Team of Two
Grade 1 and 2 teachers Kirstie Stoodley and Alex Kathol, Wheatland Crossing School, opened up the wall between their classrooms to host a session at their school’s Student Conference Day and they haven’t closed it since!
Going Outside to Grow Inside
Team teaching was a new venture at Wheatland Crossing and had its share of questions and uncertainty in the beginning. It was difficult to know how to ‘fairly’ split teaching responsibilities and establish a balance for sharing the workload and meeting the needs of students from two classes. In this situation, fair isn’t always equal. Partnering with Windsong Heights, in Airdrie, provided the biggest moment of growth for the Grade 1/2 duo. It validated their questions and gave them confidence in their abilities to adapt their responsibilities based on the situation and the needs of their students.
Supporting Students Where They Are
“We have grown together and changed the way we teach all year long,” said Kathol. Originally, most of the teamwork was in the form of sharing the load of small group instruction and intervention. Full class lessons and learning experiences have now become the norm in this bustling room of 41 students. This, along with the increased ability to work with small groups of students for guided instruction in reading and writing, has been extremely advantageous.
There is no I in TEAM
Having one another to continuously reflect on teaching and improve practice has been a huge benefit. The collaboration and sharing of strengths, in addition to having someone to balance the day to day demands of being a teacher, means everyone wins on this team.
