TWH Co-Teaching is an educational consulting company that provides expertise in Co-Teaching. With over 15 years of experience, TWH provides professional development for university faculty and school based personnel. A major focus of TWH Co-Teaching is assisting universities and their school partners in creating and implementing a co-teaching model of student teaching. This is accomplished by identifying a lead team to participate in the two day Train the Trainer Co-Teaching Workshop. These Train the Trainer Workshops are offered at various sites around the country and throughout the year; they may also be provided at individual institution for their university faculty and school partners; and if interested, TWH will work with you to bring a Train the Trainer Workshop to your area.
Train the Trainer Co-Teaching Workshops are also available for school district personnel/teams who are interested in developing and/or enhancing a co-teaching program for two licensed teachers.
TWH Co-Teaching has developed an Online Co-Teaching Foundational Workshop available for purchase. This online training provides the basic information needed for participants to begin utilizing co-teaching. This workshop is intended for use by teacher preparation programs and school districts implementing a co-teaching in student teaching model, and designed for their cooperating teachers, teacher candidates, university supervisors, faculty and administration. For a one time purchase price (based on Title II completer data), institutions can provide the online training for their cooperating teachers, university faculty and teacher candidates for years to come. Purchaser must agree to host the training on a secure server and provide access to only their university personnel and school partners.
TWH Co-Teaching also provides Consultation services; we will work with you to individualize professional development or a workshop to fit your university or school co-teaching needs.
TWH Co-Teaching also provide resources including:
- The Co-Teaching Handbook: Mentoring Teacher Candidates Through Co-Teaching. This handbook includes detailed information on co-teaching, data, and training and activity ideas.
- DVD: Changing Student Teaching Through Co-Teaching: Collaboration That Makes A Difference: This 75 minute DVD includes footage from co-taught classrooms, interviews with teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, and school and university administrators, all of whom have participated in the co-teaching initiative. The DVD is divided into 7 chapters; it is intended to be used as a training tool or resource for learning more about co-teaching in student teaching. Available as a download; Purchaser must agree to host the video on a secure server and provide access to only their university personnel and school partners.
- Access to article published by Dr.’s Heck and Bacharach.
Dr. Teresa Washut Heck, EdD
Dr. Teresa Washut Heck, EdD. CEO of TWH Co-Teaching/Consulting; Co-Director of The Academy for Co-Teaching and Collaboration and a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at St. Cloud State University (SCSU). Upon arriving at SCSU, Dr. Heck served as the Director of the Office of Clinical Experiences, placing over 500 teacher candidates each year and assuming the responsibility for the placement of an additional 1,000 field experience placements per semester. While director of the OCE, Dr. Heck developed a pilot model of co-teaching in student teaching. The qualitative data collected on the project showed overwhelming support from cooperating teachers. The initial findings provided the impetus to further investigate the implications of a co-teaching model of student teaching, eventually leading to a U.S. Department of Education, $5 million, Teacher Quality Enhancement Partnership Grant to study the impact of co-teaching on teacher candidates and the P-12 students they serve. Dr. Heck served as the Coordinator of Co-Teaching for the grant from 2003-2010.
Dr. Heck has consulted with school professionals, university faculty, and multiple state departments of education to develop and implement co-teaching. Dr. Heck has published and presented on using a co-teaching model for student teaching, co-teaching between two licensed teachers, professional development for teacher candidates, and using technology in student teaching evaluations. She has experience as a K-12 educator and draws on that knowledge to bring the perspective of secondary teachers and students. At the university level, she has experience co-teaching, in collaborative ventures, and excels at bridging the gap between the university and P-12 community. Known for her engaging and relevant presentations, she has expertise in the pedagogy of co-teaching.
Dr. Nancy Bacharach
Dr. Nancy Bacharach received her Ph.D. from Texas A & M University in 1987 and following three years as an assistant professor at Syracuse University, moved to the Department of Teacher Development at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) where she worked until her retirement in 2014. While at SCSU Dr. Bacharach was a professor of literacy and served as the Interim Associate Dean for a number of years. She worked as the project director and the co-principal investigator of a 5 year $5 million Teacher Quality Enhancement project, providing management expertise to this large research project. In addition, Dr. Bacharach was the principal investigator of a FIPSE grant and the recipient and director of numerous state and local grants.
Dr. Bacharach was a founding faculty of St. Cloud State University’s Professional Development School. She has published and presented in the areas of collaboration, co-teaching, professional development schools, and innovative teacher preparation programs. She also has extensive expertise in the areas of co-teaching pedagogy, best practice in professional development, and P-12/university partnerships.
As Professor Emeritus, Dr. Bacharach continues to consult nationally on the Co-Teaching in Student Teaching model with her colleague, Dr. Teresa Washut Heck.