Collaborative Teaching – Working Together in the Classroom

It has long been established that by catering to different learning styles, not only do we, as teachers, keep students interested in the material presented to them, but we also increase their ability to learn effectively. One of the challenges to presenting material in a variety of ways is overcoming our own habits: if you are a visual learner, you will typically present information in a visual way, and may be uncomfortable presenting the same material in an auditory or kinesthetic manner. Even if you make a habit of trying different teaching styles in your lectures, your predominant style will often shine through, doing an unintentional disservice to the students in your class who learn in a different way.

One of the ways to introduce a new teaching style into the lecture hall is to do just that, literally, through collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching has been traditionally defined as two instructors, each bringing their own expertise and experiences to the course, and jointly sharing all teaching, planning and grading responsibilities. This is often a dynamic process, where the two instructors regularly review instructional strategies together and address the needs of their students. While this would be an ideal way to introduce new teaching perspectives, the logistics of sharing an entire course are not always practical. We can, however, introduce aspects of collaborative teaching into our instruction on a regular basis through sharing of resources and inviting guest speakers to join us in the course, both in person and virtually.

The sharing of resources is something that is widely done both within departments, as well as between institutions. Whether you are teaching a course for the first time, or the seventh time, looking to see how others have taught the course can introduce you to new resources, labs, activities or even problem sets. With most of us having dabbled in the digital aspect of presenting material in class, digital slideshows can be exchanged, and many can even be found online and downloaded. In addition, use of this media makes it easier to incorporate others’ ideas and graphics into your own presentations. Just be sure to obtain the proper permissions, where necessary. Because other instructors may have a different teaching style than yours, incorporating their ideas into your lectures can help you broaden your own teaching methods and reach more students.

Guest speakers are a great way to bring new ideas – both in theory relating to the curriculum, as well as in new teaching practices – into the classroom. Allowing a guest into your lecture hall gives the students a fresh, memorable perspective, and can allow them to see first-hand how the material they are learning can be applicable in real life. Often (and hopefully!), the guest speaker will have an enthusiasm for topic that may be hard for the instructor of the course to muster three months into the term, and which will make an impact on the students. And it is not always the students who do the learning – listening to another person speak on a subject they know well is a terrific way to learn new ways to explain a concept or present an idea.

You often do not have to look far for potential guest speakers: graduate students can come in and discuss their research; visiting colloquium speakers or visiting colleagues may also have the time and the inclination to deliver a 30 minute lecture on a topic known to them, and mentioned in the course of your students’ study. Faculty both within your department as well as other departments may be able to speak to some of the topics you are covering. Universities with a connection to an observatory can even extend an invitation to telescope operators or other researchers to come in and discuss their work.

An alternative to having a speaker come and present to your class directly, is to have them appear via teleconference. Software applications such as Skype, iChat or SightSpeed (among many) simply require an Internet connection, a projector, a webcam (so your speaker can see you and your class), a microphone and speakers. Be sure to test the connectivity of the computer you will be using during the teleconference, as a dropped connection or slow response time will only serve to frustrate both the guest speaker as well as the class.

Depending on the amount of time and preparation available to the professor and the guest lecturer, varying amounts of collaboration can take place beforehand in order to facilitate the process. Ideally, guest speakers will know the level at which your students are working, in order to not overwhelm them with high levels of vocabulary or mathematics. Knowing also what has already been covered in the course will help the guest frame their talk and build on what the class already knows, thereby maximizing the benefits to the students. However by not collaborating beforehand, the invited speaker may have the opposite effect. Generally, instructors should avoid bringing in a colleague without even briefly reviewing the course.

While seeing and listening to a new speaker may be somewhat exciting for your students, an audience that is comfortable with the professor they see a few times a week may be too nervous to ask questions of a guest speaker. A normally outgoing group of students may become nervous, particularly if the guest or his/her research is recognized by the class. If you would like the class to be able to ask questions of the speaker, be sure to include (or have your visitor include) a way to break the ice with the students at the beginning of the talk to help the students open up.

One of the true benefits to having a guest come in and speak is that it is a novel experience for the students. As a result, strive to balance any special presentations with your own teaching style, to which your students have become accustomed and expect. Too many guests will cause the students to be overwhelmed and disinterested. However, by collaborating with other instructors in your field, not only will you be able to bring a more diverse learning experience to your students, but you are also able to diversify your own teaching practices and supplement your courses. Lastly, be sure to return the favour – be open to sharing your expertise or being a guest in someone else’s class yourself!