Modeling Conspicuous Collaboration for Preservice Teacher Candidates Enrolled in Higher Education Courses

Abstract

Preservice and inservice teachers in higher education should have the opportunity to observe conspicuous collaboration in action. When collaborative efforts are overt and used as teachable moments, the possibilities are clearer and the results more impactful for all participants. In this program description, the authors share benefits, challenges, structures, and implementation techniques for modeling conspicuous collaboration in higher education teacher preparation. In order to provide models of conspicuous collaboration, the authors participated in a project to co-teach aspects of general and special education teacher preparation courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The instructors examined their own courses, analyzing the content for each class to design class activities and assignments that could successfully be accomplished by working together and completing meaningful learning activities in multiple ways. Each faculty member delivered their assigned course, adding special collaborative learning activities and assignments that allowed students to have interactive and collaborative experiences while seeing the impact of collaboration of the instructors. Opportunities to demonstrate collaboration became apparent to the authors as students questioned repeatedly how rural K-12 teachers work to best meet the needs of their students. Preservice and inservice teachers in higher education should have the opportunity to observe conspicuous collaboration in action. When collaborative efforts are overt and used as teachable moments, the possibilities are clearer and the results more impactful for all participants. In this program description, we share benefits, challenges, structures, and implementation techniques for modeling conspicuous collaboration in higher education teacher preparation. To provide models of conspicuous collaboration, we collaborated in a project to co-teach general and special education teacher preparation courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We examined our own courses to design class activities and assignments that could be successfully co-taught. Each of us delivered our individual course, adding special collaborative learning activities and assignments that allowed students to experience interactive, collaborative learning while observing the purposeful collaboration of their instructors. Both of us—together with our preservice and inservice teachers—realized that optimal collaboration included clarifying roles and responsibilities, displaying respect toward the collaborative partner, holding one another accountable, setting aside time for planning and debriefing, and considering ways to combine classroom assignments and learning activities that met the requirements of both courses.