Hidden in Plain Sight: Knowledge Broker Teachers and Informal Professional Development

• In Event: Documenting Teacher Change and Shifts in Practice Over Time

Abstract

This qualitative study examined four knowledge broker teachers in K-12 school settings. I sought to understand the attributes of knowledge broker teachers, as well as how these teachers acquired their knowledge and shared their knowledge with their colleagues. I identified three findings about the four knowledge broker teachers in my study: 1. They were “brokers,” who shape-shifted by assuming different personas, enabling them to broker knowledge 2. They engaged the act of “brokering,” acquiring and sharing knowledge through connections, moments of kismet, and differentiating knowledge 3. They took part in in “brokerage” actions, which relied on trust relationships. Identifying and supporting knowledge broker teachers can create new pathways to support informal professional development in the local school context.

Author

• Margaret M. Jusinski, Montclair State University