Welcome to the Team Teaching Toolkit webpage!
We hope that you find the materials useful as you engage with team teaching in your school.
Maynooth University Department of Education
Toggle Introduction
The resources presented here were developed by a partnership of Ardscoil na Tríonóide (Athy), Loreto Secondary School (Navan) and the Maynooth University Department of Education between 2019 and 2021. The project, ‘Facilitating Team Teaching in Post-Primary Schools’, was funded by the Teaching Council under the John Coolahan Research Support Framework (Croí). It was led by Angela Rickard and Thomas Walsh (Maynooth University), Maria Harney (Loreto Secondary School, Navan) and Margaret Cambi-McEvoy (Ardscoil na Tríonóide, Athy). The resources, linked below, are mostly in Word/PowerPoint format so they can be adapted and contextualised to your school’s identity and needs. The text below provides an overview of the resources and all of these are also listed in the Index of Resources below.
Overview of Team Teaching Toolkit
A great place to start using this Team Teaching Toolkit is with the two videos (one each from Ardscoil Na Troinoide and Loreto Navan). Here the deputy principals and teachers reflect on their experiences to date, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities they encountered as school communities.
Understanding the different models of team teaching is very useful when planning approaches in schools. The Six Team Teaching Models Infographic provides a useful visual and summary of the 6 main models used in schools and this can be printed as a poster for classrooms or the staffroom. A useful Team Teaching Models Summary slide of the 6 main models (without any text) is also available.
Providing CPD to school leadership and teachers is central to promoting team teaching in schools. A set of PowerPoint slides Introducing Team Teaching to your School provides a structured introduction for school leaders and teachers, introducing team teaching terminology, the various models of team teaching, key policy and research insights, as well as the benefits and challenges of using team teaching in schools. These can be edited and amended to suit the audience. While we may not all relish the idea of engaging in role play, using scenario-based learning as part of workshops has proven to be an excellent learning activity in this project.
The Team Teaching Scenarios provide a range of realistic scenarios that are likely to emerge in any team teaching classroom in Ireland and provide an opportunity to explore solutions to issues as they arise – or indeed to pre-empt them in the first place. Instructions for setting up the scenarios are provided on the first slide.
You will find a blank
Team Teaching PowerPoint Template
which you can use to create a bespoke CPD input for your school using the team teaching resources in this toolkit, alongside any other school-based materials or wider resources available.
Preparation and planning for team teaching is one of the most regular challenges raised by post-primary teachers.
Prompt Questions for Team Teachers
provides a useful framework to guide discussions among team teachers in term of roles and responsibilities, debriefing sessions and planning for the practicalities of working together (e.g., who will correct homework, who will attend the parent-teacher meetings, etc?). The
Team Teaching Word Planning Template
can be used by team teachers to co-plan a lesson or series of lessons. Reflection by teachers on a team teaching experience can be facilitated by the
Team Teaching Reflection Template
. At a school level,
Considerations for a Team Teaching Protocol
provides a structure to agree an overall protocol for the operation of team teaching. This includes a set of general principles as well as a range of considerations to consider before, during and after team teaching.
As well as posing challenges for teachers and school leaders, team teaching involves a different way of learning for pupils. The What does Team Teaching mean for Pupils Poster is a good way of explaining some of the advantages to pupils of having 2 or more teachers in a classroom. This can be included in the pupil’s journal or printed as a poster for classrooms or corridors. The What does Team Teaching mean for Pupils Poster_Blank is also available so that you can undertake a discussion with your pupils about the opportunities team teaching presents for their learning, allowing their words to populate the poster.
Gathering feedback on pupils’ experience of team teaching is also critical in understanding its effectiveness, and in future planning. The
Team Teaching Pupil Survey
provides a set of structured questions around pupils’ experiences and opinions of team teaching. The
Team Teaching Pupil Survey Literacy
offers additional questions related to the use of team teaching in literacy classes. The
Team Teaching Pupil Thinking Activity
can be used to stimulate pupils to reflect on their experience prior to a class-based discussion or completing a survey on team teaching. All surveys can be adapted to school needs and disseminated to pupils using MS Forms or other digital platforms.
If you would like to read more about team teaching, a
Team Teaching Bibliography
provides you with a range of suggestions and links. The bibliography also contains a section on relevant Irish education policy literature that impacts on team teaching. Further team teaching guidance and resources are also available on the PDST website and NCSE websites.
If you have any suggestions for their improvement, or indeed have additional resources you think would enhance the toolkit, please contact [email protected].
Resources
Bibliography
CPD Activities
Explaining Team Teaching to Pupils
Models of Team Teaching
Surveys/Feedback from Pupils
- Team Teaching Pupil Survey
- Team Teaching Pupil Survey Literacy
- Team Teaching Pupil Thinking Activity
Teacher/School Planning and Reflection
- Prompt Questions for Team Teachers
- Team Teaching Word Planning Template
- Team Teaching Reflection Template
- Considerations for a Team Teaching Protocol
Videos
Ardscoil Na Troinoide
Loreto Navan