Presented By: Grace Dooley, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Co-Authors: Elle Carter, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Sallie McHug, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Farish Mulkey, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

Team teaching in a preservice teacher preparation program allows for multiple viewpoints and depth of knowledge through lived instructor experiences shared with preservice teacher-learners. Team teaching has been shown to improve both learning and teaching. From the student's perspective, team teaching allows for more active learning, contributing to greater student interest and engagement (Zadra, 1998). Team teaching is an ever-present trend in K-12 education as the disparity in the student-to-teacher ratio continues to rise across all levels (Winn & Messenbeimer-Young, 1995). Higher education and teacher preparation programs often do not model team teaching, though its effectiveness is supported in the literature (Winn & Messenbeimer-Young, 1995). The population for the study was 108 individuals team-taught through interactive and participant-observer models from the fall of 2019 through the fall of 2022. A survey was developed by the course instructors and two departmental students to measure the effectiveness of team teaching in two courses (Agriculture Practicum and Early Field Experience). Three other faculty members in the Agricultural Education department established the content validity of the survey instrument. Former and current students who completed the courses received the Qualtrics survey via email. The survey included demographic questions, questions about prior experience with team teaching, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of team teaching. The survey was open for two weeks. Sixty-two respondents completed the survey, resulting in a 57% response rate. The highest reported percentages were provided with multiple viewpoints (93.55%), satisfied with my learning experience in two classes (93.55%), and highlighted that no two teachers are the same (93.54%). Overall, the respondents had positive perceptions and indicated they received more insight from multiple perspectives on the same topic, and classes were more enjoyable due to variations in teaching styles.