Stop, Collaborate and Listen...

Day 11 of the #28daysofwriting challenge and it is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through and that I haven’t fallen off the bandwagon.  I am definitely showing the value of persistence here!  Tonight I am going to write about Team Teaching, the two teachers all the time, responsible for all of the students kind of team teaching.

Team teaching is something that excites some teachers and terrifies others.  Some teachers feel the pressure it applies and other feel the freedom and confidence of collaborative practice.

I was asked to start experimenting with team teaching a little over a year ago with the expectation that we might have a go at cross grouping for a few subjects.  What no one realised at the time was how far we would take the concept and how successful it would have been.

By no means have we perfected a practice and our school continues to refine the practice as we move out of the implementation and experimentation phase and move into the refinement stage.  A second challenge has also been set to establish similar practice within the Junior Syndicate.  We are still fleshing out how it will look,  we have a change of staffing to consider and difference in pedagogy for students at curriculum levels one and two.  

The research supporting team teaching seems positive though, which is good news for its advocates. A recent article in the New Zealand Education Gazette said:

“Team teaching allows more interaction between teachers and children. School leaders have evaluated children on the achievement of their learning goals and the teachers on their teaching proficiency.

The results show some exciting trends. In general, increased levels of achievement have occurred at a more rapid pace than in our other classes. The reason appears to be the collaboration between the two teachers and dual support of target setting, achievement and informed planning – two heads are better than one. This combination of analysis, synthesis, critical thinking, and practical applications can be done at all levels of education, from preschool through to college environments.”

One of the key pedagogical changes we had to take into account was how the teachers interact with the single space.  During our research we found that there were 4 main “modes” for the teachers to be in during this time and they all have times where they are appropriate.

1. Supportive Teaching: This is where one teachers takes the lead in the instruction while the second teacher roams and provides support for all of the students.  They may be checking for understanding or ensuring students remain on task. This is also a good strategy to use with parent helpers of teacher aides if they are available.
2. Parallel Teaching: This is when the teachers each take their own groups.  They may be teaching at different curriculum levels or maybe teaching their curriculum area of their strength.  This style is probably where most team teaching practice begins in a school.  
3. Complimentary Teaching: This is when both teachers take responsibility for teaching the lesson.  Teachers may take turns at rephrasing the lesson points, paraphrasing what the other says.  One teacher may have also pre taught a target group before the lesson so that they are more able to participate in the lesson.
4. Team Teaching: This is the whole hog… In this mode both teachers take responsibility for all of the planning and assessment and pastoral care of all students.  Both teachers do everything a teacher does in a single cell class for all students.

So we went all in and took responsibility for all students.  We used the other “modes” when they best suited and we adapted our practice.  We developed a shared understanding of best practice together and the professional discussions pushed us to improve what we did at an accelerated rate.  

So for those of you thinking about attempting team teaching… Do it.  It is one of the most rewarding and professionally challenging things you can attempt.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.  Please let me know about any experiences you have had developing team teaching in a junior setting.

This post relates the the following Registered Teacher Criteria

1. establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of ākonga

4. demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional learning and development of personal professional practice

6. conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme

5. show leadership that contributes to effective teaching and learning

12. use critical inquiry and problem-solving effectively in their professional practice