Mediating Mutual Accountability and Learning: A Design-Based Study of Co-Generative Dialogues Among Teachers and Students

• In Event: 72.048 - Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: 72.048-8 - Teachers Navigating Political Complexity

Abstract

This investigation explores cogenerative dialogues as one type of “mutual accountability,” structures designed to promote learning and avoid the detriments associated with high-stakes accountability. In this design-based case study, two science teachers from urban high schools serving historically marginalized communities enacted weekly cogenerative dialogues with focus groups of their students over a semester. Findings indicate that, within the spaces of cogenerative dialogues, the participating teachers were held accountable for: engaging in regular professional reflection; considering and responding to/ enacting student recommendations for class improvement; developing closer relationships with students; and supporting student understanding of science content. Within these areas, however, a surrounding context of high-stakes, neoliberal accountability prevalent at both sites constrained this mutual accountability and its attendant teacher development.

Author

• John Luciano Beltramo, Regis University