Pair Teaching – an eXtreme Teaching Practice

Abstract

In previous papers, we have presented eXtreme Teaching (XT) as a framework for continuous improvement of teaching and learning. In those papers we have also sketched a number of XT practices within the framework, but have not been able to give them any real in-depth treatment. In this paper, we focus on one single XT practice – Pair Teaching – and cover it in more detail.

First, we give a short overview of the XT framework. Next, we present the background and motivation for introducing the practice of Pair Teaching and relate the practice to pedagogical theories. Then, we discuss and compare experience from practicing Pair Teaching – both our own and those of others. We relate this experience to the specific context in which Pair Teaching techniques have been used. Finally, we draw our conclusions.