Co-Planning and Co-Teaching at Dwight School Seoul
Co-Planning and Co-Teaching
MTSS · Three tiers of support
Tier 1 · Universal
Every student · Every classroom
Lessons designed for the full range of learners from the start. UDL strategies embedded across every unit.
Tier 2 · Targeted
Some students · Co-Teaching in class
Quest Co-Teachers embedded in KG–G6 and G7 English A. Small group and flexible support within the classroom.
Tier 3 · Intensive
Few students · Individual support
Quest pull-out or in-class intensive support. ILP or MedRAD in place. Reviewed at SST.
Professional learning · How it happens
Inclusion by Design sessions
Monthly whole-school sessions from KG to G12. Build shared UDL language across the school. Every teacher, every division. One consistent framework.
Co-Planning for Inclusion cycles
UDL-informed Co-Planning between the Quest Co-Teacher and class teacher, unit by unit. Includes Co-Planning, Co-Teaching where appropriate, classroom observation, and shared reflection. Works in cycles across the year.
Co-Teaching approaches · Six models
Agree the model before the lesson. The model determines what both adults do and what students experience. Roles are agreed in the Co-Planning session before every unit.
One adult teaches. The other observes and collects agreed data on student engagement, understanding, or response to a strategy. Either adult can take either role.
Lead adult: delivers the lesson as planned
Observing adult: collects data on named students or whole-class patterns
One adult leads the lesson. The other circulates and supports any student who needs it. Either adult can take either role. Agree which before the lesson.
Lead adult: delivers instruction to the whole class
Second adult: circulates, supports any student who needs it
The class rotates through stations. Both adults teach simultaneously, each leading their own station. Groups are mixed.
Lead adult: introduces new content or assesses understanding
Second adult: reinforces, extends, or applies the same content differently
The class is split in half. Both adults teach the same content simultaneously to smaller groups. The teacher-student ratio is halved. Both adults deliver the same lesson, not differentiated content. Requires both adults to know the material well. Pre-planning conversation is essential.
Both adults: same lesson, same content, smaller group
One adult takes a small, flexible group for pre-teaching, re-teaching, or enrichment while the other continues with the majority. Tier 2 support inside the classroom. Group membership changes by unit and by skill.
Lead adult: continues with the majority
Second adult: pre-teaches, re-teaches, or extends a small flexible group
Both adults teach jointly throughout the lesson. Roles shift fluidly. Requires the highest tier of trust, Co-Planning, and mutual professional respect. Build toward it through Station Teaching and Parallel Teaching first. When it works, it is invisible, students do not know who the "real" teacher is.
Both adults: equal ownership. Roles shift fluidly.
The aide trap
When a Quest Co-Teacher is exclusively attached to one student, that student is stigmatised, the specialist's expertise is wasted on proximity rather than teaching, and the classroom teacher's inclusive practice stays static. Intentionally assigning roles before every lesson, using these models, is what prevents it.