Views of preschool teachers and their assistants on team work in preschool

Teamwork in preschool has been around for quite a long time, but in the past teachers and teacher assistants, sometimes also known as paraprofessionals, had different and strictly separated tasks. Teachers were responsible for teaching and paraprofessionals took care of and nurtured children. With the introduction of the preschool curriculum, the task team or tandem (i.e., teachers and assistant teachers team-up) have changed. Tandem teacher and assistant teacher plan activities together, both carry out the activities and evaluate them. The tasks of teachers and assistant teachers are intertwined and are complementary. However, in practice, there are still many tandems that face problems that are largely related to personal relationships and lack of communication. To create an effective tandem, psychological factors such as motivation, communication, and analysis of interpersonal relations, are important. Communication is a basic tool of communication in a tandem that allows for interaction between members. The main aim of the undergraduate thesis is to examine how teamwork in preschool is viewed by teachers and teacher assistants, how often all three stages of teamwork is carried out, and to compare their standpoints with respect to teamwork. Based on the theoretical background and research questions, a questionnaire was developed to collect data. The study also examined how teachers and teacher assistants perceived their own and each other’s strengths’. The study involved 99 professional workers in the Dolenjska region preschools (46 teachers and 53 teacher assistants). The results of the study showed that teachers and teacher assistants designed, implemented and evaluated together, they have good communication with each other, appropriately solve problems and share teaching based on their individual strengths. In most tandems, tasks are clearly defined; work is evenly distributed between both members of the tandem. Teachers and assistant teachers perceived their strengths in cooperation with parents, motivating children, giving feedback to children, consistency in hygiene requirements, organizing playrooms, and introducing children to compliance with rules. Slightly less was in their perception of competences in the field of public speaking and speaking in front of their colleagues. Conflict avoidance, indulgence, distrust of collaborators in tandem, and the failure to adapt can lead to conflicts within tandems. Communication between both professional workers in tandems provides opportunities to introduce new methods for children, personal self-improvement, and evaluation of work, as well as a starting point for problem-solving and conflicts. It is important for tandem members to be aware that both have to suggest solutions to each other and both have to solve problems together