Last updated on Jul 25, 2024

You're facing conflicting teaching styles with your interdisciplinary team. How will you find common ground?

When you're part of an interdisciplinary teaching team, it's not uncommon to encounter a mix of teaching styles that can sometimes clash. Finding common ground is essential for creating a cohesive learning environment for students. It requires understanding, compromise, and the development of a shared vision that respects the strengths that each style brings to the table. By navigating these differences thoughtfully, you can turn a diverse teaching team into your greatest asset.

Key takeaways from this article

Joint lesson planning:

Collaboratively designing curricula allows each teacher's style to be reflected in the lessons, promoting a cohesive teaching environment and professional growth.
Inclusive teaching:

By understanding different teaching styles, you can adapt lessons to effectively meet diverse student needs, creating a more engaging and supportive learning atmosphere.

This summary is powered by AI and these experts

1 Understand Styles

Understanding each team member's teaching style is the first step towards finding common ground. Take time to observe each other's classes, if possible, and discuss the underlying philosophies and goals that drive your teaching methods. This exercise isn't about judging or changing each other's styles but about gaining insight. Recognizing the value in different approaches can open up opportunities for blending techniques that cater to a wider range of learning preferences among students.

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Barbara Turner

Primary Education Consultant
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Understanding different teaching styles is particularly useful for inclusive teaching and extending repertoire for the purposes of effective lesson adaptation to meet needs.

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Geoffrey Were

Cambridge Teacher | Key Stage 2 and 3 Teacher | Play Director
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Open Dialogue: Facilitate a meeting where all team members can openly discuss their teaching styles, preferences, and the reasoning behind their approaches. Ensure that everyone feels heard and respected.

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2 Set Objectives

Once you've gained an understanding of the various teaching styles within your team, the next step is to align on common objectives. What are the key skills and knowledge that all students should acquire? Establishing clear, shared goals can serve as a unifying force. With these objectives in mind, you can start to create a framework that allows for each teacher's style to contribute towards these goals, ensuring that no matter the method, the destination remains the same.

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Kseniia Begma, Ph.D.

Dedicated Teacher, Passionate Educator, and Lifelong Learner | Empowering Curious Minds and Crafting Bright Futures | CIS and NEASC Evaluator | IB Programme Leader | IB Workshop Leader | IB Examiner
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Once you’ve understood the various teaching styles within your team, the next step is to align on shared objectives. This involves identifying the key skills and knowledge that all students should acquire. Establishing clear, shared goals can unify, fostering collaboration and coherence among different teaching approaches. With these objectives in mind, you can create a framework that allows each teacher’s unique style to contribute towards these goals. This ensures that all students are guided towards the same educational destination regardless of the method.

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3 Communication Key

Effective communication is crucial when reconciling different teaching styles. Regular team meetings provide a platform to discuss strategies, share experiences, and address any concerns. It's important to listen actively and speak openly about what's working and what isn't. Through collaborative dialogue, you can develop strategies that integrate various styles, ensuring that every team member feels heard and valued.

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Sonia McPherson

Global Education Influencer I Prime Ambassador by MeitY I Fellow at ICERT I Woman in tech I ICSE CBSE IB |
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Embrace the 'Pedagogical Potluck': Each teaching style brings unique 'flavours' to the educational table. Instead of forcing uniformity, celebrate the diversity. Create a 'Style Map': Visualize each team member's approach, identifying strengths and overlaps. This bird's-eye view can reveal unexpected synergies. Implement 'Teaching Rotations': Allow students to experience different styles, turning potential conflict into a rich, varied learning experience. Establish 'Innovation Incubators': Regular brainstorming sessions where styles collide to create novel approaches. The goal isn't to eliminate differences, but to orchestrate them into a harmonious educational experience.

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4 Compromise Wisely

Compromise doesn't mean abandoning your teaching style; it's about finding ways to adapt and merge different approaches for the benefit of the students. This might involve alternating teaching methods, co-teaching certain lessons, or dividing topics according to each teacher's strengths. The key is to maintain the integrity of each style while finding common practices that enhance student learning.

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5 Joint Planning

Joint lesson planning is an effective way to bridge conflicting teaching styles. By working together to plan curricula and activities, you can ensure that each lesson reflects a blend of approaches. This collaborative process not only enriches the learning experience for students but also fosters professional growth as teachers learn from each other's expertise and perspective.

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6 Reflect and Adjust

Finally, it's essential to regularly reflect on the effectiveness of your collaborative efforts and make adjustments as needed. This ongoing process of reflection allows the team to refine their approach and continuously improve the teaching and learning experience. By being open to change and responsive to feedback from both students and fellow teachers, you ensure that your interdisciplinary team remains dynamic and effective.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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narasimhiah ramesh

retd:PROFESSOR at SJCIT
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Teaching is an art. Consequently it cannot be straightjacketed to a fixed norm, there has to be complete freedom in the style, delivery and mode of imparting knowledge. However a metric is possible with measuring outcomes with exams. With interaction with other faculty it is possible to modify style to incorporate important insights obtained to enhance one’s own style. Cheers

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You're facing conflicting teaching styles with your interdisciplinary team. How will you find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Styles

2 Set Objectives

3 Communication Key

4 Compromise Wisely

5 Joint Planning

6 Reflect and Adjust

7 Here’s what else to consider

K-12 Education

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You're facing conflicting teaching styles with your interdisciplinary team. How will you find common ground?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Styles

2 Set Objectives

3 Communication Key

4 Compromise Wisely

5 Joint Planning

6 Reflect and Adjust

7 Here’s what else to consider

K-12 Education

Rate this article

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