Coteaching has been widely reported as an effective form of pedagogy for the professional development of both pre-service and in-service teachers. This paper will present a model of coteaching which focuses on the concept of ‘ideal practice’ and how it may be achieved in the primary science classroom. The model comprises three interdependent phases; coplanning, copractice, and solo practice. During the course of a school year participants engage in practical workshops, discussion groups and reflective practice, all the while formulating and developing their vision of ideal practice, and how it can be realised, and sustained, in their classroom. The theoretical framework for this research is based on Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), particularly the interaction between real and ideal forms (Author, 2014). We feel these Vygotskian ideas, relating to child development, are equally useful in formulating effective forms of pedagogy for the professional development of teachers. Vygotsky stressed the essential role of the environment for development. The environment provides not only the setting, but also is the source of development (Bredikyte 2011), where there are ideal models and images of development. These ideal forms are “an invitation for the child [teacher] to act, to respond and to enter into a dialogue” (Bredikyte 2011, p.25). The current study created an environment where both pre-service and in-service teachers were encouraged to examine, reflect on and share their own concept of ideal practice, and synthesise appropriate pedagogies for implementation in their classroom. Through practical workshops the researchers presented exemplar play-based activities that stimulated teachers’ thinking regarding ideal practice. The study, funded by the Primary Science Teaching Trust, involved a cluster of three schools, with six coteaching pairs. Data collection methods employed included video observation, teacher planners and lesson evaluations, semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and reflective journals. Two dissemination events were also held where participants shared how their experiences progressed from copractice into solo practice. Findings indicate that in addition to developing the professional competence of each party, coteaching facilitates the extension of practice beyond what might typically result from either partner teaching on their own and enables teachers to conceptualise and engage with a co-constructed ideal form of practice. The benefits of coteaching therefore can reach much further than the two teachers directly involved, in the form of innovative forms of science pedagogy and curriculum resources.

Author (2014) Bredikyte, M. (2011) The Zones of Proximal Development in Children’s Play. Academic Dissertation (PhD), Faculty of Education at the University of Oulu.