Gaining confident classroom experience early in the teacher training journey

Tag and Team Teaching

Tag and Team Teaching was introduced to IOE’s Primary PGCE course, responding to student teacher’s desire to gain whole class teaching and classroom management experience early in their training. It is designed to provide PGCE student teachers in their first school experience with a supportive opportunity to share some of the responsibility of pupil’s classroom learning with an experienced class teacher. This provides pupils with access to two professionals and supports student teachers to evaluate their teaching from a shared perspective.  

The university-school partnership

IOE has a well-established partnership with Grange Park Primary School, where there is a clear commitment to student development and to supporting new ways of gaining classroom experience.  

At Grange Park, student teacher Eleanor worked with class teacher James and his Year 5 class. They worked together to tag teach a Maths lesson early in Eleanor’s first school placement.  

Organisation and impact

Prior to the tag teaching session, both James and Eleanor discussed their individual teaching strengths, along with a recognition of the specific needs of their pupils. Prior observation of James’ teaching, along with a thorough understanding of the school scheme for teaching maths, enabled Eleanor to prepare with confidence, and to work out, with James, a structure in which one partner would lead one element of the lesson, whilst the other partner supported pupil learning in the classroom.  

Careful modelling and adaptation of lesson delivery (focusing on the ‘I do, we do, you do’ model), supported pupils to make progress and to reach the learning objective. Eleanor had previously implemented the ‘All About Me’ pro forma for each pupil, in which detailed and contextual information on each pupil, including their progress and learning needs, was recorded and used to inform lesson planning and provision.

Tag teaching relies on a strong, positive mentor/student relationship, in which the more experienced professional is able to guide, support and promote the growing confidence and experience of the student teacher. The Year 5 class at Grange Park provided an excellent example of this, as James was also keen to learn from Eleanor’s developing practice and approach, and was able to consider elements of this in his own teaching.

Pupils perceive the student as a significant adult in the classroom from an early stage. Tag teaching provides the student with earlier access to whole class management, developing their role, confidence and profile in the room with greater impact.

Impact on pupil progress and engagement

Pupils are aware that there are two teachers in the room. Teachers can provide double the amount of support for pupils who may be struggling, or who need additional support. Behaviour management is shared, ensuring that lesson time is fully focused on the learning.

Eleanor was able to use feedback to pinpoint areas to develop on during the tag teaching sessions. Having James directly involved in teaching alongside her, provided her with immediate feedback and guidance during the lesson, thus providing a helpful opportunity to develop her practice ‘on the spot’, and to develop competence and confidence, in the use of teaching resources, for example the interactive whiteboard to support learning.

Both Eleanor and James stress the positive impact of working together in this way, and of the subsequent input into Eleanor’s readiness and confidence to lead the whole class for longer, sustained periods during the spring term.