Article #9

           This was another article regarding education outside of the United States. This article focused on team collaboration in four distinct schools that were respected for their creativity and collaborative approach. The researcher used previous data as well as new data collected by surveying teachers at the four selected schools. Team collaboration was embraced by the majority of those surveyed. This study looked to determine what were the negative connotations associated with collaboration.

            Team approaches are currently in favor in Australia. The benefits to both students and teachers outweigh the negatives researchers suggest. The study looked at previous findings and mingled them with current findings at four separate schools. Each of the four schools selected were very different from each other, except the fact that they all employed team collaboration.

            Collaboration or a democratic approach to teaching is favored here. The benefits to educator and pupil far out weigh the negatives. The negatives associated with collaboration were interesting but also disturbing. The main objective to collaboration was the educators were basically silenced. Dissent and debate are basically silenced due to a majority accepting conformity to norms and practices. So although the majority sees all the benefits of collaboration such as; morale, moral support, teacher learning, the minority saw the loss of autonomy as detrimental to their own pursuit of better teaching practices.

            What to do? I’m not sure. I’ve seen the benefits and shortfalls of team teaching. The negatives seem to stick out stronger than the benefits to me. This article seems to suggest further studies are necessary for a better understanding of the problems associated with team teaching. What is certain however is that people will always a particular view either negative or positive on a hot button subject. Team teaching or teacher collaboration is one of those topics. It’s obvious by reading this article/study that plenty of more research is necessary to determine the good and the bad of team teaching.

Johnson, B. (2003). Teacher collaboration: good for some, not so good for others. Educational Studies (03055698), 29(4), 337-350. doi:10.1080/0305569032000159651