Language Culture and Curriculum
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: Eoghan Mac Aogain (St Patrick's College)
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Volume: 11 Number: 1 Page: 113–131
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Perspectives on Team Teaching by Students and Teachers: Exploring Foundations for Team Learning
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Akira Tajino and Larry Walker
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The number of English language instructors from abroad working in Japan's secondary schools increases yearly. Research shows that during the years since the introduction of team teaching, a number of yet
to be resolved classroom issues have persisted. Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) and native speaker assistant English teachers (AETs) appear to be in touch with their students' needs, but at the same
time are more inclined to see their roles as distinct from that of their teaching partners. Students have shown themselves to exhibit an awareness of learning strategies regarding how JTEs and native speaker
AETs may best serve their learning needs, though not necessarily in the same lesson. Given the dominant position traditionally held by a Japanese teacher in the classroom, the role of the JTE at this stage
in the development of team teaching might now be best described as ambiguous, or perhaps even displaced. The data presented in this paper suggests a reformulation of the approach to team-taught lessons
is in order. The concept of 'Team Learning' is introduced and explored with an aim toward fostering authentic communication, where all the participants of the team-taught class can exchange their ideas
and sense of cultural values.
© Multilingual Matters
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