Chi for Two – Team Teaching

The setting each Tuesday morning is Bobbie’s living room, always generously supplied with tea and treats, and our purpose is to plan the week’s T’ai Chi Chih classes. During Fall 2008 we had two beginning classes each week. Our planning sessions begin with discussions about the movements we taught the previous week and those we will review this week. Did the students have any problems? Did they understand the moves? Do we need to explain or demonstrate something differently? An important part of our meetings is planning how to teach new movements. How do we break the movements down into understandable parts? Could we use props effectively? Once these decisions are made, we decide who will lead the new and review movements. (Dividing the responsibilities also allows the chance to refine our own particular movements.) During class both of us demonstrate new movements, then one of us takes the lead teaching it. Our students say they enjoy being exposed to different but complimentary styles and personalities. While we stay true to the principles of TCC, our styles are slightly different because we have different physical abilities.

We’ve been team teaching for five years. When we were accredited, we thought teaching together would be fun and advantageous. (One big plus is that if one of us is unable to be in class, there’s no need to find a substitute.) Flexibility is another advantage. In some classes, Nancy works with seated students while Bobbie does TCC standing with the rest of the class. As one of us teaches a movement or leads a set, the other helps students individually. We also divide our meetings with program directors at various locations. When we first began teaching, we were careful not to step on each other’s toes, talk over the other if she was leading, or explain things in contradictory ways. Our planning sessions insure that we’re on the same page. Our team approach has been well received at senior centers and in the local community college enrichment program.

Through team teaching, we share the experience of TCC with each other, our students, and the community. We continue to take a TCC class with our original teacher, Donna McElhose, so that we are both students and teachers. Teaching together has enhanced our individual practices, our group practices, and our teaching experiences. As we prepare each week, we are indeed sharing Chi for two and two for Chi.