Multimodality of the non-leading teacher in collaborative teaching

This study examines multimodality in bilingual co-teaching, focusing on the embodied conduct of the “non-leading” teacher. Drawing on multimodal conversation analysis, it investigates how co-teachers use verbal and nonverbal conduct to coordinate instructional tasks. The analysis demonstrates that even nonvocal actions, such as gestures and body movements, play a vital role in achieving collaborative teaching objectives. By observing EFL classroom interactions in Korea, the study highlights the non-leading teacher's active participation through gesture alignment, premonitory actions, and supplementary embodiment. These findings reveal the simultaneous and layered nature of teacher collaboration, challenging conventional notions that treat nonvocal behavior as secondary to verbal interaction. The research contributes to co-teaching literature by offering a multimodal perspective on teacher collaboration, emphasizing the interplay of verbal and embodied actions. It also provides a framework for evaluating co-teaching partnerships based on observable multimodal behaviors, offering practical implications for teacher training and assessment.