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This study examines the impact of a novel co-teaching approach, involving collaboration between university instructors and school teachers, on pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) understanding of classroom management skills, addressing the practical challenges that often exceed the university classroom’s scope.

Using a pooled cross-sectional dataset of 513 students from a Chinese teacher training university, the study employed descriptive statistics, factor analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis. Focus group interviews were also conducted to explore the mechanisms underlying the co-teaching impact.

The co-teaching team effectively integrates theory with practice, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. Most students appreciated the co-teaching format, which positively correlated with their recognition of classroom management and the teaching profession. The success of co-teaching was linked to the authenticity brought by school teachers, including exposure to real-life cases that encouraged PSTs to actively solve educational problems.

Pre-service teacher education benefits from university-school collaboration. Inviting experienced school teachers to co-teach in university classrooms offers an efficient instructional approach, improving students’ learning experiences with less time and effort.

This study empirically demonstrates the utility of co-teaching in pre-service teacher education, particularly within China, enriching the literature on school-university partnerships.