Collaborative talk and teacher learning in a year-long attempt to improve inclusive teaching designs

Abstract

Teacher collaboration has powerful potential as a driver of professional development. However the efforts to characterise and link teacher collaboration to teacher learning suggests productive collaboration is an elusive goal. To further explore the intersection of what teachers say when they meet for professional development, and the learning outcomes generated by such discussions, my dissertation was guided by two research questions: What are the discourse characteristics of teacher collaboration in the context of a learning community for enhancing inclusive designs? How can collaboration limit and enhance teacher learning of inclusive practices? A qualitative case study reported on how ten teachers at a private international school in Hong Kong collaborated over one year to enhance inclusive teaching practices. To derive characteristics of the discourse teachers engaged in when they collaborated, voice-recorded transcripts from ten meetings were coded according to three forms of discourse, namely, knowledge sharing, knowledge construction, and knowledge creation. Teacher observations and field-notes were also used to identify patterns of discourse associated with changes in how teachers imagined their future practice. Analysis indicated teachers are more likely to re-imagine their practice when they engage in constructive dialogue with a focus on refining solutions to problems, rather than the serial sharing of information. The study confirms the value of a situative approach to the design of teacher collaboration, and details for school leaders responsible for designing in-house professional development how the coordinated use of artefacts and protocols can generate greater opportunities for teachers to enhance their craft.