How Do We Teach Them to Read If They Can’t Pay Attention? Collaborative Learning and Change in Literacy Teaching Practice

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Disciplinary Literacy Through Collaboration

Abstract

This paper describes the outcomes of a qualitative investigation into the experiences of five teachers from one large urban school as they endeavored to adapt their instruction based on knowledge gained from their participation in a bi-weekly collaborative learning community. Over a five month period, participants focused on improving their teaching for students with characteristics of ADHD. They were interviewed and observed while still immersed in professional development and again six months after meetings had ceased. Findings indicate: increased teacher self-efficacy, lowered teaching related stress, and an increase in willingness to adapt instructional practices for this population. This paper also reports on the specific conditions of the professional development that supported and promoted learning for the participants.

Author

• Shelley Murphy, OISE/University of Toronto