Students Gain Co-Teaching Experience at Oglethorpe Point

Junior teacher candidates at the College of Coastal Georgia have been working together as co-teachers at Oglethorpe Point Elementary School on St. Simons Island. They gained first-hand experience in how to manage a classroom and meet the needs of different students.

Dr. Caroline Geiken, professor of practice of special education, and Dr. Jessica Morris, assistant professor of teacher education with specialization in reading and literacy education, combined their spring courses (ECSP 2120 and LITR 3020 respectively) for a service-learning project at Oglethorpe Point. Teacher candidates had the opportunity to co-teach with their peers and help Oglethorpe Point teachers in their classrooms. Students in Morris’ course learned how to co-teach using evidence-based vocabulary instruction to assist pre-kindergarten through fifth grade learners with academic language in the classroom. They created student-centered anchor charts and practices implementing vocabulary strategies before, during, and after instruction to ensure students understood content-area concepts.

Teacher candidates in Geiken’s course learned how to co-teach by planning and teaching a lesson using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. It guides teachers in how to develop lesson plans and assessments based on three main principles: engagement, representation, and action and expression. The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning and builds in flexibility that can be adjusted for every person’s strengths and needs.

Tyler Mimbs currently teaches fifth grade math, science, and social studies at Oglethorpe Point. He is also a Coastal Georgia alumnus, graduating in 2014 with a bachelor’s in early childhood/special education, and is certified in gifted. Coastal Georgia students Daisy Reddish and Shelby Davis were assigned to his classroom to observe his methods, assist in the classroom and co-teach. Mimbs appreciated having students from his alma mater there.

“I think it’s really great to have them here, and I get to see what students at Coastal Georgia are learning now. I get to see cutting-edge things that I don’t know about,” Mimbs said. “I also get to pour back into this community, and not just be a graduate you never hear from again, and support the local college. That’s probably where I’m going to be some day—a professor at the College in education.”

While at Oglethorpe Point, Reddish and the other teacher candidates have been able to be more interactive and involved with the students—getting to know them better and creating relationships.

“We’re experiencing real-life co-teaching,” Reddish said with excitement. “We’re actually getting to teach with our co-teachers—teaching with Mr. Mimbs and with ourselves.”

Davis said they were able to each use their skills to manage the class and teach the lesson. They talked about the importance of setting boundaries within the classroom, understanding how each student has different needs, making accommodations so that students are able to learn better, and how to incorporate UDL in their lesson plans.

“I definitely feel more prepared now after going through these classes,” Reddish said. “Each teacher whose class we’ve been to is different. Each has their own teaching style and their own disciplinary actions. I love how Mr. Mimbs teaches. I’m getting that experience, and I’ll be using a little of what he does and what others have shown us before in my classroom.”

Daisy and Reddish described Mimbs’ style as unique.

“It’s very fun and interactive, yet disciplined,” Davis said. “The students respect him to the extent to where what he says goes, and they know what to do. He doesn’t have to yell or raise his voice.”

Next year, these teacher candidates will have a year-long placement in a classroom for their student teaching assignment. Davis and Reddish are both excited for that opportunity, and for their journey to becoming great teachers.