Abstract:

The undergraduate training of future teachers also focuses on working with pupils with special educational needs, who are an integral part of the school team. The school success of pupils with special educational needs is conditioned by the engagement of a number of pedagogical and professional staff in the preparation and implementation of the educational process. The aim of the paper is to describe the experience with the implementation of cooperative teaching of students - future teachers and to offer them a model of cooperation of several professionals (e.g. teacher-assistant, teacher-special educator) usable for the support of (but not only) students with special educational needs in schools. The future teachers (124 full-time and 81 part-time Master's degree students) were educated during one semester in a compulsory elective course by two teachers at the same time (pedagogue - psychologist). For full-time students, several cooperative learning models were presented to them once a week for thirteen weeks and for part-time students in two five-hour blocks. Based on the analysis of the evaluation of the course from the students' perspective, the joint teaching brought several advantages compared to the teaching by one teacher, e.g. improvement of the fluency of teaching, increase of attention, presentation of the discussed topics from different points of views (pedagogical, psychological), etc. From the teachers' point of view, this type of teaching is more time-consuming and organizational, but professionally enriching, bringing a different perspective on subtopics, situations, understanding the interpretation of the other side. However, it requires argumentative skills, thorough preparation with regard to the dramaturgical aspect of the lesson, mutual respect and the creation of harmonious cooperation between teachers. The respondents gained personal experience with an alternative form of teaching, which is rare in Slovak conditions, but its effectiveness in terms of increased pupil engagement in class has already been confirmed in other countries. We see cooperative learning as one of the ways to improve the quality of teaching at the college and also as a way to support the integration of students with special needs and to create an inclusive environment at different levels of education.

Keywords:

Cooperative teaching, joint teaching, undergraduate training, inclusive environment.