Executive Director, The Center for Co-Teaching and Educational Engagement and a Professor in the Department of Teacher Development at St. Cloud State University
A strong advocate for Co-Teaching, Teresa founded the National Conference on Co-Teaching in 2016, and will serve as the first president for the newly formed National Association for Co-Teaching.
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. The research published through this seminal work has become the foundation for Co-Teaching as a model for student teaching.
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, and professional development for teacher candidates. Teresa, with colleagues, has provided Co-Teaching train the trainer workshops for teacher education faculty and their school partners, from across the country, who are interested in implementing co-teaching in student teaching. In addition, Teresa has developed a Train the Trainer program for schools who are interested in enhancing existing co-teaching programs, or implementing co-teaching between two licensed teachers. Dr. Heck, along with colleagues, has developed training videos and other resources, and caters to the needs of individual schools, districts or universities.
Dr. Heck 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.
