TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER

BENEFITS (AND CHALLENGES) OF TEAM TEACHING

Lawrence Benson & Elaine Clark

In teams of 2 or 3…(5 mins)

• What one thing would you each like to take away from this session?

• What do you understand by ‘team teaching’• Have you experience of team teaching? If so,

what form did it take?

What is team teaching?

“A process in which at least two instructors are responsible for teaching and are present in the

classroom” (Hatcher and Hinton, 1996)

Davis (1995) defines it as “two or more faculty in some collaboration in the planning and delivery

of a course.”

Models of team teachingAdapted from Parado and Franch (2008)

Model Responsibilities Requirements

Squads (Helms, Alvis and Willis; 2005)

Co-ordination and/or delivery Experience/teaching ability Co-ordination ability

Rotational (Nead; 1995; White, Henley and Brabston; 1998)

Co-ordination; scheduling; ensuring no overlaps or gaps

Provide co-ordinated unique content

Colloquiam (Parada and Franch; 2008)

One topic analysed and discussed from different perspectives in front of a student audience

Provide unique content ‘at will’

Discussant (Lindauer; 1990)

Build debate Active listening

Coaching (Nead; 1995; White, Henley and Brabston; 1998)

Feedback on teaching content and process

Pre and post classroom debriefs

Interactive Full for both faculty Dialogue, debate, adaptation, flexibility

DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH CONTENT AND PROCESS

• Students not only need knowledge but they need the ability to learn how to learn and to apply their learning to a business or work placed context

• Durcan and Kirkbride (1987) Key skill in team teaching one of taking and dropping lead role within a session.

Leadership

Northouse (2013)

“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a

common purpose”

Leaders in History and current affairs

Evolving theories of leadership

• Classical:– Great man theories– Trait theories – Behavioural theories

• Traditional:– Contingency theory– Situational theory– Path-goal theory– Leader – member exchange (LMX) theory– Transactional leadership theory

• Modern:– Charismatic– Transformational leadership theory (incorporating servant leadership

& emotional intelligence)– Team & distributed leadership theories

Basic complementarities in team teaching

(adapted from Parada and Franch, 2010)Complementarities Instructor A Instructor B

CONTENT Conceptualise Passion for subject

Provides detail Creates overview

Leads discussion

Academic theory

Brings in vision from a different perspectivePractical application

PROCESS Reflective Energises

Elaborates carefully Invigorates debate

Elaborates argument Cross questions

Leads discussion

Creates sense of import

Summarises discussion

Observes reactions

Lightens atmosphere

Tales from the floor!

Benefits for students

• Raises level of energy• Reinforces need to participate• Provides a model of

discussion/debate/knowledge sharing• Demonstrates that they and their learning is

valued sufficiently to justify resources• Enhances depth of learning through joint

focus on content/process

Benefits for faculty

• Enhances confidence• Promotes creativity• Maintains energy• Heightens focus• Enhances amount of knowledge in the room• Opportunity to combine different types of

knowledge• Challenges assumptions; facilitating double

loop learning

In groups of four…

• Can you think of any situations where this could work for you?

• What concerns, if any, do you have about using this approach?

Challenges and how to combat

Hierarchy

Workload allocation

Time

‘Waiting in the wings…’

Lol and Elaine’s Team Teaching Top Ten

10. Attend your team mates lectures

9. Think about transitions

• You don’t want to look as if you are just butting in!

• Examples we have used– “Just to build on that…”– “ But hang on a minute,…!”– “Following up on that…”

8. Consider how to evaluate

7. Don’t just work with the usual suspects

6. Be willing to be surprised

5. Use choreography, where’s Wally?

4. Model debate

3. Select your team mate with care

• Find someone who has complementarity skills• Find someone you can trust • No free riders as it is can be hard work in planning,

delivery and execution.• Be careful if you are considering working with

someone you are in awe as you could end up as the servant / handmaiden in the session.

• Plan together to take account of complementarities

2. PLAN, Plan, plan

– and then be prepared to ditch plans where needed!

Be prepared to switch roles/focusAt the basis of all successful improvisation

is planning!Be prepared to respond to what you see

and hear

1. Enjoy!

“Teachers learn best from other teachers, in settings where they literally teach each other the

art of teaching!”Little; 1987

References• Hatcher, T. and Hinton, B., (1996) Graduate Student’s Perceptions of

University Team-Teaching. College Student Journal, 30: 367-377• Helms, M.M., Alvis, J.M. and Willis, M., (2005) Planning and Implementing

Shared Teaching: An MBA Team-teaching Case Study Journal of Education for Business, Sept-Oct: 29-34

• Lindauer, D.L., (1990) A New Approach to Team Teaching Journal of Economic Education, Winter: 71-72

• Little, J. W. (1987). Teachers as colleagues. In V. Richardson-Koehler(E d.), Educator's handbook: A research perspective (pp.4 91-518). New York: Longman.

• Nead, M.J., (1995) A Team-Taught Business Course: A Case Study of Its Effectiveness at a Comprehensive Community College Business Education Forum, February, 49(3): 33-35

• Parada, P and Franch, J Team teaching in Martensson, P; Bild, M and Nilsson, K (2008) Teaching and Learning in Business Schools

• White C.S., Henley J.A. and Brabson, M.E., (1998) To team teach or not to team teach – That is the question: A faculty perspective Marketing Education Review 8(3): 13-23