What are the positive effects of having two leaders and two groups per workshop

1
What are the positive effects of having two
leaders and two groups per workshop? Nicole
Riley, Peer Leader, BCC
Having two
leaders per workshop is beneficial for the
student as well as the leaders. It allows more
work to get done, improves workshop
discussion, creates a more
comfortable atmosphere, and in situations where
one leader may be stumped the other can give
their input.
Hypothesis
Results
With two leaders present in the workshop the room
felt more comfortable right off the bat. The
students didnt get the feel of the traditional
classroom atmosphere, it was something new and
different for them. As for the leaders we didnt
feel on the spot, now there was two of us and if
one couldnt explain something the other was
there to do so. After the workshop we got
feedback from the students on how much more they
liked the workshop and they encouraged us to keep
two leaders. As for myself and the other peer
leaders we also enjoyed it more, discussions were
deeper with more input, more material was being
covered, and it made us feel better about
ourselves (that we actually were helping these
students). In workshops before we paired up only
one activity would get done and time would be up,
now we get through three quarters of the module
if not all. It also seems that the students have
a better understanding, they dont look confused
and theyre more involved than before.
Literature Review

• The Benefits and Costs of Team Teaching
  Experience From an Interdisciplinary
  Collaboration.
• By Maureen J. Lage and B. Kay Snavely.
• An advantage to teaching in teams is that, by its
  very nature, the instructors are forced to
  discuss teaching styles, habits, and students
  methods of learning, factors which individual
  instructors often dont address because of time
  constraints, personal habits, and lack of
  feedback.
• Team teaching directly affects how students look
  at teamwork.
• In the classroom, a faculty member may typically
  be the only expert on a subject in the course.
  However, with team teaching, there are two
  opinions that can be brought to the material.
• Integrating Environmental Science and the
  Humanities Through Team Teaching.
• By Dr. Tina L. Hanlon and Dr. Carolyn Thomas.
• The level of classroom discussion is improved
  when another professor is there asking questions
  and asking for clarification.
• It is beneficial for students to see models of
  different teaching styles in the same classroom,
  and it helps them develop their own methods for
  their oral presentations.
• Team Teaching- Playing Doubles Tennis.
• By Kelvin Eikenberry.
• More time for one-on-one interaction with the
  learners.
• A second set of ears to hear and understand
  questions.

Conclusion
Although team teaching may not be for all, it has
been proven to me and those I have interacted
with to be very beneficial to the students as
well as the workshop leaders. More material gets
covered and the students dont feel as if their
time has been wasted. The students have such a
better understanding. Overall both students and
leaders get more out of it.
References
Maureen J. Lage and B. Kay Snavely. The Benefits
and Costs of Team Teaching Experience from an
Interdisciplinary Collaboration. http//www.cswep
.org/lageandsnavely.html. Downloaded on April 16,
2004 Dr. Tina L. Hanlon and Dr. Carolyn
Thomas. Integrating Environmental Science and
the Humanities Through Team Teaching. http//www.
ferrum.edu/thanlon/ecology/teamteach.htm.
Downloaded April 18, 2004 Kelvin Eikenberry.
Team Teaching- Playing Doubles
Tennis. http//www.discian.com/resources/reports/
report003.asp. Downloaded April 18, 2004
Methods

• Having two leaders in the workshop and than
  comparing it to workshops when only one leader
  was present.
• Asking the students how they felt about having
  two leaders.
• Asking other peer leaders who also paired up
  workshops.
• Comparing how much material gets covered with two
  leaders than with one.
• Observing the students to see if they understand
  the material better.