Concord School

Concord School Concord School is a prep to year 12 government school that caters for students with additional learning needs Concord school has over 400 students over two campuses Each student at Concord has an intellectual disability, though many students have additional disabilities and disorders (behavioural, psychological, auditory processing, learning disorders, etc) Many attending students come from lower socio economic backgrounds, meaning that abuse, neglect, trauma are not uncommon issues that need to be dealt with Students are taught the Victorian Curriculum in classes that average 12 students

@ Concord School Electronics - Caroline Music - Justin Media - Jane Photography - Kris Special Effects – Gwenda + Nikki 3D Printing & Design - Thom Robotics - Jess

Why Team Teach? Half the Secondary 9/10 team was new STEAM was a new program – staff unfamiliar with it We wanted to make the most of each others knowledge and skills Culture of Team Planning and Teaching in Maths and English but not in other subject areas 9/10 age is presents difficulties and behavioural problems – needed to work out how best to teach STEAM: Would Team Teaching help?

STEAM Action Research Cycles Teachers get 4 sessions of APT - 2 of these sessions are devoted to Team Planning for English and Maths - Team Management Meetings, PLTs, Teaching and Learning PD sessions; all focus on English and Maths - Very hard to find spare time to ‘team plan’ for STEAM STEAM is a mainstream program that requires students to maintain a certain amount of knowledge so they can contribute to and lead the Group Action Research Project time

Concord’s Cycle of Action Research CONCORD’S RESEARCH QUESTION: ‘What is the best model for Team Teaching?’ - At Concord - In Secondary 9/10 - For STEAM - With each students individual needs

Concord’s Cycle of Action Research Actions / Modifications: STEAM is taught across Secondary 9/10 (7 classes of 12 students) STEAM is taught for 4 sessions each Friday Each of the 6 models of Collaborative Team Teaching were taught over the year in STEAM Having modified each approach to tailor individual needs of students, the most successful Team Teaching Models were: One Teach, One Observe One Teach, One Assist Station Teaching (Rotational Teaching) Tag Team (Traditional Co-Teaching)

Sample of a SWOT discussion post Team Teaching Lesson

Evidence / Data Outcomes / Evidence (based on SWOTs and Formal/Informal Discussions: Engagement Changing person up front helped build student engagement Teaching style changed with each teacher Focus on student interest and skill base (whole/part/whole) Lack of time to prepare STEAM Team Teaching lessons Real collaboration was problematic Set up time & physical room space was problematic (double the tables and chairs in a room) Team Teaching with 3 classes was too much (too many students in a confined space) Better coordination / planning before the lesson is required

Findings for 9/10 Where is/was the team placed? Staff changes throughout year made things problematic Change in leadership made things problematic However – as seen in the staff survey: All Secondary 9/10 teachers attitudes towards Team Teaching have improved Confidence across the board re Team Teaching has Risen Willingness and level of optimism to try new things and approach new Team Teaching Pedagogy has increased Working Towards: Need to strengthen knowledge of what each teacher is doing in their own STEAM program Need to find more planning time for STEAM Work with new 9/10 teachers in 2017 to upskill them in the 6 Team Teaching Models

Findings

Precinct Ball Game Video

Findings for Concord School Renewed emphasis on creating a Collaborative Culture Leadership changing policies and processes to encourage better collaboration and Team Teaching and Planning across all areas of the curriculum New initiatives around: Assessment Evaluating Data / Modifying Teaching Approach Planning Implementation Examples of targeted processes: Team Planning Peer Observation Common Assessment Tasks Team Teaching Instructional Leaders

Advice / Thoughts / Useful Strategies Ensure management is on board Provide adequate time for planning Be prepared to try different models Be prepared to fail and modify Try to create a positive culture (attitude) around Team Teaching Consider how success will be measured (student engagement, surveys, results, SWOTs, etc) Best advice: ‘Just do it’, ‘have a go’, ‘don’t over think it’

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