“Oh what a difference a team makes”: Why team teaching makes a difference

Abstract Literature supports the value of team teaching in promoting student learning in higher education. Indeed, data from a study of our team teaching confirm that support. However, definitions of team teaching in the literature are based on a cacophony of voices arising from a variety of pedagogical contexts. Thus, disparate definitions of team teaching are not helpful in explaining why team teaching is so effective in promoting student learning. We provide a solution to this conflict between definitions and praise of effectiveness by noting that the definitions of team teaching are wrong headed because they appeal to logistics, not pedagogical theory, and by providing a theoretical basis that explains why team teaching can be effective given the bewildering array of circumstances under which it is practiced. We also raise issues about team teaching to propose a thorough study of team teaching.

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