Pros and Cons of Team Teaching

PresentersShawn Jensen

ELL Instructorshawn.jensen@nwtc.edu

Karla Sampselle MA Instructor karla.sampselle@nwtc.edu

RISE / Career Launch• Combing basic education/soft skills

with a trade• Involves– Team teaching– Contextualized curriculum– Creating pathways to facilitate and

target high risk students.

Goals of RISE• Expand Wisconsin’s skilled work

force and help low income workers secure good jobs and careers by increasing the number of adults who earn postsecondary credentials in high demand occupations.

Team TeachingModels of Team Teaching• Classic• Cooperative• Integrated• Parallel• Distinctive• Monitoring teacher

The course content will primarily drive the model of teaching you will use.

Classic Team Teaching• Content instructor presents the new

information• Co-instructor assists

Welding instructor introduces new welding symbols used in Blueprint Reading. The co-instructor writes the information up on the board and monitors the students to make sure they are following along.

Classic Team TeachingPros

• Allows the content instructor to deliver and focus on instruction without interruption

Cons

• Does not make full use of both instructors

• Can establish a lower level of respect for the assisting instructor

Cooperative Teaching• Instructors teach new materials at

the same time• Instructors model the learning plan

by having a prepared or spontaneous discussion about the topic in front of the students

• Used primarily for group workBoth instructors engage in conversation about the importance of being to work on time. Each instructor contributes their own personal experiences to the discussion.

Cooperative TeachingPros

• Models a respectful working relationship between adults

• Allows both instructors to provide their prospective on the topic

• Promotes respect for both instructors

Cons

• Requires a level of comfort between instructors that cannot be faked

• Requires coordination and planning that may be time-consuming

Integrated Team Teaching• One instructor teaches the content• Co-instructor provides follow up

activities

Welding instructor teaches about welding safety. The BE/ELL instructor works with the students to create a poster to present to the class. Students are able to reinforce their welding safety instruction while improving their speaking skills at the same time.

Integrated Team TeachingPros

• Each instructor showcases their specialty

• Students improve remedial skills and practice new skills simultaneously

• Instructors try new activities they may not have tried before

Cons

• Requires coordination between instructors that may be time consuming

Parallel Instruction• The class is divided into two groups

and each instructor teaches the same content to each group of students.The class is given a scenario concerning work ethics: “Your supervisor requests that you dispose of a toxic substance after work in a landfill. He explains that the company does not have a permit to dispose of this substance.” One group focuses on what will happen if they follow the supervisor’s request and the other group on what will happen if they do not follow the request. The groups then come together to discuss the ethical responsibilities and consequences of each option.

Parallel InstructionPros

• Provides for smaller groups and more individual attention

• Allows for greater control of behavioral problems or problems between students

Cons

• Requires collaborative planning

• Requires good timing• Each instructor must

be equally strong in the lesson being taught

Distinctive Class Split• Divide the class up by levels of

learning and provide instruction as needed

• Divide class up and match stronger students up with students that need more assistance

Divide the students into strong learners and learners who need more assistance. One instructor works with the strong learners to teach more advanced skills while the other instructor reviews and reinforces concepts to students who need more assistance.

Distinctive Class SplitPros

• Provides differentiation opportunities

• Provides remediation or enrichment for students who need it

• Smaller groups provide more individual attention

Cons

• May reduce a student’s exposure to ABE/ELL curriculum

• May “label” students by continually grouping them together

• Reduces the value of inclusion by separating students based on needs.

Monitoring Teacher• Content expert teaches all course

content• ABE/ELL instructor monitors the

students’ understanding and comprehension of material and key vocabulary.

Monitoring TeacherPros

• Minimal coordination required when planning

• Allows for delivery of quality instruction without interruptions

• May conceal weaknesses if co-instructor is not as strong on the particular subject being taught

Cons• Doesn’t fully utilize each

instructor’s specialty• Can create

behavior/authority problems for the observing instructor if done regularly

• Can create animosity between instructors if teaching model used is not a mutual decision

Contextualized Curriculum• Course content is not “watered

down”• Preparation time is essential• Teaching the course more than once

helps to contextualize the curriculum

Example of Contextualized Curriculum• Human Body– Content instructor assigns paper on a

specific disease

• Writing Skills (ELL)– ELL instructor supports activity by

providing writing instruction including sentence format, grammar, and developing a 5 part essay

Example of Contextualized Curriculum• Human Body• Business Office Administration– The readability of the textbooks continually

increases, topping out at a 12th grade reading level

– Focus is placed in the initial course on reading and how to read a textbook

• Content Reading Skills (ELL)– NOVOS

ELL Reading Guide (NOVOS)Name:Chapter:

Write the new vocabulary words in the beginning of the chapter

Write the objectives (things you want to learn) in this chapter

Highlight the new vocabulary words in the chapter in yellow

Read and highlight the objectives in the chapter in pink

Pick a chart of table from the book and construct it in your own words. Be creative!Copyright 2010 Jensen

NWTC

Example of Contextualized Curriculum• Certified Nursing Assistant• ELL instruction is at the beginning of

the class *Proactive*– Go over Chapter worksheets– Students read out loud and work on

comprehension and fluency– New vocabulary cards are made– Test taking and time management skills are

introduced

Example of Contextualized Curriculum• Medical Terminology• Content instructor assigns list of terms for

pronunciation• ELL instructor works with student to

identify and practice specific vowel and consonant sounds within the terms

zygote (zi gōt ) candidiasis (kan dĭ - di ə - sis )

Challenges of RISE/Team Teaching

• Expense• Prep Time• Finding where each instructor “fits” • Contextualizing the curriculum• Rapport between co-teachers• Flexibility

Challenges of RISE/Team Teaching

• Barriers for high risk students• No GED, unable to obtain

employment• Scheduling• Administration buy in

Success of the Program• Increase in confidence levels in the

students• Increase in reading skills• Portions of the 509 HSED are completed• Life long learning skills• Graduation• Jobs• Instant referral process

MAs at the Heart Walk

Welder’s Graduation

MA/HCSR Graduation

Golden Rules of Team Teaching

• Thou shall plan everything with they neighbor.

• Thou shall attend thy neighbor’s lecture.

• Thou shall refer to they neighbor’s ideas.

• Thou shall model debate with thy neighbor.

• Thou shall have something to say even thou art not in charge.

• Thou shall apply common grading standards.

• Thou shall attend all staff meetings.

• Thou shall ask open questions.

• Thou shall let students speak.

• Thou shall be willing to be surprised.

Leavitt, Melissa C. (2006). Team teaching: benefits and challenges. Speaking of teaching, 16 (1). Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Newsletter/teamteaching.pdf