ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the benefits of collaborative team teaching for general educators, special educators, general education students, and special education students. Special educators who have gone through teacher certification programs with little familiarization in general education classes can reinterpret the paramenters of their roles through collaboration. General education students are often thought of as potentially suffering as a result of being in inclusive classrooms with their disabled peers. In the beginning stages of co-teaching, two teachers often feel like separate entities placed together, sometimes experiencing awkwardness with one another, even anxiety. Others may immediately feel “open” to this arrangement and embrace it from day one. Communication is key to any healthy relationships that form and is at the heart of co-teaching. Teachers in a co-teaching class need to be able to effectively communicate with each other and their students regularly throughout the day.
