Are Team Meetings a Place for Teacher Learning? An "In Situ" Analysis of Meeting Practices

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Education and Professional Learning for Sustainable Change (Table 7)

Abstract

Team collaboration is considered a crucial element of school improvement, aimed at impacting teacher learning and instructional practices. Yet, how teacher learning may unfold in meetings is not well documented. In this study, we view team meetings as a form of school practice that can produce new knowledge supporting teacher learning. An in situ qualitative analysis of meeting practices in three schools revealed that teams intentionally designed meetings for different tasks. However, full meeting agendas and participants dominating the conversation contributed to low levels of generative discourse. This close examination of meeting practices leads to the questions of whether team meetings can be seen as a place for learning, and how meeting conditions can be improved.

Authors

• Enikoe Zala Mezoe, Zurich University of Teacher Education

• Amanda L. Datnow, University of California - San Diego