< - INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / February 4, 1992 Involving Administrators in the Teaching Process: A Team-Teaching Approach As the division head of Professional and Technical Studies at Santa Fe Community College, I am required to administer approximately 15 programs (largely using part-time faculty), as well as to teach one course per term within my division. This is a challenge for me, as well as for other division heads. We often find our- selves torn between the pressing and conflicting de- mands of administration and teaching, but we must find creative ways of being effective at both. In past years, | have vowed not to allow my teaching to suffer, regardless of the time constraints. When I have had to prioritize administrative and teaching duties, administrative duties have most frequently suffered the most from low prioritization—I have a profound sense of the responsibility that comes with being an instructor. For the past semester I have experimented with a new approach to this problem, with some very positive results. I theorized that if | were to team-teach a course with a fellow instructor, the burdens of preparation, grading, etc., would be lighter and would allow me more flexibility to respond to administrative demands. With this in mind, I arranged to team-teach one of our computer-assisted drafting courses with a part-time instructor; my role was primarily “roving tutor” for students who were working in a predominantly hands- on laboratory format. This approach resulted in the following benefits to students, to my fellow instructor, and to the administra- tion of my division. e Asa “roving tutor,” I have had the flexibility to assist the instructor in paying special attention to students having difficulties with the complex command structure of the computer-assisted drafting pro- gram—thus reducing the amount of interruptions to the class without neglecting the “slower” students in the process. e The experience of working with a part-time instruc- tor on a regular basis has been invaluable. Contact with part-time instructors is generally limited; and the opportunity for mentoring, observing, and VOLUME XIII, NUMBER 23 oat providing constructive feedback is rare. My role asa tutor/team-teacher has allowed me to get continual feedback from students on how they are learning and to share this feedback with the lead instructor. My in-class activities provide me with insight into typical problems encountered by students and instructors, and give me the opportunity to develop cooperative solutions. ° Working in the classroom without the constant pressure of lesson pian preparation, paper grading, etc., has provided me with valuable resources (time and information) to use in evaluating the program’s teaching methodology, curriculum, and textbooks— enhancing my administrative decision-making skills in regard to these issues. Both my teaching and administrative skills have been enhanced by involvement in this team-teaching ap- proach. The time spent away from the office has been spent mentoring, enhancing instruction, and gathering valuable information about the programs. Since I do not have primary responsibility for the organization and leadership of the class, I feel less torn between students and administrative paperwork, class prepara- tion, committee meetings, and so on. The students and the part-time instructor have benefited from this arrangement, as well. The instructor welcomes my observations and assistance, and the students are pleased to have an extra in-class resource for informa- tion and encouragement. Combining teaching with administration creates a wide variety of challenges. But the team-teaching approach provides the necessary flexibility to share talents, to assist in the teaching and learning process, and to enhance administrative skills and resources. Sheila R. Ortego, Division Head, Studies Professional & Technical For further information, contact the author at Santa Fe Community College, P.O. Box 4187, Santa Fe, NM 87502. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NiSOD) Community College Leadership Program, Department of Educational Administration AK. -f es. WR bl! et, of Pecan mt Accadn C[IFVD O40 Arcwrktan Tavan 70710