in, the challenging yet potentially rewarding co-teaching relationship' - Mimi Rosenberg, Graduate Faculty, Bank Street College of Education To better serve students with disabilities in inclusive primary-level classrooms, schools are partnering general education teachers with special service providers to form committed co-teaching relationships. Using the metaphor of marriage, this lighthearted, highly practical, and teacher-friendly resource from the author of Collaborative Teaching in Secondary Schools provides readers with the tools to successfully set up, conduct, and successfully maintain co-teaching partnerships in any learning environment. Based on the author's extensive experience, this book blends solid educational research and literature with lighthearted humour to help readers nurture co-teaching partnerships through the stages of planning, co-instructing, and co-assessing. Divided into four relationship stages, each section offers: - Case studies and scenarios of co-teachers in action - Field-tested instructional and behavioural strategies with authentic examples - Self-assessments to determine teachers' readiness to proceed to the next step in the co-teaching relationship - Information on the role of the administrator and how to communicate with parents - Numerous reproducibles, helpful Web sites, and a list of teacher resources Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools is an easy-to-access, one-stop guide for schools getting started with co-teaching or looking to refine their existing programmes.

Author Biography

Wendy W. Murawski, PhD, is the Michael D. Eisner Endowed Chair and Executive Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She is a tenured Full Professor in the Department of Special Education, a past president of the Teacher Education Division (TED) for the Council for Exceptional Children, a former Teacher Educator of the Year for the state of California, and the recent recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award for CSUN. She has authored numerous books, chapters, articles, and handbooks in the areas of co-teaching, collaboration, inclusion, differentiation, and teaching. Wendy owns her own educational consulting company (2 TEACH LLC), loves to travel and speak nationally and internationally, and is a frequently requested keynote speaker. Due to her 12-year-old son Kiernan's expertise in dinosaurs and fish, she is also now able to confidently reference Abelisaurus and Goliath Groupers during presentations, when the need arises-you'd be surprised at how often that happens!