Co-Teaching: Creating Differences in Teachers\u27 Professional Identity

This research examined the differences in the professional identities of general educators and special educators in the co-taught classroom. A qualitative, phenomenological design was used, which involved nine participant interviews. In each interview, the participants selected metaphorical pictures to categorize their professional identity. The participants were able to choose from three metaphorical picture choices: a gardener, a conductor, and a juggler. This study contributes to the existing literature on teacher professional identity, and discusses the implications theses changes in professional identity are having on those in the field