ABSTRACT
This chapter examines team teaching from the perspectives of practicing teachers and in service training. By limiting the scope of what constitutes team teaching, what takes hold instead of adaptive and dynamic synergy is a deficit model of teachers roles in the team taught classroom. The chapter discusses the first author Francesco's personal experiences as a team teacher and learner to interpret comments from a questionnaire completed by over 60 practicing team teachers. The survey data suggests the need for specific training in team teaching in order to encourage a thoughtful approach rather than an over-simplified deficit interpretation of the roles of native and non-native English-speaking teachers (NESTs and NNESTs). The chapter also describes an on-going post-graduate teacher education programme developed in Japan by the second author Lori, which designs to allow teachers to explore team teaching issues as team learners.
