What is collaborative teaching?

Collaborative teaching is 2 or more teachers working closely together to provide an effective teaching and learning programme. When teachers can work together, share the responsibility, share strengths and skills, and see one another in action, the learning is enhanced.

Students having access to 2 or more teachers have many advantages;

• More frequent interactions with teachers

• Greater differentiation of the class programme to support all learners, because there are now 2-3 teachers rather than 1 teacher trying to cater for an enormous range of abilities Increased collaboration between classmates and teachers

• More detailed analysis of each child's learning needs through the different perspectives of teachers

• Greater chance of each child forming a strong relationship with at least one of their teachers

• Access to a range of teachers strengths and passions, providing a richer, more well rounded curriculum

• Greater social development with more peers to interact and work with

Why is collaborative teaching important?

Simply put….two heads are better than one A significant driver from an educational point of view is our understanding of collective teacher efficacy (CTE) which refers to a staff’s shared belief that through their collective action, they can positively influence student outcomes. CTE is ranked as the number one factor influencing student achievement. According to the Visible Learning Research (see research links), CTE is beyond three times more powerful and predictive of student achievement than socio-economic status. It is more than triple the effect of home environment and parental involvement. It is greater than three times more likely to influence student achievement than student motivation and concentration, persistence, and engagement.

It is all about relationships

There is a greater chance of each child being able to form a strong relationship with at least one of their teachers, and greater social development with more peers to interact and work with.

Thank you to Te Ao Mārama School for this article.