Team Teaching

Team teaching can be defined as two or more teachers working together to perform the necessary duties and activities in the classroom. There can be two different types of team teaching: two or more teachers are in the same classroom and teaching the students at the same time, or the teachers work together in the same classroom but do not necessarily teach at the same time or work with the same students. Team teaching can also be referred to as a group of teachers that work in the same "pod" but, teach their own perspective subjects to the same group of students.

Working with a team would definitely provide some advantages. It gives the involved team teachers a supportive environment and allows for development of new teaching approaches. This combined teaching plan will allow the teachers to observe each other and enhance skills such as organization, communication, and even planning skills. They will be able to learn new methods of teaching from each other. With team teaching, discipline may also be controlled easier. Communication with other colleagues may also be enhanced because with team teaching you can work on that everyday, others may not be able to get that much practice. For the students, team teaching can allow them to develop cooperation skills. Students can be exposed to different methods of getting one thing done. This will allow them to understand that there is more than one way to get things done effectively, rather than only one way. Additionally, this can be helpful because every student is not the same and one method could be perfect for one and awful for another. Lastly, students will be able to observe the teachers cooperating and behaving positively together, and then the students will exhibit those same behaviors with their peers.

With every advantage, there are disadvantages. With team teaching, the teachers could disagree so much that it could cause problems. The teachers could disagree on things such as assignments, methods of teaching, and even disciplinary methods. This could lead to the loss of time needed for instruction and time spent with the students. The teachers might undermine each other which could cause a negative vibe in the classroom. The students may be able to pick up on the teachers’ negative vibes and they too will become negative. Team teaching can also cause confusion with the students. Too many methods and ideas can be confusion with students that need some kind of organization and order in the classroom. Finally, students might try to get over on the teachers. They might try to get one teacher to do one thing that they know the other will not let them do, such as turning in assignments late or changing a grade.

In conclusion, team teaching can be a positive thing if the teachers involved are willing to work together and all have a common goal. Things will only go array if the teachers do not communicate and are not willing to get along. I think team teaching is a method that should be given ample opportunity to thrive.