Collaboration between Native and Non-native English-Speaking Teachers: How Does It Work?

This study examines the practice of collaborative teaching by three native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and three Taiwanese teachers of English (TTEs) in elementary schools in Taiwan. Through interviews and classroom observations, the nature of the collaboration between the teachers as well as the teachers' perceptions and experiences of collaborative teaching are explored. Research findings include (a) while NESTs take sole responsibility for lesson planning and lead teaching in the classroom, collaborative dynamics between the NESTs and TTEs are primarily present during the class time; (b) support between the teachers is rendered for the purposes of linguistic assistance, classroom discipline, and cultural understanding; and (c) the NESTs and TTEs have different perceptions of the format that collaborative teaching should take and the role that each of the team teachers performs. Finally, suggestions on improving the practice of collaborative teaching of this kind are discussed such as (1) the need for extensive in-service training focusing on collaborative English teaching, (2) a search for a viable model of collaborative teaching, and (3) the development of a collaborative inquiry community.