Team Teaching in an Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Program: A Decade of Lessons Learned

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Volume 30, Issue 2,
pages 172 – 183, (April 2009 ).

Preparing students in the early childhood field to work with children both with and without disabilities and to collaborate with different professionals is an important endeavor for colleges and universities. The purpose of this paper is to articulate a unique model of program collaboration between early childhood special education and early childhood regular education. This cooperation demonstrates a cohesive preservice teacher education program across two departments within one university.
This unique 10-year history of interdisciplinary collaboration and team teaching provides insights into many of the benefits and challenges of this type of program. The paper presents an historical overview of the development of this collaborative program. It also describes the logistics of operating an interdisciplinary program at the administrative level. Information collected from faculty and students illustrates the benefits and challenges of team teaching. Finally, strategies for developing a successful program are discussed