Tips for Team-Taught Teachers

BEFORE the term starts
  • Meet with the College Professor to plan out the term: campus visit, major assessments etc.
  • Determine the ‘class rules’: what to call the College Professor (first name vs. Mr/Ms), procedure for washroom, protocol for classroom disruptions/behaviour issues (when the HS teacher should step in etc.)
  • Discuss adaptations and learning needs of the students with the College Prof. (review the roles and responsibilities chart here).
  • Make sure that IEP and IPRC’ed students contact CSD (Algonquin’s Centre for Accessible Learning) or are able to be successful in the course without their accommodations. Unlike the high schools, Professors do not read Psych-Ed reports and determine appropriate accommodations for students; this process is completed by CSD and the student is given a summary form, which indicated College approved accommodations, to give to their professor.
  • Review the Team-Taught Checklist.
  • Discuss your role during the College portion of the class and between classes (when to jump in to help make linkages between the courses, whether to accept/time stamp late assignments on behalf of the professor etc.). Most Profs appreciate and encourage input from the High School teacher during lessons, so if you can make a connection or reinforce a link between something the Prof is discussing and things they have covered in class, please do so. This is the beauty of these team-taught courses.
  • Ask to be added to the class’s BlackBoard, either as a TA or observer, so you can have access to the materials posted, announcements and view the students’ marks. From time-to-time check the date of last login by the students (this can be seen in the BB gradebook).
  • Make sure resources are secured (i.e. textbooks from Dual Credit office if needed) and, if needed, reserve the school’s computer lap, or laptop cart, for the duration of the College term.
  • Make sure you discuss what to do in case of an illness, a ‘snow day’ or other such situations. College classes are rarely cancelled due to weather, but if a professor can’t make a regular ‘on-campus’ class for some reason (illness, weather or some other unavoidable situation), class is cancelled and the material is usually posted online. You and your team-teaching partner can decide how to deal with these sorts of surprises.
DURING the term
  • Check the Blackboard section and grade book to stay current on students’ grades.
  • Make it clear to the students that it is their responsibility to submit assignments to the College Prof and speak to him/her about absences etc. This is not your responsibility and relieving them of these responsibilities does not prepare them for college. However, reminding the student to speak to the Prof., and even giving the Prof a heads up, is always helpful.
  • Between College class days, encourage and remind students to work on any assignments/projects they have for their College class.
  • Schedule a ‘check-in’ meeting with your team-teaching partner at/around week five. By then students will probably have completed an assignment, or two, so it is a good time for a ‘check-in’.
  • Communicate with parents as need be (College instructors do not talk to parents, so this falls to the Dual Credit Support Teacher, you).
  • Be aware of the withdrawal date and discuss concerns with the Professor, so you can have conversations with students who should consider withdrawing from the College course before this date.
AFTER the term ends
  • If possible, meet with the College Professor to make any recommendations and notes for the following year’s project.

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