Collaborative teaching in flexible learning spaces: Capabilities of beginning teachers

Abstract

Increasingly, New Zealand primary and intermediate schools are adopting the concept of flexible learning spaces and promoting team teaching approaches. Such open spaces and pedagogy can be challenging for even experienced teachers to adapt to. Is it realistic, therefore, to expect novices to work successfully in these challenging spaces from the onset of their teaching careers? Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes in New Zealand equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to plan, teach and evaluate learning for a diverse class of children with individual learning, social and cultural needs. However, while researching their own practice working within new spaces and pedagogy, some experienced Bay of Plenty intermediate and primary teachers articulated additional necessities for beginning teachers starting out in such complex teaching environments. Analysis of their ideas suggests such spaces require teachers to have particular capabilities if they are to work collaboratively in open learning spaces. This paper argues that ITE programmes and leaders need to be proactive and include appropriate theoretical and pragmatic coursework, to assist student teachers to cultivate the capabilities required of collaborative team members, by the time they graduate.

Socio-spatial Learning Analytics in Co-located Collaborative Learning Spaces:

“…For example, although open learning spaces and flexible classrooms promote collaboration and autonomy, how educators and learners adapt to these novel spaces would require further investigation (Alterator & Deed, 2013). Previous attempts to explore such problems often relied on qualitative analysis, which might not reflect the whole picture of the events that unfold in the learning spaces, especially in large spaces and complex social dynamics (Whyte, 2017). The fine-grained data and evidence captured by SSLA on each learner and educator could complement and cross-validate the insights generated from focus groups and interviews, empowering educational stakeholders (e.g., school management) with detailed evidence to make informed decisions on the usage of different learning spaces and the suitability of architectural innovations Yan et al, 2021).…”

How do Teachers Use Open Learning Spaces? Mapping from Teachers’ Socio-spatial Data to Spatial Pedagogy

“…Experienced teachers can also use these analytics to adjust their spatial pedagogy in unfamiliar learning spaces. These opportunities could potentially enhance their professional development and emotional well-being by reducing their stress level and feeling of over-exposure, especially in large, complex learning spaces where co-teaching is required [47]. Likewise, future research can focus on investigating how school managers could also use indoor positioning analytics to evaluate the usage of existing and newly established/renovated learning spaces and the effectiveness of these learning spaces in promoting desired behaviours (e.g., co-teaching and student collaboration).…”

“…This means that teachers need to adapt their pedagogical approaches to deal with the increased complexities of configurable learning spaces that feature multiple interconnected learning areas, increased opportunities for students to interact with peers and various educators, and potential collaborative situations in which more than one teacher have to orchestrate the space [2]. Moreover, teaching in such learning spaces can be extremely challenging for beginner teachers and teachers without prior encounters, as they might lack sufficient training or experience [47].…”

Adapting to the ILE Practicum: New Grammar for Changing Times in Initial Teacher Education

“…Teaching collaboratively involves teachers collectively taking pedagogical responsibility for larger cohorts of students, through more flexible and responsive planning and teaching practices. Teaching becomes deprivatised and orchestrated with other colleagues as a matter of course which can, along with its benefits, create increased anxiety for practising teachers (Alterator & Deed, 2013;Charteris & Smardon, 2018;Whyte, 2017). Gislason (2018) argues "teachers should be trained before they make the move to an ILE so that they do not have to grapple with unconventional teaching methods while adapting to a new environment" (p. 187).…”