Team teaching benefits all student’s academic levels. Team teaching, co-teaching, or parallel teaching is a collaborative method of two or more educators working together to plan, teach, and assess a group of students.
Team or co-teaching gives all students intense and individualized interaction in the traditional classroom. This includes special needs students in the regular classroom. It allows them to learn with the help of professional support and the regular teacher. All students work collaboratively through lessons and assignments.
Team Teaching Success
A few steps are needed to build success in team teaching.
- Teachers working together trust each other. They must communicate and agree on goals.
- Both educators must be open to positive emotions and empathy.
- Teachers share ideas and methods. Humor goes a long way. Share humor between or among teachers and students.
- Be serious, but don’t be hard on each other. Find a balance.
Team teaching is more than additional teachers in the classroom. Academic lessons and responsibilities are set and shared by the teachers. In teaching together, students have more adult support as they work independently. The lesson’s content can be differentiated into small groups for a deeper understanding and management of the classroom.
In achieving a collaborative team teaching environment, teaching doesn’t become overwhelming. Teachers share many of the responsibilities, routines, and pedagogy. The team shares the same vision and goals.
Challenges
The beginning of the year is the most challenging. Teachers must get through the review units of content. They must be on the same page regarding grading assignments and agreeing on what to expect from students. Thus, the work is consistent.
Classroom management must be considered when team teaching. It’s important to address the classroom management challenges of team teaching. A team of teachers working together does not always have the same classroom management strategies as when working apart. There are different personalities, styles, and priorities. Therefore, they must decide, compromise, and agree on what is best for students,
Flexibility and an open mind are important whether the team is decided by the teachers or the administration. Teachers working together need constant communication. To eliminate disagreements between workers, discussing individual approaches and priorities is necessary. This needs to be done before students enter the classroom and continue through the year as a disagreement occurs.
Co-teachers need to be comfortable when disciplining students. Such strategies as eye contact or being close to a student for control are effective in getting students to focus and stay on task. Both teachers must be involved in structuring each lesson.
Student Success is Paramount
Team teaching is a strategy that has potential for students. When teachers coordinate methods and skills, it creates a learning environment that is peaceful and productive.
“Two heads are better than one” holds significance in the classroom. Today’s schools are understanding the benefit of team teaching for many students.
