PLAN REPORT FOR A CAREER GUIDENCE BUREAU IN SCHOOLS AND ITS ACTIVITIES

 Introduction

It has been aptly remarked that guidance is accepted as an integral part of education. Whatever may be the objectives of school education, students need the assistance of teachers and others connected with them to be able to make satisfactory progress. No student has ever been able to manifest and maximize his potentialities on large extent, make appropriate career plans, get a suitable occupation and make satisfactory adjustment in the society without assistance of guidance programme organised in school.

It constitutes parents, teachers, community members, administrators, guidance workers, specialists etc. The cause is, in the modern complex society it has become a difficult task on part of home and community to provide appropriate and adequate guidance to students as per their needs and requirements. Hence, the school has a vital role to play in guiding the students.

  Career guidance provides a substantial understanding about the career that the student is considering or needs help in choosing the right career. This is useful because the students might or might not have an overall knowledge of careers and the kind of expectation that is put by employers on the incumbents who are opting for that career. It also is helpful to the student in a way that the student can avoid spending unnecessary time, effort and money in opting for those careers which he/she is not interested in or may be very difficult to pursue in their life. Hence career guidance is very important for students before they finalize on a career option.

Most students find it difficult to make career decisions once they enter into the 10^th or 12^thgrade. Making career decisions are so difficult for students because they aren’t aware of where their interest’s lie and what their abilities are, nor are they sure of what they want to become in life which is not their fault either. These individuals are too young to make important decisions such as choosing a right career path because they do not posses the necessary skills required to make such an important decision. The reason being that most children today usually vile away their time engaging in unproductive activities that serve as distractions for instance the Internet, Smart phones and the Television, instead of focusing on matters that are of importance. As a consequence most students haven’t tried different things, therefore choosing a career path nowadays is so stressful for both students as well as parents.

Although students do have some idea about the options  available in the market,  they may not posses complete knowledge about the wide array of options available to them due to the constant change in the job market. This constant change in the job market is a result of development giving rise to newer professions. In addition to this the sources that pupils use to help them make these decisions are usually their parents, who aren’t always aware of the various options available in the market. So they tend to choose a stream that their friends take up, without the knowledge of the course that will suite them best. This method is usually not a good approach; hence career guidance becomes essential.

Advantages Of  Gaining Career Guidance

With the help of career guidance, candidates will be able to make their educational and training investments wisely.  Through career guidance, candidates will be able to put their complete dedication and commitment to pursue the suggested career and will be in a position to get an edge over others.  Career guidance will provide candidates an in-depth understanding about the educational requirements, training and certifications, schools and colleges, compensation and wages related to the career at hand.

Career guidance is given by experts in those fields and they will be in a better position to explain the current options and developments in the field and the upcoming changes that are going to positively or negatively affect the candidate who is going to pursue that career option. Through career guidance, the candidates will be able to fit their career with their short, medium and long term career goals and objectives. Career guidance gives them a better framework to plan for their future career proactively. Career guidance can help immensely in deciding on the career path of an individual which can lead to the candidate being successfully in their career life and personal life.

Need of Organizing Guidance Services

(i) It helps the teachers to take note of potentialities of each student in different degree in different direction.

(ii) It helps the students and their parents to make right and appropriate career plans for future.

(iii) It helps to understand the physical, social, emotional and intellectual characteristics and the need of pupils.

(iv) It promotes efficiency in providing essential reliable and scientific data on pupils.

(v) It provides knowledge to children in making satisfactory adjustment in the school and the community.

(vi) A well organized guidance programme saves time, money and effort.

(vii) It helps students to find a suitable occupation or vocation.

(viii) It helps teachers to understand the individual differences of children in various spheres.

(ix) It can properly utilize skill, training, knowledge, potentialities and interest of staff members of the school.

(x) It co-ordinates the work of all persons engaged in the guidance programme.

(xi) It utilizes community resources properly for ensuring smooth organization of guidance programme.

(xii) It helps the students in achieving self-development, self-direction and self-realization.

(xiii) It considers the activities and functions of the personnel engaged in school guidance services.

(xiv) It helps in developing good human relationships.

Principles of Organizing Guidance Services

The guidance services should be meant for all the categories of students.  Organization of guidance programme of any type—educational, vocational and personal should be done in accordance with the interests, needs and purpose of the pupils. The guidance service should consider the total environment of the child while organizing guidance programme for them.  The guidance programme may be different in an industrial school from that of an agricultural school. The guidance services should treat the pupil in its entirety.  It should also meet the specific needs and problems of the pupil. Adequate information regarding occupational and educational requirements and opportunities should be stored.  The guidance services should co-operate with all the agencies of education and provide for leadership. Problems of pupils should be dealt with before they become serious. It should be directed towards improving pupils self-knowledge and self-direction.  Adequate provision should be made in guidance services for testing tools to be used in it.  The interest and effort of every member of the staff should be given top most priority in the organisation of guidance services.  It should be as simple as possible.

Career Guidance and Counseling Program Plan

At the heart of all nine programs is the goal of helping students make informed educational and career choices and carry out plans by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills. While these career guidance programs have been very effective in meeting the career developmental needs of students, they continue to stress the importance of continually improving their programs. Each program also addresses the three broad competency areas involved in the career development process: (1) self-knowledge and self-awareness, (2) educational and occupational exploration, and (3) decision making and career planning. The following are some of the best practices found in the recognized programs.

Students Undergo Intensive Career Exploration and Planning

Use a career advisement system with every faculty and staff member advising a group of students during all of their secondary program.  Set up a career development center that consists of the state career information delivery system and other resources that counselors can use in serving a diverse group of students. Use a wide range of career materials and assessment of instruments. Offer organized guidance courses and programs in the secondary and postsecondary levels. Adapt the National Guidelines in designing and implementing a guidance curriculum.

Conduct individual planning and group career counseling. Guide students in developing their individualized career plans and career planning portfolios.  Conduct workshops for students on self-awareness, assertiveness, problem solving, conflict resolution, communication skills, careers, parenting, and managing relationships. Collaborate with others in planning other inservice activities. Invite graduates to be ambassadors, mentors, nontraditional models, members of advisory committees, or resource persons for the program.

Serve All Students

Counseling program is available to diverse groups of students. Members of special populations. Students from different racial/ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds.  Those at-risk of failing or dropping out of school, implement programs that address the needs of all students. English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, Nontraditional programs, Summer vocational programs for youth. Programs for displaced homemakers/single parents/single pregnant teens. Computer literacy programs. Workplace readiness skills programs

Maintain Strong Program Support System

Human Resources- Mentors, advisors, tutors, volunteers, translators, interpreters, aides, and peer mediators. Programs and Services- Parent-Teacher Association groups, summer programs, alumni associatons,  and business education partners.  Instructional, Career, and Educational Resources- computer-related resources, audiovisual equipment, media centers, libraries, and interview clothes

Collaboration, Articulation, and Communication

These exemplary career guidance programs have forged strong partnerships with parents, businesses, community organizations, teachers, and other school personnel. Teamwork is key to the effective implementation of an integrated, comprehensive career guidance program. Everyone involved in the program is committed to assisting every student succeed in school and, ultimately, in life.

Family/Parental Involvement and Support, Strong school and family partnership is key to program success in  schools. Parents are involved in various facets of the student's life.  Parents can participate in the following activities: career planning, educational planning, advisory committees, financial aid workshops, parent-teacher conferences, guidance and counseling sessions

Faculty/Staff Involvement

Faculty are partners in the career development program; they include career information in the curriculum and conduct career development activities. Some schools have teachers serve as career advisors to a group of students. Faculty and counseling staff participate in in service activities that focus on improving students' careers and education.

  Vocational and academic teachers work together with counselors during student orientation, career advisory meetings, curriculum development, career assessment, information exchange meetings and other counseling activities. Faculty refer students to counseling staff for individual counseling. Faculty and counselors collaborate to provide job placement assistance.

Intra- and Interagency Collaboration

Career guidance and counseling programs maintain several collaborative campus efforts with other units and programs (e.g., Planning, Research and Evaluation, Curriculum, School Improvement, Bilinqual, and Special Education). Assesment of students' abilities, aptitudes, learning styles, needs, and interests, Development of integrated curriculum, Appropriate scheduling/placement of students, Promotion of career guidance counseling program areas and courses. Career guidance and counseling staff work with external agencies in preparing students from school to work and/or postsecondary education

Collaboration with Business

Counselors conduct on-site visits of business and industry to keep abreast of the changes in the workplace and needs for personnel. Career guidance and counseling personnel establish cooperative agreements with businesses (e.g., utility companies, hospitals, and banks, construction companies) to enable students to become familiar with the work environments.

Institutional Support, Leadership, and Program Evaluation

The third group of components is typical of any good program. The success of the identified exemplary programs in meeting the career development needs of their students can be attributed to strong administrative leadership and support, financial backing, ongoing program evaluation, qualified personnel, organized professional development activities, and follow-up of program graduates and non completors. There is a total commitment to assisting every student to succeed.

Institutional Support

Administrative support and leadership for each program is demonstrated in several ways and different areas. For one, counselors have administrators who listen and are receptive to ideas for growth and improvement.

 Administrators are committed to responding to the needs of counseling staff by hiring needed and qualified personnel, providing space and facilities for counselors and students, conducting ongoing staff development programs, and providing financial support.

Facilities

A wide range of resources are available to counselor and students, including career resource centers, libraries, private counseling offices, computers, audiovisual equipment, and assessment and career-related materials. Students, teachers, counselors, and parents are encouraged to take advantage of these resources.

Financail Support

Adequate funding is available for instructional materials, equipment, travel, and continuing education of counseling personnel. Funding sources include state and federal funding, local school districts, private agencies, and other grants.

Guidance Personnel Qualifications

The professionals that make career guidance programs work are qualified and credentialed individuals. Most of them have graduate degrees. In some situations, related background and work experience, as well as educational qualifications, are taken into consideration when staffing.

Professional Development

To strengthen the various components of the exemplary career guidance and counseling programs, staff development activities are planned. The counseling staff attend workshops and seminars to improve their skills in career counseling, group and individual counseling, curriculum development, and assessment. The counselors also conduct inservice activities for other school personnel on topics such as sexual harassment, personality assessment, leadership styles, gender equity, and other career-related issues that are all aimed at improving students' success.

Program Evaluation

Counseling staff consider program evaluation as a crucial component in improving services for their students. Yearly and periodic assessment of programs is conducted not only as a gauge for meeting set goals, but more importantly for program improvement.

Follow-Up of Program Completors and Noncompletors

The concern of counseling staff for their students does not end after graduation. Follow-up of graduates, as well as early leavers, is crucial in assisting students in becoming successful in their careers and life. Counselors of the identified exemplary programs continue to devise a more effective means of doing follow-up. Young people need to have a hopeful vision of the future and an idea about how to get from where they are now to where they would like to be.

Limitations of Organizing Guidance Services

1. For organization of any guidance services and programmes in school there is a need of psychologists, counselors and career masters. But in fact most schools don’t have such personnel. As a result there arises the possibility of failure of the guidance programme in its organization.

2. Guidance service programme requires a lot of infrastructure facilities like suitable accommodation, equipment, sitting arrangement etc. which are considered quite essential for carrying out guidance programme in a school.

3. Government policy relating to organization of guidance programme in secondary schools is not specific, favourable and definite. As a result of this, it becomes difficult on the part of the school administration to carry out guidance programme for the betterment of the students.

4. Majority of our secondary schools don’t have any organized programme of guidance.

5. For organization of school guidance services, psychological tests like—personality tests interest inventories, aptitude tests, attitude scales etc. and standardized achievement tests suitable for the students are rarely available in most of the schools. Besides, there are schools where these psychological tests and records aren’t at all available.

6. The teachers on whom the success of school guidance service depends don’t possess adequate knowledge, efficiency and competency to offer proper guidance to pupils.

7. In most schools teachers aren’t trained in guidance and counselling programme.

8. Guidance service or programme doesn’t come under the scope of evaluation or examination of pupils. In other words, it has been said that as it isn’t an examinable subject, naturally teachers aren’t interested to carry out such work without any reward.

9. The teachers in our secondary schools are over-burdened with their instructional work as a result of which they don’t give proper time for the said purpose.

Conclusion

Apart from these aspects we even provide career guidance where they are given the opportunity to discuss queries related to careers, courses, opportunities in the job market with the career guidance experts as well. Thus helping them to attain success and reduce the chances of a career change in the later stages of their life. For all these reasons, seeking the assistance of a career guidance expert at the right time in the child’s life is of uttermost importance for parents wishing for a bright future for their children. Therefore it is said, “The biggest mistake that one can make, is not having enough information. So put in that extra effort, though it may take a while, be assured that the decision made is right.

CURRENT ISSUES OF INDIAN ADOLESCENCENTS

Introduction

Young people form precious human resources in every country. However, there is considerable ambiguity in the definition of young people and terms like young, adolescents, adults, young adults are often used interchangeably. World Health Organization (WHO) defines ‘adolescence’ as age spanning 10 to 19 yr, “youth” as those in 15-24 yr age group and these two overlapping age groups as “young people” covering the age group of 10-24 yr. The National Youth Policy of India (2003) defines the youth population as those in the age group of 15-35 yr. Population aged 10-24 years accounts for 373 million (30.9%) of the 1,210 million of India's population with every third person belonging to this age group. Among them, 110 and 273 million live in urban and rural India, respectively. Males account for 195 million and females 178 million, respectively. As per the National Sample Survey (NSS), (2007-08) 32.8 per cent of this group attend educational institutions and 46 per cent (2004-05) are employed.

     Youth - the critical phase of life, is a period of major physical, physiological, psychological, and behavioural changes with changing patterns of social interactions and relationships. Youth is the window of opportunity that sets the stage for a healthy and productive adulthood and to reduce the likelihood of health problems in later years. A myriad of biological changes occur during puberty including increase in height and weight, completion of skeletal growth accompanied by an increase in skeletal mass, sexual maturation and changes in body composition. The succession of these events during puberty is generally consistent among the adolescents often influenced by age of onset, gender, duration, along with the individual variations. These changes are also accompanied by significant stress on young people and those around them, while influencing and affecting their relationships with their peers and adults.   It is also an age of impulsivity accompanied by vulnerability, influenced by peer groups and media that result in changes in perception and practice, and characterized by decision making skills/abilities along with acquisition of new emotional, cognitive and social skills.

    Most young people are presumed to be healthy but, as per WHO, an estimated 2.6 million young people aged 10 to 24 yr die each year and a much greater number of young people suffer from illnesses ‘behaviours’ which hinder their ability to grow and develop to their full potential. Nearly two-thirds of premature deaths and one-third of the total disease burden in adults are associated with conditions or behaviours initiated in their youth (e.g. tobacco use, physical inactivity, high risk sexual behaviours, injury and violence and others). The behavioural patterns established during this developmental phase determine their current health status and the risk for developing some chronic diseases in later years. A significant reduction in the mortality and morbidity of communicable, maternal and neonatal disorders since 1990 due to concerted and integrated efforts led to a shift in focus towards the health, safety and survival of the young people. It is crucial to understand health problems of this population, processes and mechanisms that affect their health, identify interventions and strategic approaches that protect their health and develop and implement policies and programmes.

Problems of Adolescents with special reference to Indian context

Any period of development is likely to be accompanied by many potential difficulties. Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood that implies many development changes and associated problems. Some of the outstanding problems of Indian adolescence are the following:

Perplexity with regard to somatic variation: Every adolescent has more or less difficult task of adjusting to somatic variation which may occur in connection with puberty. The follow of blood during menstruation in girls and nocturnal emission in boys creates worries and give birth to so many fears and anxieties. Since ours is a conservative society, youngsters are less informed about the physical changes that  are occurring during puberty. Lack of scientific information about sex hygiene and philosophy make them to satisfied with crude and perverted knowledge about sex related matters.  It creates guilt feeling and so many complexes in the minds of the children which makes them introverted and secretive.

Problems related with intensification of sex-consciousness:  The sudden awakening of sex instinct during adolescence results in intensification of sex consciousness. Adolescents are curious to know about sex related topics and are seeking answers to their innumerable doubts in sexual matters. In our country most of the parents are illiterate and they do not have scientific knowledge of sex problems.  Moreover, our social values are different from that of western countries, and hence parents hesitate to discuss sex problems with their children. So the adolescents resort socially unacceptable ways to quench their curiosity and to satisfy their sexual needs. There is also the misguiding of print and electronic media that finally results in sexual maladjustment in adolescents.

Adjustment difficulties with parents:   Adolescents have a strong for freedom and independence. But often it is obstructed by parental oppositions. In Indian context, parental opposition may extend to such areas as choices of friends, choice of education, recreational interests, dress, life-style, our of going from and coming to the home, mode of behaviour etc. The conflict between parental norms of behaviour and peer group relationships often lead to friction in the relationship and adolescents find it difficult to adjust to the needs and demands of parents. Failure to adjust with the parents may result in revolting against parents and authority.

Childhood-Adulthood Conflict:      In our society, the adolescent is considered as neither as a child nor as an adult. He has to depend his parents and elders for his physical and emotional needs. But at the same time he wants to hold independent views and opinions like an adult. He can very well manage his own affairs and resist any unnecessary interference from the part of elders. He begins to feel ashamed and embarrassed for the protection and care shown by the parents. He is often treated in an ambiguous manner by parents and teachers. Sometimes they expect him to behave as an adult and at other times, they treat him as a child. The poor adolescent is caught between the role of the child and the adult, which push him into confusion and tension.

Adjustment difficulties with school discipline :   Most of the adolescents face a great problem in adjusting with school discipline. Some times schools expects too much  from students who must submit to teachers who may be tyrannical sometimes. Schools should not implant habits of unquestioning obedience that inhibits the growth of young people towards true independence.

Adjustment difficulties with community:   The adolescent is expected to find his place in a society marked by increasing social isolation and rapid technological changes. This changing world make it difficult to anticipate and plan for adolescent life.   They have difficulty in adjusting their capacity to the demands of the community. At this critical phase most adolescents react by withdrawing into a non-demanding and non-working world of pleasure and satisfaction.

The Ideal and Reality conflicts:   It is during adolescence an adolescent move from being children to adults - perhaps the single most important and grandest set of changes - others may not know how they feel about themselves, but we should.  The disparity between ideal and actual can produce confusion and maladaptation, or this disparity can be a source of motivation and aspiration for adolescents who are searching for identity. As the adolescence represents a fascinating transitional period, marked by the emergence of new found cognitive capacities and changing societal expectations. Parental Influences has much important in this regard, which includes deliberate expression of affection, concern about the adolescent's problems, harmony in the home, participation in family activities, availability to give organized help when needed or asked for,  setting clear and fair rules, understanding peer influences on self-esteem, etc. can helps the adolescents to a great extent.

Adolescent – Parent Attachment:  Conflict between adolescents and parents itself is not a sign of poor relationship quality, but it is the result of the rapid neurological, cognitive and social changes of adolescence create a socio-cognitive dilemma for youth: that is, maintaining connection with parents while exploring new social roles away from the family and developing attachment relationships with peers and romantic partners.  It is a fact that the successful transition of adolescence is not achieved through detachment from  parents but a healthy transition to autonomy and adulthood is facilitated by secure attachment and emotional connectedness with parents. It is better understood by parents that, adolescents who feel understood by their parents and trust their commitment to the relationship, even in the face of conflict, confidently move forward toward early adulthood. The ability of parents, teachers, the elders, etc. to sustain a ‘goal-directed partnership’ with adolescents in their daily hood by all means will remain them confident and secure and protect them from all modes of newly emerged social evils like improper and immature usage of social medias.

Alcohol and other drug use in adolescence

Consumption of licit and illicit substances has increased all over the world and the age of initiation of abuse is progressively falling. The common drugs of abuse amongst children and adolescents in India are tobacco and alcohol. Use of illicit drugs like cannabis and heroin have also been reported. A high prevalence of drug use and even intravenous use among street children and working children is a matter of concern. Although initiation to drug use usually occurs during adolescence, the adolescent drug users are seldom seen in various treatment centres. Thus community based programmes are beneficial for prevention and treatment of substance abuse among children and adolescents.

Role of parents and teachers towards the adolescents

For a proper and all round development of the adolescent boys and girls, parents and teachers have a great role to play. Some suggestions have been discussed below

For Proper Physical Development

·         Provision should be made for compulsory physical exercise at morning and evening

·         Monthly health check-up by the school doctor must be done.

·         Scope for some manual work for every adolescent must be provided at home and at school.

·         Provision of various types of indoor as well as outdoor games and sports for all students in school.

·         Provision for dance classes for girls at school.

 For Proper Mental Development

·         Home and school atmosphere must be loving and secured.

·         The school must have a good library, a school debating society and in every class, a discussion group.

·         Various types of clubs, like - music club, art and craft club, may be organised to enable adolescents to develop their creative abilities.

·         The guidance services available at school should provide both educational and vocational guidance to their students.

·         The teacher should keep an eye on every adolescent and try to fulfill his individual needs. The tutorial system must be adopted when necessary.

·         Excursions to places of historical and geographical importance may be organised.

·         Activity for the adolescent should be planned in such a way that the imaginations of the young adolescents are directed in the right channels and towards creative efforts.

·         The adolescents are generally interested in experimentation and self-examinations of objects. Hence, it is suggested that importance should be given on using new dynamic methods of teaching.

·         Different assignments should be given to the students on the basis of their intelligence and the abilities.

·         Yoga and meditation must be included in the school curriculum.

For Proper Social Development

·         Many informal functions may be organised in the school. These would enable the adolescents to come closer to each other and understand the interests and aspirations of each-other. These functions must cater to the needs of all types of adolescents.

·         Excursions and field trips may be organized. These lead to informal conversations and close contact between the members of the group.

·         Group games, debates, seminars, conference may be organized. These will help the adolescents to participate in social activities.

·         The teacher should try to find out the socio - economic conditions, social interests of every adolescent and organize various activities accordingly.

·         In the social field, every adolescent has to enter particular vocation in his later life. As such the school authorities should impart him knowledge about various vocations prevalent in society. He should also provided knowledge about some new vocations.

·         The adolescents should be initiated into the standards of adult behaviour. Thus he will be trained for better future living.

·         They should be entrusted with jobs of responsibility at home and at school as they grow-up. Self-government may be introduced in school to develop a feeling of responsibility among the adolescents.

For Proper Emotional Development

·         Parents and teachers must be able to redirect the emotions of the adolescents in a proper manner. The adolescent must be able to control his emotions and also to repress those emotions which are not socially acceptable.

·         Most of the adolescents accept problems of life in a negative way. They are afraid of facing difficult situations in life. Parents and teachers should encourage the adolescents and point out some of their plus points. They may also suggest means and methods of achieving success. This will restore the self-confidence of the adolescents.

·         It should be brought into the notice of the adolescent that life is a mixture of failure and success and he must build a power of resistance to face failure in life.

·         The adolescent has to face a large number of problems at this, stage, As such, proper guidance and counseling should be provided by parents, teachers and school Guidance Counselor.

·         Parents and teachers should treat the adolescent well. They should give him freedom of action within limit. The adolescent should be kept busy with various activities.

·         The teacher should try to develop maturity of thinking within the child. The adolescent boys and girls must be allowed to discuss their emotional problems with their parents and teachers. And they must be provided enough scope to take part in different activities in school.

·         The teacher should try to find out those students who are emotionally disturbed. They should try to solve their problems personally.

·         The parents as well as the teachers should not discriminate among the adolescent boys and girls. The teacher must be known for his impartiality. Then only will he be able to enjoy the confidence of his students.

For Proper Sexual Development

·         More social contracts between boys and girls. Freedom with proper guidance must be provided to the young adolescents to make friends with the opposite sex.

·         Proper sex education on a scientific basis should be provided by the teachers.

·         Parents and teachers should impart the right information about sex to the adolescent boys and girls.

·         Information about HIV and other sex related diseases should be provided on a scientific manner by the parents and teachers to the young adolescents. If necessary, teachers and parents must take help of counselors.

Conclusion

Adolescents in India are facing problems of sexually transmitted infections, dysmenorrhoea, tobacco and alcohol use, depressive problems, physical fights, worry, loneliness and oral health problems. Health education and counselling to adolescents are necessary in India to improve adolescence health. Primary care practitioners may act as a bridge between the family and adolescents to solve the problems. Simultaneously awareness to the programmes related to adolescent health should be generated among family members so that they can also advise and guide the adolescents. This type of health education programme can be held by primary care practitioner doctors in their locality with involving family members and adolescents.

TEAM TEACHING

Meaning and Definitions

Team teaching a style of instruction in which resources as well as interests and expertise of a team of teachers are pooled in order to enhance the effectiveness of instruction/curriculum transaction to the maximum possible by utilizing all facilities available in school.

“In team teaching method two or more teachers make a plan of subject, cooperatively carry it out and always evaluate its effects on students periodically”. - Naik M B

 “Team teaching involves bringing together a number of classes whose teaching is then the responsibility is then the joint responsibility of the teachers of these classes who constitute a team”. - Apter Definition’s

Characteristic of Team teaching

1. It utilizes the service of two or more teacher in the process of teaching the same class.

2. It is an instructional strategy rather than training strategy.

3. In team teaching a group of teachers are responsible for realization of the educational objectives, rather than an individual teacher.

4. A team of teachers of the same subjects work together to deal relevant content area to the same group of students.

5. It can be termed as co-operative teaching , in which teachers together plan to pool resources, interests and expertise for teaching the same content for the same group of students.

6. Every individual teacher of the team gets an appropriate role in the instructional process in accordance with one’s special competencies or area of specialization.

7. The group of teachers involves have shared responsibilities in planning, organizing, leading, controlling and evaluating.

8. In team teaching, the group of teachers have to jointly consider the needs of their pupils.

Objectives of Team teaching

1. To make the best use of expertise of a number of teachers.

2. To improve the quality of teaching by utilizing the sills of more then one person.

3. To develop positive attitude towards co-operation or group in teaching – learning situations.

4. To help the student to satisfy the needs and solve the difficulties relating special content areas.

5. To develop the sense of shared responsibility in teaching and evaluation.

6. To minimize the scope of teaching wrong things to the students by any individual teacher.

Types of Team teaching

1.      Team teaching in the same class period. 

Here the members of the team discuss the various aspects of the same topic to be covered in the same class period and share these aspects in tune with the special knowledge area in which each has expertise.

2.      Team teaching based on ability. 

In this type, units are shared by different teachers not on the basis of subject matter, but on the basis of special competencies such as lecturing, demonstrating, guiding discussion etc.

3.      Team teaching based on specialization 

Teachers with different subject specialization are jointly made responsibilities for instruction, starting from course formation to evaluation. They share the content according to their specialization areas.

4. Team teaching on relay system. 

Hear one teacher starts the instructional process, when he completes, another follows and so on. Hear the division of work not based on subject competency or skill. Each teacher supplements, enriches and supports what others have done.

Principles of team teaching

1.      Principle of size and composition of the class. 

The size of the class should be vary according to the objectives of the team teaching.Eg. To remove the difficulties of students in certain subject, the size of the class should be small.

2. Principle of level of instruction 

The entering behavior of the group of students should be determined so that the presentation of each member of the team in tune with the level of the class.

3. Principle of assigning duties to teachers of the work

Duties to the teachers should be appropriate according to their competencies of teaching.

4.      Principle of learning environment

Learning environment must be generated by employing appropriate teaching aids and other inputs.

5.      Principle of time factor

Time schedule should be prepared by allotting appropriate time to subtopics, lead lecture, group work etc.

6.      Principle of Supervision

o The aim of team teaching is to develop mastery over subject matter by utilizing the expertise of teachers

o Supervised study is essential for assimilating various items of knowledge of a topic
o The nature and duration of supervising students activities depends upon the purpose for which team teaching is employed.

Procedure of Organizing the Team teaching

Team teaching involves three steps

1.Planning

This step involves the following activities

• Formulating the objectives of the team teaching session.

• Writing these in behavioral terms.

• Identifying the entering behavior of the learners.

• Deciding the details of the material to be taught.

• Assigning duties to teachers, such as lead lecture, follow up work and supervision considering their interest and competencies.

• Fixing up the level of instruction.

• selecting appropriate teaching aids and other inputs, if any, for generating learning environment.

• Deciding ways and means to be adopted for evaluating the student performance.

2.Organizing

The organization of team teaching is decided by considering the needs of the learners. The following are the general activities which are usually performed by a team of teachers.
• Determining the level of instruction. Some questions are asked to explore the background of the leaner’s.

• Selecting the appropriate communication strategy by considering the level of language achievement of the learners.

• Presentation of lead lecture by a competent of the team; other teachers listen the lecture and note down the element of the topic that appear to be not easily understandable to the learners or nor appropriately presented.

• Follow up work. The other teachers have to supplement the lead lecture by explaining the elements of the topic in a simpler way so that the learners can understand easily.

• Providing motivation or reinforcement during both the stages. i.e, during the lead lecture and follow up work.

• Supervision of student activities which are assigned in lead lecture or group work or follow up work. This stage is considered to be important for assimilation.
Every member of the team should be conscious about time schedule and about the duty assigned to him. He must be well prepared and ready for implementing the plan.

Evaluating

Evaluation is an important aspect of ant type of teaching. It will helpful to measure the performance of learners. It also provides reinforcement to the team of teachers as well as to the learners, this stage involves the following activities.

• Asking oral questions. Each question should measure a particular objective envisaged by the team.

• Taking decision about the level of performance and realization of the objectives.
• Diagnosing difficulties of the learners and providing the remediation.
• Revising the planning and organizing phase of team teaching itself on the basis of evaluation of the student.

Advantages of team teaching

1.Better planning

• Team teaching has to overcome repetition and hence every teacher has to devote more time towards planning and preparation of his unit.

2. Better utilization of resources.

• It results in the optimum use of available resources, human, material, finance. A number of teachers can work together and make the best use of their specialized knowledge.

3. Effective use of teaching techniques.

• Teachers observe each other and thus improve their teaching techniques.
4. Better motivation.

• It provides better motivation for good teachers to become team leaders. Student too are better motivated while they are being taught by a number of teachers. Teachers with greater technical skills influence the performance of their colleagues.

5. Better follow-up work.

• It ensure better follow-up work as a number of specialists teach the same subject to the same class.

Limitation of team teaching

1. It is very difficult to ensure co-operation among teachers of a team.

2. It is not east to assign powers and responsibilities to a group of teachers. It might happen no one takes care of the responsibilities expected.

3. Many teachers do not maintain regard and respect. Every teacher considers himself an expert of the subject and has his own style of teaching.

4. Teachers generally do not like to deviate from the routine methods of teaching and they do not prefer any change in the system of education.