Going
to College in Canada: Team
Teaching Examined
By Nile S. Kurashige
From a student's perspective,
there are both benefits and disadvantages to multiple
professors
teaching one class. Benefits include an exposure to
more professors and ideas as well as a variety of teaching
styles. A professor with the greatest expertise can
teach each content area. The student thus benefits
by exposure to the latest research, especially important
in upper level courses. Differences in approaches to
the subject matter may lead to a broader understanding
of the material.
Disadvantages include
a possible lack of communication between the school's
professors. As a result, the link between sections
may not be as strong
as it could be if one professor were teaching the whole
class. This may result in gaps in the material covered.
Moreover, the time that the student can interact with
each professor is shortened, which can reduce the professor's
understanding of the student's learning style and potential.
There are students who are unable to find a professor
to write a recommendation for them even after attending
the institution for four years because the majority
of their classes were taught by multiple professors.
Because the success
of a college or university often depends on the success
of its graduates, institutions
must understand that, although the combination of multiple
professors may be a good teaching method for several
reasons, not all classes should be taught that way.
When one professor teaches for the duration of a semester,
he or she can see a student's strengths and the weaknesses,
thus providing valuable information that can aid the
student's learning. In addition, that professor can
write a recommendation that accurately reflects the
student's aptitude. If institutions are committed to
team teaching for the majority of their curricula,
they should guarantee students a letter of recommendation
upon graduation by a faculty member that the student
knows and trusts.#
Nile Kurashige is a doctoral candidate
in botany at a college in Toronto, Canada.
