Resumen de Innovative field experiences in teacher education: an evaluation of sequential and parallel teaching by student teachers, mentors and pupils
Teacher education institutes show a growing interest in field experiences inspired by collaborative learning, such as team teaching (Gardiner & Robinson, 2009). Team teaching refers to “two or more teachers in some level of collaboration in the planning, delivery, and/or evaluation of a course” (Authors, 2014, p. 93). Based on the level of collaboration, five teaching models can be distinguished. Research comparing these models is scarce (Carpenter et al., 2007). This study investigates two teaching models: sequential and parallel teaching. In sequential teaching, the teachers divide the learning content and teach alternately (Dugan & Letterman, 2008). In parallel teaching, they divide the class group and teach the same content to subgroups (Graziano & Navarette, 2012). Participants were 14 student teachers with a Master’s degree. They applied sequential or parallel teaching during field experiences. Their experiences were investigated by means of a questionnaire. Their mentors (N=7) were interviewed individually and the pupils in the classroom (N=229) answered a questionnaire. Student teachers recognized advantages and disadvantages of both models. The teaching models provided support, increased dialogue and decreased workload and professional growth. Student teachers encountered difficulties with interdependence and complex management.Mentors reported more advantages while guiding sequential teaching, whereas pupils experienced most advantages from parallel teaching. The results suggest to combine both models during field experiences, without preferring one above the other.
