Background

While some CoRequisite courses have a single instructor for the credit and developmental sections, others are taught by two different instructors as “co-teachers” of the same students. At ACC, the most common arrangement is to have an INRW section with 16 students who are “mainstreamed” into an ENGL 1301 class of 28 (though this is not always the case).

The THECB has emphasized that the developmental education component of the paired-course model should act as a “support” to the general education discipline. While this is the structure outlined by the state, the most successful “team teachers” are those who actively work on aligning curriculum, communicating about the challenges and successes of their students, and complementing each other’s teaching styles. We also must acknowledge the experience of IRW and developmental math faculty who are experts in breaking down complex topics for students (and, as such, present a wonderful resource to help us improve our approach).

There are many benefits of team teaching for faculty and for students.

The Benefits of Team Teaching

Instructors report that they enjoy the following aspects of team teaching:

1. 1. Collaboration. Best teaching practices, intervention strategies, assignments and texts can be shared and designed by both faculty. Many who teach CoRequisites with a partner find the experience intellectually and creatively rewarding.
   2. Student Support. Students who are in CoRequisite models are better prepared for class, are actively learning study skills, and have additional help as they move through their coursework in both sections.
   3. Insight. Sharing mutual students can often help instructors better understand the reasons for student disengagement or failure. Additionally, a paired course allows for both instructors to actively work on engagement and retention when necessary.

Working together in teams allows us to break down institutional silos, to work in a transdisciplinary way, and to model the collaboration and interdependence we hope our students will emulate. We must never lose sight of the power we have as educators to transform the inner and outer lives of our students.

The Challenges of Team Teaching

The essential challenge of team teaching is not in the delivery of content but rather in the level of vulnerability it requires.  Harvard Professor Amy Edmonson, in her research on “teaming,” describes the concept of “psychological safety” defining it as “the shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking”. This, in a large-scale study at Google, was the key difference between successful and not so successful teams.

So, what would “psychological safety” mean in the context of teaching? What behaviors make collaboration “psychologically safe”?

Sharing syllabi, assignments, student progress and student work can be a nerve-wracking experience for any teacher, especially when very few of us come to the profession with a background in adult learning.  As such, it is natural to fear the judgment of our colleagues; are we teaching in the right way? The right content? Are we too lenient? Too strict? Are our assignments interesting, innovative, rigorous?

For these reasons, it is important that both instructors honor each other’s approaches and offer support wherever possible. See the following timeline for an idea of to begin and/or continue this work.

Expectations for Team Teaching

Before the Semester

Both instructors should share:

• • All reading materials (it is especially important that INRW instructors obtain copies of readings/textbook before the course begins).
  • Access to each other’s Blackboard courses. You can grant access to your partner using the “user group” function in blackboard (here is a tutorial on how to do this).
  • Syllabus, course schedule, assignment descriptions/handouts, any other useful links (or descriptions of where to find these in Blackboard).
  • Review terms/key concepts that may be used in both classes. Sometimes instructors define the same terms differently which can confuse students.
  • Study skills concepts that will be covered (specifically, credit instructors should ask INRW instructors what study skills content will be covered so they can reinforce these in the credit-level course).

During the Semester

Both instructors should:

• • Share pre-assessment/diagnostic results, so the other instructor understands the students’ strengths and weaknesses.
  • Continue to discuss terms that may be used in both classes. Sometimes instructors define the same terms differently which can confuse students.
  • Clarify how INRW assignments support the credit instructors’ assignments.
  • Know each other’s office location and hours to determine a convenient time for an informal visit to drop off a document or ask a quick question.
  • Agree to a weekly or bi-weekly time and place to meet in person or exchange emails/videoconference about mutual students. Conversations may include interventions you had with certain students that the other instructor can reinforce in his/her own class. You might see a change in habits if students know the two of you are actively working outside of class to help them succeed.
  • Consider attending the other instructor’s class once or twice during the semester. This lets the students know that you care about their success and can inform you of the other instructor’s teaching style and subject matter.

After the Semester

Both instructors should: 

• • Compare grades and discuss reasons for any student’s grades that are more than one grade different.  Discuss any changes to your Coreq that could help the student.
  • Discuss what worked well and what needs to be added or changed for your next Coreq. Again, this might include common clarifying terminology used in both courses, tweaking assignments so they provide more support for other projects, or moving projects so the INRW instructor has more time to provide support in their own courses.  For example, a credit instructor might consider reviewing a project a week earlier than usual to give the INRW instructor more time to assist students with reading the research and writing their paper.