Implementing a Co-Teaching Model in Music Student Teaching: A Literature Review

Views of Co-Teachers Concerning Their Co-Teaching Experiences

Palmer (2018) investigated four experienced cooperating music teachers’ perceptions of their roles in student teaching based on two individual interviews and one focus group interview. Palmer found that cooperating music teachers valued their co-teaching experiences with student teachers. First, cooperating music teachers mentioned that they viewed their co-teaching experiences as benefits to their students’ education. A cooperating teacher noted, “I feel that it really benefits my kids when there are two of us. I really do view this as a team-teaching situation” (p. 30). Another cooperating teacher commented, “Yes, I think it is a win-win situation. The student teacher brings gifts to your program and to your kids. We can split up into more sectionals, for example, and give more one-on-one attention” (p. 30). Second, cooperating music teachers noted that they had opportunities to reflect on and improve their own teaching practice through their mentoring experiences in a co-teaching model. A cooperating teacher explained this phenomenon:

“Here are the things you are doing well, here are the things you need to improve on” and then I always tell them “I don’t do this very well” or it starts to make me realize, “Hey I should look at this.” So, I always get better as a teacher when I have a student teacher. (p. 30)

Last, cooperating music teachers indicated that they learned from the exchange of ideas and knowledge with student teachers as co-teachers. A cooperating teacher noted, “The student teacher recently always brings technology information with them. They have taught me so much” (p. 30). Another cooperating teacher specified what this reciprocity meant in co-teaching: “It’s my constant learning mode of teaching somebody else something and watching their response, and what comes back and how much I learn from that” (p. 29). Cooperating music teachers had successful co-teaching examples with student teachers and expressed their willingness to continue to develop with student teachers as co-teachers.

Similar to Palmer’s (2018) findings, cooperating music teachers in Draves’ (2010) case study also perceived working with their student teachers as opportunities for mutual learning and professional development. Comments from cooperating teachers implied that they viewed their student teachers as independent teachers from whom they could learn and improve their teaching practice together. A cooperating teacher noted,

There are so many things that we can learn from other teachers. If you aren’t open to learning from your student teacher . . . it’s not going to be as much as it could be as far as learning for both people. (Draves, 2010, p. 23)

Another cooperating teacher noted, “I think that we are different teachers, so she’s going to find some things that work better for her and some things work better for me” (Draves, 2010, p. 24). One cooperating teacher also gave an example of working with a student teacher as a co-teacher in a music classroom: “My last student teacher was a flute player; I’m a tuba player. I would ask her, ‘why don’t you tune the flutes today?’ . . . It makes me a better teacher, too” (p. 23). Draves also indicated that cooperating music teachers encouraged student teachers to develop their own persona and style as teachers. Draves (2010) noted, “When a cooperating teacher validates the student teacher as a person and a developing teacher, the experience is more educative” (p. 30). This educative experience led to the development of student teachers’ role-identities as co-teachers. Student teachers started to see themselves as teachers through acting out of their roles as teachers under the guidance of their cooperating teachers. Student teachers also found support, guidance, and feedback from their cooperating teachers as an “occupational reference group” (p. 30). Draves also noted that cooperating music teachers felt rewarded and fulfilled by their student teachers’ professional growth. As cooperating teachers observed their student teachers’ growth and success and commitment to teaching as co-teachers, they felt “personal satisfaction,” and “sense of professional responsibility” (p. 29).

Another study conducted by Kerin and Murphy (2015) examined a co-teaching model by partnering 12 undergraduate music education students with 12 primary school teachers in Dublin, Ireland. Co-teachers for this study were generalist classroom teachers with music pedagogy training as part of their general teacher training and undergraduate music education preservice music teachers. Data included researcher observations of co-teaching lessons and fieldnotes, interviews, and co-teachers’ weekly reflective journals. Analyses of data sources indicated that all 12 preservice teachers make a significant transition in the development of their identities from student to teacher throughout one semester. As the weeks progressed, preservice teachers actively engaged in the co-teaching process from planning to reflection. They brought new teaching resources and innovative approaches to teaching music as facilitated by the co-teaching model. Students, administrators, and co-teachers highly valued preservice teachers’ musicianship and expert knowledge in music. As a result, preservice teachers not only experienced tremendous support and respect for demonstrating their musicianship from both cooperating teachers and students but also gained self-confidence as teachers. They integrated their prior knowledge into planning and their own musicianship into lessons by composing original songs and creating new resources and music games for students. A preservice teacher gave an example in a reflective journal:

I taught two of the songs the following week—one song used the melody of Three Blind Mice but with new lyrics (I wanted the children to experience just one tool of the composer—use of lyrics) and then the second song was a simple Round. The teacher reacted with such enthusiasm (as did the children) that I felt like a fraud! I intend to compose a book of humorous songs with/for my coteacher and children based on the pentatonic scale. (Kerin & Murphy, 2015, p. 316)

Over the final weeks of the co-teaching placement, the preservice teachers were willing to participate in school events outside their classroom teaching. All 12 preservice teachers organized concerts by participating as performers, music directors, composers, and fund-raisers for the purchase of instruments.

Mentoring Music Student Teachers Within a Co-Teaching Context

Krueger (2006) observed and interviewed eight cooperating music teachers in the Pacific Northwest and identified effective strategies to mentor student teachers. Krueger found that cooperating music teachers encouraged student teachers to try new ideas and ways of teaching, rather than giving specific advice while co-planning lessons. They shared the curricular goals and plans for each grade level or course with student teachers and encouraged them to come up with their own choice of materials and music literature. This support and guidance helped student teachers gain confidence and feel supported in trying new ideas and practices. Krueger (2006) also found that cooperating music teachers granted student teachers an “equal standing with other teachers in the school” (p. 58). At the start of co-teaching, they introduced their student teachers to students as co-teachers. When introduced as co-teachers, students accepted student teachers as real teachers, and as a result, student teachers could gain more credibility as teachers. Krueger also indicated that cooperating music teachers co-reflected with their student teachers as a part of their mentoring process. Cooperating teachers modeled reflective practice on a regular basis and guided their student teachers to co-reflect with them. Krueger (2006) explained this co-reflection process:

Cooperating teachers regularly modeled daily reflective practices, such as analyzing how each lesson went, whether students understood the concepts, the effect on students, or what might be done differently the next time. As soon as possible after a class, they also asked the student teachers such questions as, how did you feel about the class? How did that go for you? Or what did you think about? (p. 59)

Cooperating teachers prompted student teachers to reflect on their teaching practice by identifying areas of strengths, accomplishments, challenges, and problems.

Maltas and McCarty-Clair (2006) described steps for how to become more effective cooperating music teachers in an ensemble class setting. The authors suggested that cooperating teachers need to establish positive relationships with student teachers as the first step before co-teaching began. The authors asserted that open communication is critical to building positive relationships. The authors provided possible examples related to open communication: (a) introducing self, school facilities, and important faculty; (b) examining different teaching styles and sharing classroom rules, procedures, and the curriculum; (c) setting goals and plans; and (d) encouraging student teachers to self-examine issues and find solutions. The authors also provided specific examples of how cooperating music teachers can mentor student teachers as co-teachers and make their teaching transition from student to teacher smoothly in music classrooms. First, cooperating music teachers need to introduce student teachers as co-teachers to students in order to set expectations of their roles as new teachers in classrooms. Second, student teachers need to engage in teaching immediately by working with individual students or small groups of students. Then, they can start leading warm-ups or reviewing previous learning on small passages of music until they gain enough confidence to direct an entire ensemble. This gradual integration into teaching can also help students perceive student teachers as co-teachers. During this process, the authors suggested that cooperating teachers sit in the middle of the ensemble to engage in students’ learning in close physical proximity. The authors added, “It’s a winning situation for everyone: you feel less excluded, your student teacher is in charge of a portion of the class, and your students benefit from having teachers with multiple points of view and types of expertise” (p. 51). The authors gave this example to illuminate the effectiveness of a co-teaching approach in an ensemble class.

Edwards and Dendler (2007) suggested effective ways of mentoring strategies to ensure successful student teaching experiences for student teachers. First, the authors called for daily communication between cooperating music teachers and student teachers as the most critical component of student teacher success. They said that cooperating teachers as mentors need to personalize daily communication with student teachers who also need to be open to accept advice and feedback from cooperating teachers. Second, the authors suggested that student teachers as co-teachers also need to be familiar with class routines and rules before their student teaching begins. Third, the authors recommended that student teachers need to participate in as many class activities as possible to interact with students during co-teaching. Toward the end of co-teaching when student teachers are ready to handle a full teaching load, they can be expected to build positive relationships with students and offer many music-making experiences for students. At the end of co-teaching, the authors suggested that cooperating teachers and student teachers can share gratitude and appreciation for their partnership during their last daily communication. The authors described this critical component of the last communication: “The cooperating teacher has a chance for a concluding moment to propel a new teacher forward. Their advice to student teachers is to make it meaningful and memorable—the student teacher is hanging on your every word” (p. 50).

Implications

The literature on co-teaching in student teaching has several important implications for P–12 music teachers. The first implication is based on the finding that implementing co-teaching in student teaching can occur successfully through cooperating music teachers’ willingness to facilitate the co-teaching process. Researchers have indicated that cooperating music teachers (a) demonstrate their openness to host student teachers as co-teachers; (b) identify their student teachers as independent teachers rather than student interns, who could bring valuable teaching resources from their own music backgrounds, musicianship, and content knowledge; (c) impact student teachers’ confidence and role-identities as developing co-teachers; and (d) demonstrate motivation to incorporate ideas and practices from student teachers through co-planning and co-instructing.

At the very beginning of student teaching, student teachers may lack an understanding of the experience’s purpose. How cooperating teachers set up a co-teaching classroom environment can help student teachers recognize the goals of student teaching. If cooperating teachers set up co-teaching classrooms, student teachers can shift their positions from student interns to professional teachers smoothly and participate in the co-teaching process immediately. Cooperating teachers’ acknowledgment of student teachers as co-teachers is also critical to student teachers’ confidence as they develop their perceptions about their roles in classrooms. Therefore, cooperating teachers’ willingness to facilitate co-teaching classrooms is significant at the beginning of student teaching.

When student teaching begins, cooperating music teachers can also set up the co-planning process and invite student teachers during this process. During the co-planning process, both cooperating teachers and student teachers can develop reciprocal arrangements for ideas. This professional exchange may be one of the most significant elements in co-teaching as cooperating teachers and student teachers have opportunities to combine their co-constructive knowledge. For example, student teachers may play different instruments, incorporate different approaches into music instruction, or bring new repertoire or music activities during co-planning. Therefore, music instruction can be equipped with extensive resources and various strategies when cooperating music teachers are willing to learn from student teachers and incorporate student teachers’ ideas.

After co-planning, cooperating music teachers can also co-instruct with student teachers by actively taking turns between assisting and leading or simply co-leading. For example, one teacher can assist in tuning an ensemble class, repairing an instrument, or helping an individual student or a small sectional, while another teacher leads the entire class. A student teacher with a strong piano background may also serve as a competent accompanist, while a cooperating music teacher leads a chorus or ensemble group. A student teacher can lead a cello or double bass sectional as a lower string expert, while a cooperating teacher works with a violin or viola sectional as an upper string expert. Having student teachers setup for different ensembles or assist with administrative tasks may increase cooperating teachers’ efficiency. In well-constructed co-teaching classrooms, cooperating teachers can experience the benefits of co-planning and co-instructing—enhanced collaboration and more shared learning with student teachers. Student teachers can also have positive experiences and build their confidence as co-teachers within this protected environment. Therefore, cooperating music teachers should endeavor to construct co-teaching classrooms to make co-teaching occur successfully.

Student teachers as co-teachers should engage in reflective practice with their cooperating music teachers to develop and refine their teaching practice. Researchers have indicated that student teachers who engage in co-teaching experiences can carry out all aspects of teaching, including co-reflection. Student teachers as co-teachers can join in reflective practice under the guidance of their cooperating music teachers. During co-reflection, cooperating music teachers as mentors can offer varying degrees of support and constructive feedback. Student teachers can make sense of their teaching, and cooperating teachers can add their thoughts at the same time. Researchers have also indicated that during co-reflection student teachers can examine their teaching potential, discover their weaknesses and strengths in teaching, and eventually develop their own teaching styles and practice. As student teachers develop and refine their teaching practice, they can build their competencies and self-esteem as independent teachers. Co-reflection can be a critical professional development opportunity for student teachers as developing teachers. Therefore, student teachers should fully engage in co-reflection with cooperating teachers to benefit from co-teaching and be successful in their student teaching experiences as well.

A carefully sequenced plan for teaching opportunities will help student teachers adapt to the co-teaching process while developing as teachers. Researchers have suggested that student teachers should gradually add one grade or one course at a time until they feel ready for full teaching. Music teachers primarily teach different grades and direct different music classes, which may result in added pressure for student teachers as novice teachers. Student teachers may feel challenged to undertake the entire role of classroom teachers although they fully engage in all aspects of teaching as co-teachers. Based on a carefully sequenced plan for teaching opportunities, for example, student teachers may start running a warm-up for an ensemble class or tuning instruments at the beginning of student teaching. They can also begin teaching an individual student or a small ensemble until they get to know their students. In general music classrooms, student teachers may begin teaching one music activity until they feel confident about running all activities. Student teachers can actively engage in co-instructing from a small segment or group of students while preparing for full teaching at the same time. They can also continue to develop skill sets and dispositions as developing teachers. When they finally take on full teaching responsibilities toward the end of co-teaching, this gradual transition to full teaching can make their student teaching experience successful. As student teachers take the lead in all aspects of teaching, they can continue to develop an understanding of the curricular, classroom management, and instructional leadership skill sets. Therefore, the consideration of gradual increase into full teaching is critical for student teachers not only as developing novice teachers but also as successful co-teachers.

It is recommended that cooperating music teachers and student teachers engage in daily communication activities to implement co-teaching procedures successfully. Researchers have emphasized the importance of communication between cooperating music teachers and student teachers during the co-teaching process. Co-teaching in student teaching is limited to a short period, which generally lasts from 8 weeks to one semester. Within this limited time frame, engaging in daily communication with student teachers can expedite cooperating teachers’ work to implement co-teaching in student teaching. Daily communication can allow both cooperating teachers and student teachers to acknowledge their differences and similarities in teaching styles, teacher disposition, knowledge, and skill sets. Cooperating teachers should personalize daily communication with student teachers, and based on this communication, they can also offer advice and feedback to student teachers. This discussion does not need to include criticisms but can be running commentary to find out problems and points for improvement. Daily communication can also increase interactions between cooperating teachers and student teachers and eventually build a supportive and mutually respectful student teaching environment. Through communication, co-teachers can also determine when and which instruction would be most useful in enhancing student learning. In co-teaching, daily communication can help build positive partnerships between cooperating teachers and student teachers and can assist them in developing effective ways to deliver instruction for students.

Suggestions for Music Teacher Education and Future Research

Co-teaching has been increasingly used in student teaching over the past decades as an effective teaching practice. However, music education research lacks empirical studies on outcomes for incorporating a co-teaching model in student teaching. Researchers continue to document observations, surveys, and case studies to discover how teachers effectively implement this model into music classroom teaching. Future research should expand topics on classroom music teachers’ dispositions toward a co-teaching approach and how to build relationships with student teachers as co-teachers. Also, future research should examine detailed co-teaching methods for planning, ongoing debriefing, and shared reflection between cooperating music teachers and student teachers.

Although co-teaching can be a practical approach in music teacher education, adopting this model may also involve some negative aspects and potential difficulties that cooperating teachers and student teachers may confront. These include a different level of participation in co-teaching and a failure to build interpersonal relationships or any power imbalances between co-teachers. Therefore, future research could examine potential drawbacks that can hinder the effectiveness of a co-teaching model.

This article is limited to reviewing literature focused only on cooperating teachers and student teachers. Researchers may also need to address the impact of co-teaching on students in music classrooms. It is important to empirically investigate and inform P–12 music educators on the effectiveness of co-teaching settings on student success in P–12 music classrooms. Researchers could also investigate how music teacher preparation programs adopt and support co-teaching and its overall impact as well. For example, music teacher preparation programs could provide additional training or workshops in which both cooperating teachers and student teachers prepare for co-teaching practices before student teaching begins. It is vital that co-teachers as both P–12 music educators and future music educators develop a thorough understanding of the co-teaching approach and its practical applications in student teaching to enhance the efficacy of student teaching experiences.