Learning by Comparison: The Benefits of Co-Teaching for University Professors’ Professional Development

Abstract

There is an abundance of studies that suggest that the use of co-teaching strategies in higher education courses can enhance instructors’ professional development, mainly by providing a space for transfer of methodologies and tools, as well as critical reflection on one’s teaching practice. However, little has been said about the actual processes through which co-teachers learn from each other. This study analyzes the opportunities of professional growth afforded to seven professors by eight co-taught courses, over two academic years, in the fields of Education and Translation and Interpreting. Specifically, it examines how professional relationships between co-teachers fuel teacher learning, the specific learning processes generated, and the areas of professional development impacted. To do so, 11 reflective teacher diaries were coded and analyzed, and further evidence was collected through focus groups interviews with students of some of the co-taught courses. Results suggest that comparison with the co-teacher is the main force behind participants’ learning on co-teaching; furthermore, such comparisons enable three main learning processes: reflection, negotiation and transfer, bearing mainly on teaching methods and materials and use of technology. Finally, there is evidence that occasional or ongoing team teaching (two instructors simultaneously in class) can enhance the effectiveness of co-teacher comparisons.

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“…Conforme a la literatura (Bacharach et al, 2008;Cook & Friend, 1995;Dove & Honigsfeld, 2010;Graziano & Navarrete, 2012;Murphy & Martin, 2015), y a los resultados de los proyectos mencionados anteriormente (Buckingham, Custodio Espinar & López Hernández, 2021;Buckingham, López Hernández & Strotmann, 2021;Custodio Espinar et al, 2022;Peral Santamaría & Strotmann, 2019;Strotmann & Custodio Espinar, 2021) se perciben una serie de beneficios para los estudiantes, como por ejemplo mayor atención a la diversidad, mayor variedad en la metodología, enseñanza/tutorización más personalizada, andamiaje del aprendizaje, mejor participación y diálogo cogenerativo, y, finalmente, fomento de la competencia colaborativa y las habilidades comunicativas. Para el profesor, la codocencia también fomenta la competencia colaborativa y las habilidades comunicativas y mejora la calidad de la enseñanza/tutorización.…”

Co-teaching in Teacher Preparation: Programmatic Priorities, Promising Practices, and Potential Pitfalls

“…The previous section focused on the benefits of co-teaching for students; however, the benefits of co-teaching also extend to instructors (Buckingham et al, 2021;Lock et al, 2017;Steele et al, 2021). The professional experience of co-teaching allows instructors to see and experience different teaching methodologies, content, and materials (Buckingham et al, 2021). Further, ongoing collaborations allow co-teaching pairs to diversify their instructional content and take more pedagogical risks (Burns & Mitxburg, 2019).…”

“…Further, ongoing collaborations allow co-teaching pairs to diversify their instructional content and take more pedagogical risks (Burns & Mitxburg, 2019). In addition to exchanging content and pedagogical knowledge, Buckingham et al (2021) noted that co-teaching can allow for exploring the use of technology. Drelick et al (2023) recommended leveraging co-teaching to expand comfort and overall technology implementation through the one teach, one tech co-teaching strategy.…”

“…As co-teaching practices become more prevalent in P-12 settings, teacher preparation programs must respond to better prepare teacher candidates to teach in co-taught settings by fostering collaboration skills and increasing their knowledge about roles and responsibilities in co-teaching (Ricci & Fingon, 2018). On-going research now indicates positive impacts on pre-service teachers experiencing co-teaching as part of their program, as demonstrated by the collaboration between university faculty (Buckingham et al, 2021;Pellegrino et al, 2015;Ricci & Fingon, 2018;Steele et al, 2021). Despite positive outcomes for students, university faculty may be hesitant to engage in co-teaching due to concerns about time, coordination, and potentially un-even or disproportionate workload caused by poor implementation of co-teaching (Steele et al, 2021).…”

“…Despite positive outcomes for students, university faculty may be hesitant to engage in co-teaching due to concerns about time, coordination, and potentially un-even or disproportionate workload caused by poor implementation of co-teaching (Steele et al, 2021). Additionally, there are logistical concerns such as the need for administrative support, scheduling, dedicated time or release from duties for planning, possible collaboration across departments, and reduced student-teacher ratio (Buckingham et al, 2021). Thus, some of the same tensions and barriers to co-teaching in P-12 are also cited in higher education.…”