“Pairing is Crucial”: Collaborative Reflective Practice and Team Teaching for Transforming Learning and Teaching

In this study, we explore two academics’ critical reflective process as they transition from predominantly online solo teaching work into a shared classroom teaching arrangement, including the impact on their teaching approaches and practices. We employed an autoethnographic and action research methodology to facilitate the shift from critical reflection to collaborative action within a purposefully designed shared teaching classroom space. Leveraging Baeten and Simons’ five-pronged team teaching model, we articulate the benefits and challenges of shared teaching responsibilities through the practices of adaptability, open communication, emotional intelligence, and the splitting of cognitive load and practical responsibilities. We suggest that the practice of shared teaching paired with a formal collaborative reflective process is central to authentically revealing teaching values and approaches and can form the basis for acquiring new knowledge and transforming effective learning and teaching practices. This serves as a powerful means to enhance educator professional development in order to support student learning in tertiary education.