Relocating Research on Teacher Learning: Toward Pedagogically Productive Talk

Lefstein, Adam; Vedder‐Weiss, Dana; Segal, Aliza

doi:10.3102/0013189x20922998

Cited by 77 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Teacher communities are encouraged to combine reflective thinking with systematic inquiry as a way to develop their adaptive expertise) Lefstein et al, 2020; Bransford, Derry, Berliner, & Hammerness, 2005; Horn et al, 2017). Teaching is a complex and unpredictable practice (Labaree, 2000), requiring the development of adaptive expertise (Horn et al, 2017; Lampert, 1985), which includes sensitivity to moments in the classroom that demand immediate response as well as the ability to analyze and interpret those moments and weigh alternative courses of action from a rich repertoire of practices (Lefstein & Snell, 2014).…”

Section: Background and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many scholars agree that reflective‐inquiry into classroom practice is necessary for learning in CoPs to improve teachers' practice (e.g., Cochran‐Smith & Lytle, 1999; Horn, Garner, Kane, & Brasel, 2017). Examining multiple perspectives, sharing explicit pedagogical reasoning, and connecting teaching, learning, and the subject‐matter are imperative for inquiry discourse that can develop teacher adaptive expertise (Horn et al, 2017; Lefstein, Vedder‐Weiss, & Segal, 2020) and support the development of both their scientific content knowledge and their pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986). However, inquiry discourse in teacher CoPs is rare (Datnow, 2011; Grossman et al, 2001; Horn et al, 2017), partially due to socio‐emotional dynamics and discourse norms such as normalization (Horn et al, 2017) and avoidance of disagreements (Hargreaves, 1991; Liu, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teacher learning in communities of practice: The affordances of co‐planning for novice and veteran teachers' learning

Eshchar-Netz

Vedder‐Weiss

2020

J Res Sci Teach

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Collaborative reflective inquiry in teacher communities of practice (CoP) supports their professional situated learning. However, the CoP model entails at least three limitations and challenges for teacher learning: novice teachers can seldom act as legitimate peripheral participants since they are obliged to do the same work that veterans do; veterans' learning is neglected since they are expected to teach the novices; and power dynamics between veterans and novices may constrain the group's reflective inquiry and, consequently, its learning. In this case‐study, we explore the dynamics between veteran and novice science teachers in a purposefully sampled case of three teachers engaged in collaborative planning in a professional development community. We examine the implications of these dynamics for the group's reflective inquiry, using linguistic ethnographic micro‐analytic methods to analyze audio‐ and video‐recordings of the planning session. The findings demonstrate how in a collaborative planning context, legitimate peripheral participation is afforded, thereby mitigating face threats and supporting learning for both novice and veteran teachers. The study highlights the unique affordances of collaborative planning for science teachers' reflective inquiry, advancing our understanding of the social dimension of teacher learning. This study contributes to the fields of teacher learning in CoPs and teacher planning.

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Section: Background and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher learning in communities of practice: The affordances of co‐planning for novice and veteran teachers' learning

Eshchar-Netz

Vedder‐Weiss

2020

J Res Sci Teach

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“…The findings suggest that, in the interest of teacher agency and educational improvement, we should attend to the processes by which we can shape the linguistically-bound concepts that we employ in our work. PLCs are but one of many contexts where this is possible-indeed it has been argued that teachers' on-the-job discourse in informal settings may be more influential than what happens in formal professional development (Lefstein, Vedder-Weiss & Segal, 2020). In this paper at least, the two cases show that discourse in PLCs can create shifts to cultural models that are either more agentic or less so.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

The Weight of Our Words: Language and Teacher Agency from the Perspective of Gee’s ‘Cultural Models’

Tiong¹

2021

TET

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In this article, I suggest that one way to enhance teacher agency is to practise greater linguistic awareness in our professional conversations. Based on a conceptual framework utilising the idea of ‘cultural models’ (everyday theories expressed in language) I analyse primary data of Malaysian English-language teachers’ meetings to show two ways in which they have an impact on practice and agency. Based on the evidence, I claim that cultural models [1] function as problem-framing devices and [2] can support transformations in practice. The data in this paper comes from audiovisual recordings of teacher meetings, generated as part of a larger study on teacher collaborative discourse in professional learning communities (PLC), with English-language teachers at Malaysian national secondary schools. Based on these findings, I argue that teacher agency defined as the capacity to make a difference in the context of teachers’ work—is partly a function of how teachers speak about the relevant domains of their practice, be they students, subject or pedagogy. This offers practitioners who wish to be more agentic in their practice some relevant points for reflection.

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“…This RPP now involves two districts and is part of a state-wide professional development reform supported by the Ministry of Education and a philanthropic foundation. The partnership aims to support teachers' collaborative, reflective inquiry on teaching and learning, in weekly in-school meetings (Lefstein et al, 2020;Segal et al, 2018;Vedder-Weiss et al, 2018. Teachers from the school staff, typically selected by the school principal, act as leading teachers, facilitating these meetings.…”

Section: The Partnership: Fostering Teacher Pedagogical Discourse and Leadership At Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Dilemmas of Leadership and Capacity Building in a Research–Practice Partnership

Vedder‐Weiss

Lefstein

Segal

et al. 2020

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background Research–practice partnerships (RPPs) are proliferating in education, generating increasing interest and posing many challenges. In this study, we shed light on the challenge of supporting practitioners> leadership and building capacity in an RPP. In the RPP literature, practitioner leadership is often highlighted as both a way to improve design development and enactment and as imperative for capacity building and sustainability. However, cultivating leadership also creates challenges which have not yet been adequately explored. Purpose We explore these challenges and related dilemmas in a large-scale Israeli RPP designed to cultivate teacher leadership and build district capacity. We investigate how local actors asserted their leadership, the resources they drew upon, and the dilemmas this posed for us as researchers in an RPP. We critically reflect on how we addressed these dilemmas, and the consequences and implications of our courses of action. Setting This study explores our partnership with two large Israeli districts, as part of a state-wide professional development reform supported by the Ministry of Education and a philanthropic foundation. The partnership aims to support teachers> collaborative, reflective inquiry on teaching and learning, in weekly in-school meetings facilitated by in-school leading teacher. The partnership began six years ago and currently includes 158 schools (458 leading teachers). Research Design We use linguistic ethnographic methods to analyze leadership assertion in three focal cases, representing three different leadership roles, at different levels of the system: (1) a leading teacher demonstrating creative non-compliance in the team meetings she facilitated, (2) a coach exercising her voice and authority in her professional development workshops, (3) and a district manager independently shaping structures. Data Collection Data were collected during the first three years of the RPP, including (participant) observations, audio-recordings, and field notes of in-school meetings, professional development workshops, interviews, and informal conversations. Findings and Conclusions The analysis shows that leadership assertion played an important role in constructing actors’ identities as competent leaders but posed dilemmas for us, such as how to acknowledge leaders> expertise while also maintaining program integrity. The case studies underscore the difficulties involved in managing a partnership in a large-scale educational intervention and the challenges to maintaining productive dialogue with different partners. The paper advances our understanding of the complexities involved in supporting leadership at different levels of the system, in day-to-day interaction, and at multiple micro and macro contexts in which it unfolds, in particular in a large-scale RPP.

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Relocating Research on Teacher Learning: Toward Pedagogically Productive Talk

Cited by 77 publications

References 64 publications

Teacher learning in communities of practice: The affordances of co‐planning for novice and veteran teachers' learning

Teacher learning in communities of practice: The affordances of co‐planning for novice and veteran teachers' learning

The Weight of Our Words: Language and Teacher Agency from the Perspective of Gee’s ‘Cultural Models’

Dilemmas of Leadership and Capacity Building in a Research–Practice Partnership

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