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Empowering Learners, Spring 2005 The Importance of Team Teaching/Collaboration Among Extra-Classroom TeachersCaitlin O’KeefeExtra-classroom teaching is used to describe a broad range of teaching and learning environments, but often serves as a label to identify teaching that occurs outside of the regular classroom or as a way of describing a teaching and learning experience that extends beyond the scope of the regular classroom. The latter suggests that, while the teaching is taking place within a classroom, it is offering the learner an experience that extends beyond the scope of the regular classroom. This is done by inviting mentors, tutors, and other types of “teachers” into the classroom to provide learners with an opportunity to experiment with material and pedagogy not included in the regular classroom curriculum. The more I thought about, and reflected on, the lack of a support system for teachers like Mr. Parker to express his frustration and get positive feedback from his colleagues, I realized an important connection between Mr. Parker’s isolation as a teacher and the way he conducted his ninth grade English class. The students completed their assignments individually and there was no process of peer revision or collaboration with other students. Because Mr. Parker felt isolated from the rest of the teachers and felt confined to the learning that took place within his classroom, he saw no need to give students the opportunity to share with one another, either. Sharing knowledge within a community of support was absent from Mr. Parker’s teaching pedagogy and consequently, it did not find its way into the students’ learning. A community of sharing among teachers allows them to feel supported by other teachers in their quest to better serve the needs of their students. In an effective community of sharing, teachers feel comfortable acknowledging what they do not know without feeling embarrassed or vulnerable because it is assumed that everyone in the group faces challenges and also has knowledge to offer the group. Communication, honesty, and openness are key elements of team teaching because it allows each individual to contribute to the wealth of knowledge that is shared by the group. Sharing challenges and difficulties, as well as successful pedagogical strategies will allow teachers to more effectively evaluate pedagogical practices in school and provide a rich array of resources for teachers to use in classrooms. How does team teaching affect students? Most obviously, if teachers are sharing ideas for successful teaching practices with one another, they will have a wider base of knowledge to bring to the classroom. A variety of pedagogical approaches will be available, and the teacher will have a resource to rely on when the teacher needs additional input or advice in effectively teaching students. Additionally, if a teacher is part of a community of sharing, that teacher is more likely to value the benefits of the support and knowledge that is created in such a community. The teacher who values collaboration, sharing, and peer-oriented learning will make the effort to create a similar community within their classroom. A community of sharing within the classroom allows students to feel safe sharing ideas, concerns, challenges, and successes with peers. Listening to others and respecting differences becomes important and useful in communities of sharing and members feel that the differences and challenges encountered are opportunities to expand learning and understanding. Students learn that their strengths and weaknesses are valuable and that every individual has knowledge to offer the other members of the community. I have extended my initial observations and reflections of sharing and team teaching to the position of the extra-classroom teacher often the extra-classroom teacher is in the unique position of supporting and supplementing the instruction of the regular classroom teacher with slightly more flexibility concerning curriculum and teaching methods. This discussion invites extra-classroom teachers (whether teaching outside or within a regular school classroom) to explore the concept of extra-classroom team teaching. The ideas introduced here are meant to expand the strategies employed by extra-classroom teachers who are already involved in team teaching, as well as to encourage extra-classroom teachers who have not yet been a part of a team of teachers to find a way to incorporate team teaching into their experience. The methods I suggest in this handbook for effective team teaching are derived from my observations and experience as an extra-classroom team teacher. Addressing Assumptions My first experience as a team teacher was as a student teacher in an urban high school. As an initiative to build a relationship between students at my college and a local (urban) public high school, I was part of a group of students who were going to be leading (as a group) two ninth grade English classes once a week. With a student coordinator previously designated by the Education Department at my college, the structure for team collaboration was already in place as eight student teachers joined efforts to create a curriculum for a writing project. The team of student teachers was energetic and optimistic, though our previous teaching experience was quite limited. The group of student teachers often discussed challenges we were having in the classroom, but group dynamics were positive and encouraging; a support system existed that allowed the student teachers to communicate their concerns, frustrations, and successes. It seemed that the student teachers shared similar goals and our teaching strategies, though very different, were cohesive within the classroom. However, my positive team teaching experience was significantly challenged the following semester when I again had the opportunity to teach in the same classroom but with different student teachers. I expected and assumed that the structure of the team of student teachers would be very similar to how it had been the first semester, but from the very first meeting I understood that it was going to be a very different collaborative process. From the beginning, the group struggled to communicate with one another, differed in their ideas about the material that should be presented to the students, and also held various perceptions about the role and importance of the team effort. I entered the second semester of collaboration with preconceived notions about how the team would function as a unit and my resistance to exploring other methods of collaboration hindered my ability to be an encouraging and supportive team member. It might seem obvious that every extra-classroom teacher will bring to the table different (and sometimes opposing) goals and assumptions about their learners and about their roles as extra-classroom teachers. These various perceptions pose a potential challenge for the team, but will result in a rewarding experience when every teacher’s perspective is welcomed and encouraged. Less obvious, however, is the understanding that every teacher will also have a different idea about the purpose and goal of the team teaching collaboration. Not every teacher will desire to put in the same amount of effort or expect the same outcome as a result of the collaboration. This becomes problematic when expectations are not communicated and addressed among team members. Therefore it is essential that extra-classroom teachers express their assumptions regarding how the team will function, make explicit their expectations for the group and its ability to serve the teaching and learning needs of the individual teacher, as well as define what each teacher finds valuable and helpful about working as a team teacher. Part of the way through the second semester, some of the student teachers in my group observed that a split was occurring within the group. The division of the group was a result of people absent from meetings and consequently feeling as though their ideas and opinions were being excluded from the planned curriculum. This required the group as a whole to reexamine how we were functioning as individuals as well as members of a group. A discussion revolving around what we thought was missing from the group as well as individual goals for the classroom was necessary and ultimately transformed how our group worked as a collaborative effort. As a result, planning the curriculum became less of a group effort; instead, meetings became a time to receive feedback and offer input to other teachers regarding lesson plans and interactions with students. While this might not have been how some of the teachers originally envisioned our team teaching experience, the reflection and reevaluation mid-semester allowed for a necessary change in the team teaching process that accommodated the expectations and needs of all the student teachers and ultimately proved to be a positive and valuable experience for the student teachers. It is essential that group meetings allow time for reflective writing and discussion not only about the teaching and learning that is happening in the classroom, but also within the group of extra-classroom teachers. When all the members have voiced their assumptions and expectations, the group will be able to more effectively foster a team teaching dynamic that is honest and explicit, allowing for productive discussion and collaboration as a group unit. Additionally, it requires significant patience and flexibility to create an effective and productive team teaching experience. It will take an extraordinary amount of effort and flexibility to coordinate schedules and the sharing of materials. Extra-classroom team teachers must be willing to contribute significant time and energy into the team teaching process. Patience will be critical when trying to balance opposing teaching strategies. Teachers must be committed and dedicated to the process of team teaching. The amount of time that must be invested in attending meetings, developing curriculum, and offering feedback to colleagues is significant. Conflicts and differences will arise, but as I have learned in my own team teaching, the moments of conflict and challenge offer an opportunity to learn; if teachers can adapt the collaborative process to their relationships with colleagues, I am convinced that teachers will be able to initiate for their students a similar learning process founded on community effort, sharing and collaboration. |
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