MLC Junior School teachers are getting into team teaching! Â
What is team teaching? “Two or more teachers combining their talents, expertise, interests and resources to take joint responsibility for any or all aspects of teaching the same group of students (Sandholtz, 2000).
Ms. Coppinger and Ms. Glynn collaboratively implementing numeracy learning and teaching in their open plan Year 2 learning studio. The students are working on differentiated group tasks that are tailored to their individual mathematical growth points. The flow of desks in the studio lends itself to ease of individual attention and collaborative teaching. Space has also been designed by the teachers to allow for teacher demonstration, discussion and group reflection. Through this learning experience students develop important numeracy key ideas and 21st Century learning skills. The girls in this situation learn how to work in learning teams and how to think through a problem, which is relevant to their learning needs. They also have opportunities to self-manage their time, communicate their learning and use technology to develop key curriculum ideas an skills.
Why team teaching? The rationale underpinning teaching teams in schools is that it creates small learning communities of teachers, students and parents. Team teaching allows the creation of a larger working space and more adaptable working time. This then enables teachers to incorporate virtually any teaching or learning method with any combination of students at any time during the normal timetabled sessions of a school day (Main and Bryer 2003).
 Kindergarten parents providing personalised learning for students in Mathematics.
Mrs. Carr implementing guided reading with a learning group during Year 5 literacy learning time.
 Mrs. Lancaster demonstrating visual arts techniques with Year 3 students.
Ms. Ingram and Ms. Ferguson team teaching a health lesson in Year 2.
 Mrs. Gray and Ms. Roden team teaching a numeracy session and providing personalised learning for Kindergarten students.
Ms. Roden implementing a phonics session with Kindergarten students. This group teaching is part of the daily Kindergarten literacy program.
Mrs. Dorrington upskilling a group of Year 1 students in use of technology as part of the Year 1 Science and Technology program. Technology is an integrated and seamless part of learning.
Mr. Keanan-Brown (Head of Mathematics MLC School) working with Year 4 extension students in The Hub.
Mrs. Gray implementing a guided reading session with Kindergarten students as part of their total literacy program.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Merrick (Stage 2 Coordinator) and Ms. Liubinkas engaging in curriculum planning for Year 3 students.
Mrs. Greville (Learning Support Coordinator) providing individual learning and teaching for a Kindergarten student as part of the Kindergarten literacy program.
Mrs. O’Connor (Junior School, Teacher Librarian) developing student information literacy skills as part of the Year 1 Collaborative Learning Project.
Mrs. Tanevski (Kindergarten parent) assisting with the Kindergarten writing program.
Ms. Missiakos having an individual reading conference with a Year 5 student as part of the Year 5 literacy program.
Mrs. Cleverly (Teacher Assistant) facilitating a guided reading session for a Year 5 student group as part of the Year 5 literacy program.
As demonstrated in the photos above of learning and teaching at MLC Junior School, team teaching can include sharing of physical space, planning curriculum and teaching a whole class or taking different combinations of students in grades for different purposes. Sean White Curriculum Coordinator MLC Junior School Pre-K-5 16th March 2009