Co-Teaching in Northern Rural Finnish Schools

Abstract

Focusing on a rural municipality in northern Finland, the aim of this study is to investigate educators’ thoughts and experiences with co-teaching. The data from 40 teachers were collected via an electronic questionnaire, and a mixed-methods approach was used. In the quantitative responses, the teachers positioned themselves as spokespeople for co-teaching, even though they had little experience with this teaching method. The written responses were condensed into four main themes: requirements, interpretations, inclusion and joy. Various requirements, such as more time for planning, better facilities to teach in and more training, were required before co-teaching could be executed. However, those who had co-taught expressed joy and improved wellbeing at work compared with their time teaching alone. Finally, the various themes of teachers’ experiences in relation to co-teaching are discussed.

Keywords

• co-teaching
• experience
• rural area
• content analysis
• north finland