Preparing Learning Teachers: The Role of Collaborative Inquiry

Abstract

This paper describes a two-year action research study of 20 pre-service teachers (referred to in the context of this study as intern teachers) in their final 15-week practicum, during which they engaged in a type of action research known as collaborative inquiry. Over the course of their practicum, these intern teachers were interviewed monthly to ascertain the impact of collaborative inquiry on their confidence and competence as emerging reflective practitioners. Interview data were triangulated with observations by their practicum mentor teachers, resulting in three skills that participants believed could be attributed to implementing a collaborative inquiry model during practicum: intern teachers increased their understanding of the reflective process and its role in improving their instructional effectiveness; intern teachers increased their skill and confidence in working with colleagues to address pedagogical and practical problems; and intern teachers increased their ability to engage in professional learning as teacher-researchers, that is, in their ability to link theory with practice.

From College to Classroom: Using Virtual Collaborative Inquiry to Support First-Year Teachers With Classroom Management

“…This support/study group served to mitigate the isolation experienced by some new teachers (Hellsten et al, 2009) by providing participants with membership in a community of practice where they shared ideas and methods, receiving feedback from others as they navigated the uncertain spaces between “what a theory suggests” and “what the classroom reality demands” (Adams, 2016, p. 24). Such practices as translating one strategy, such as using a “mood meter,” into one more appropriate for older students, such as the cue to “check yourself” or translating a physical education practice into one appropriate for an ELA classroom underscore the importance of providing teachers with the opportunity to learn from others working in different grade levels or subjects.…”

Supporting teacher candidates to become collaborative teaching professionals: developing professional capital through a collaborative inquiry-based community of practice

“…, 2012; Schnellert, 2020). Relatedly, numerous researchers have investigated its utility as a form of high-quality teacher professional learning for both practicing and pre-service teachers alike (Adams, 2016; Donahoo and Velasco, 2016; Lemisko et al. , 2014).…”

“…Over the past thirty years, CI has been increasingly adopted by teacher organizations, school divisions, and Ministries of Education across Canada, steadily gaining prominence in the world of teacher professional learning (Adams and Townsend, 2014;Donahoo, 2013;Naylor et al, 2012;Schnellert, 2020). Relatedly, numerous researchers have investigated its utility as a form of high-quality teacher professional learning for both practicing and pre-service teachers alike (Adams, 2016;Donahoo and Velasco, 2016;Lemisko et al, 2014). In Ontario, for instance, CI networks were funded by the Ministry of Education and numerous school divisions have adopted CI models to structure teacher professional learning (Boyd, 2021).…”

“…Collaborative inquiry has also been used in both graduate and undergraduate education programs, including the Urban Learner MEd. Program at UBC (Minnes Brandes and Kelly, 2004) and the Professional Inquiry Project at the University of Lethbridge for interning teacher candidates (Adams, 2016). Benefits to collaborative inquiry identified in the literature include cultivating teacher leadership (Donohoo and Velasco, 2016), increasing teacher efficacy (Beauchamp et al, 2014), and gaining a deeper understanding of the influences impacting student learning (Gallimore et al, 2009).…”

Collaborative Inquiry and School Leadership Growth: An Australian Adaptation of an Albertan Approach

“…In Alberta, modelling and sharing underpin the processes of professional learning by school leaders (Adams, 2014(Adams, , 2016Petta et al, 2018;Townsend & Adams, 2008, 2009. Evidence is emerging from some school districts in Alberta that school leaders who engage with collaborative professional growth processes, and who ensure that this learning is highly visible to the school community, contribute to consistent school improvement (Leinweber et al, 2018).…”