Team Work Supports Diversity

Man with striped shirt juggling.

Working in collaborative groups significantly benefits learners and can have lasting impacts on their learning (Gillies, 2016). So, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that teaching in a collaborative group could have similar positive impacts. Brookfield (Brookfield, 2015) suggests working in a team teaching structure to help augment learning opportunities in diverse learning environments.  Diversity includes all the variables that learners bring to a classroom from cultural and social identities to literacy levels to life experiences. One teacher can easily turn into circus performer trying to juggle all these different needs.

Performer riding a unicycle while juggling.

While the traditional model of a single teacher responsible for all aspects of the course work is probably the most common one, other options are possible.  As a starting point, consider bringing in a guest speaker who shares the material in a different style than your own.  Consider asking a colleague to visit as a guest for a specific element of the class.  Why not collaborate on an area of the curriculum to enhance an area that you know is not your strongest?

Moving towards an integrated and cohesive team-teaching approach can take time and effort to coordinate as there must be a common agreement about the shared approach.  Consultation and discussions need to take place across the team before decisions are made.  Learners need transparency as to how they should interact with multiple teachers.  However, it can be done and it strengthens the notion that collaboration is important for everyone – teachers as well as learners.

Keep shining!

References:

Brookfield, S. (2015). The skillful teacher: On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom (Third edition). Jossey-Bass.

Gillies, R. (2016). Cooperative Learning: Review of Research and Practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 39–54. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n3.3