Changes From the Inside Out: Teacher, Team, and School Change Through Reciprocal Learning

• In Event: 46.043 - Reforming Education Across Global Contexts

Abstract

This paper documents the second year of a qualitative case study (authors, 2014) investigating the experiences of reciprocal learning teams of teachers within a small, rural secondary school. Four major themes emerged from the findings: a) through inquiry teachers came to value outcomes reflected in theory and research on school improvement; b) there was a significant and meaningful cultural shift in how these teachers came to understand their own professional development; c) the diversity of inquiry topics and professional learning styles enriched and challenged the learning and development process; and d) staff found agency within provincial and school level change. This study demonstrates how deep and substantial school change can happen when teachers co-construct and co-regulate their professional development.

Authors

• Sabre Lynn Cherkowski, University of British Columbia Okanagan

• Leyton Schnellert, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus