Parallel Teaching

School of Education - CSU, Chico

22 Jul 201503:01

Summary

TLDRParallel Teaching is an educational strategy where co-teachers instruct smaller groups of students simultaneously, reducing the student-to-teacher ratio. This approach enhances student participation, minimizes behavior issues, and allows for more thoughtful responses. Teachers organize students heterogeneously to ensure a mix of abilities and backgrounds, fostering rich discussions. Attention to noise control and timing is crucial for effectiveness, with sessions typically lasting about 15 minutes. This method is particularly beneficial for deeper learning and early intervention.

Takeaways

👥 Parallel Teaching involves dividing a class into smaller groups, each taught by a co-teacher.
📚 The strategy aims to teach the same material to both groups simultaneously.
🎯 It reduces the student-to-teacher ratio, enhancing individual attention and participation.
🤔 Students have more 'air time' to think and provide thoughtful answers.
🙈 Smaller groups make it harder for students to avoid participation.
🗣️ The method encourages richer discussions and vocabulary development.
📊 Students are grouped heterogeneously, mixing different performance levels and English language learners.
🔕 Teachers must manage noise levels to prevent distraction between groups.
⏱️ Timing is crucial; both teachers should complete their instruction segments in roughly the same time.
🔄 Frequent use of this strategy is recommended for maximum student engagement.
🕒 For young students like kindergartners, sessions are kept around 15 minutes due to shorter attention spans.

Q & A

What is the primary goal of Parallel Teaching strategy?
-The primary goal of Parallel Teaching is to reduce the student-to-teacher ratio, allowing co-teachers to maximize participation and minimize behavior problems while teaching the same material to smaller groups.
How does Parallel Teaching affect the student-teacher interaction?
-Parallel Teaching increases student-teacher interaction by providing more 'air time' and attention to students, which draws them closer to the subject area and encourages more thoughtful responses.
What is the typical reduction in student numbers when implementing Parallel Teaching?
-In the script, it is mentioned that the class is divided in half, going from 22 students to 11 students in each group.
How does Parallel Teaching help students who tend to hide in larger groups?
-Parallel Teaching reduces the size of the group, making it less likely for students to hide and more likely for them to participate actively in discussions.
What is the role of table groupings in the Parallel Teaching strategy?
-Table groupings are used to divide the classroom into smaller groups, which helps reduce the student-teacher ratio and increase instructional intensity.
How are students grouped in table groupings during Parallel Teaching?
-Students are grouped heterogeneously, meaning the groups consist of a mix of English Learners (EL) and students with varying performance levels, from high to low.
What challenges do teachers face while using the Parallel Teaching strategy?
-Teachers need to maintain control over noise levels to prevent distraction between groups and ensure that both teachers take roughly the same amount of time to complete the instructional segment.
How often should Parallel Teaching be used according to the script?
-The script suggests using Parallel Teaching more frequently to allow for maximum student participation in the learning process.
What is the typical duration of a Parallel Teaching session for kindergartners?
-For kindergartners, the attention span is relatively short, so a Parallel Teaching session should be about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Why is Parallel Teaching considered effective for deeper instruction or learning?
-Parallel Teaching is effective for deeper instruction because it allows for closer attention to details, enabling teachers to catch and support students before they fall behind.
How is the division of groups facilitated in the classroom?
-The division of groups is facilitated by using familiar groups that students normally work in, which makes the process quick and comfortable for the students.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍🏫 Parallel Teaching Strategy Overview

The script introduces the Parallel Teaching strategy where co-teachers divide a class into two groups to teach the same material, effectively reducing the student-to-teacher ratio. This approach is designed to increase student participation and minimize behavior issues by providing more individual attention. The strategy is particularly beneficial for engaging students in the subject matter, allowing them to think more deeply about their answers. It also ensures that students who might prefer to remain unnoticed in larger groups are more engaged. The script mentions the use of table groupings for classroom division, which are not random but rather based on a mix of different student abilities to foster a diverse learning environment. Teachers are advised to manage noise levels and maintain timing to ensure instructional consistency. The strategy is recommended for deeper learning and is noted to be most effective in smaller groups, with a specific mention of its suitability for shorter attention spans, like those of kindergartners, with sessions lasting about 15 minutes.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Parallel Teaching

Parallel Teaching is a strategy where co-teachers divide a class into smaller groups and teach the same material to each group simultaneously. This approach is highlighted in the video as a way to reduce the student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for more individualized attention and increased participation. It is exemplified by co-teachers John and Michael, who split their class in half to facilitate more focused instruction and engagement.

💡Co-teachers

Co-teachers refer to two or more educators who collaborate to deliver instruction to a class. In the context of the video, co-teachers John and Michael work together to implement Parallel Teaching, dividing the class and ensuring that each student receives more personalized attention and instruction. This collaboration is key to the success of the Parallel Teaching strategy.

💡Student to Teacher Ratio

The student to teacher ratio is a measure of the number of students per teacher in a classroom. Reducing this ratio is a central goal of Parallel Teaching, as it allows for more individualized instruction and increased student engagement. The video illustrates this by showing how reducing the ratio from 22 students to 11 in each group enables co-teachers to give more attention to each student.

💡Instructional Intensity

Instructional intensity refers to the level of focus and engagement in the teaching process. The video emphasizes that by using table groupings and dividing the class, co-teachers can increase instructional intensity, ensuring that students are more deeply involved in the learning process. This is achieved by providing a more concentrated learning environment.

💡Heterogeneous Grouping

Heterogeneous grouping is a method of organizing students into groups that include a mix of different abilities and backgrounds. The video mentions that co-teachers group students heterogeneously, combining English learners with varying performance levels. This approach promotes a diverse and rich learning environment where students can learn from each other.

💡Noise Level

Maintaining an appropriate noise level is crucial in Parallel Teaching to prevent distraction among the smaller groups. The video script notes the importance of teachers controlling the noise level to ensure that each group can focus on the lesson without interference from others.

💡Timing

Timing is emphasized in the video as a critical component of Parallel Teaching. Teachers need to synchronize their instructional segments to ensure that both groups receive equal time and attention. This synchronization is necessary for the effectiveness of the teaching strategy and for maintaining the engagement of all students.

💡Participation

Maximizing student participation is a key benefit of Parallel Teaching, as it allows for more students to be actively involved in the learning process. The video describes how the smaller group sizes enable students to have more 'air time' and increased opportunities to engage with the material and their teachers.

💡Behavior Problems

Minimizing behavior problems is another advantage of Parallel Teaching, as the reduced student-to-teacher ratio allows teachers to more effectively manage the classroom and address behavioral issues. The video suggests that this approach leads to a more focused and disciplined learning environment.

💡Thought-out Answers

The video highlights that Parallel Teaching allows students more time to think and formulate their answers, leading to more thoughtful contributions. This is an important aspect of fostering deeper learning and critical thinking skills among students.

💡Attention Span

The attention span of students, particularly younger ones like kindergartners, is a consideration in Parallel Teaching. The video notes that the strategy should be implemented within the constraints of a short attention span, suggesting that instructional segments should be kept to about 15 minutes to maintain engagement.

Highlights

Parallel Teaching involves co-teachers dividing the class into two groups to teach the same material.

This strategy reduces the student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for more individualized attention.

Students have more 'air time' and opportunity for interaction with teachers.

Parallel Teaching enhances engagement with the subject matter.

Class size is effectively halved, from 22 to 11 students per group.

The approach facilitates better thought-out answers as students have more time to think.

Smaller groups make it harder for students to 'hide', encouraging participation.

Rich discussions and vocabulary use are fostered in smaller group settings.

Co-teachers John and Michael use table groupings for classroom division.

Heterogeneous grouping ensures a mix of EL students and varying performance levels.

Teachers must manage noise levels to prevent distraction between groups.

Timing is crucial, with both teachers needing to complete their segments in similar timeframes.

Frequent use of Parallel Teaching is recommended for maximum student participation.

The strategy is particularly effective for deeper instruction and learning.

Teachers can closely monitor students' progress and provide support before they fall behind.

Dividing students into familiar groups makes the process quick and comfortable for them.