Essential Function 5: Unpacking Defining and Examining Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

UNPACKING

“Teacher inquiry is the search for knowledge and solutions through systematic, intentional study of practice.”

(Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993)

What Is Collaborative Teacher Inquiry?

Reflect on the following definitions. To what extent are each taking place in your school or district?

• Teacher Inquiry – A process used by educators to explore teaching practices that enables the identification of successful approaches to improving learning and outcomes for students.
• Collaboration– The action of working with others to produce or create something.  
• Professional Learning – Activities educators engage in to stimulate their thinking and professional knowledge to ensure that their practice is informed and current.

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry is a type of professional learning driven by educators themselves to addresses common challenges and relevant issues they have identified (Starke, 2019). Teams work together to ask questions, develop theories of action, determine action steps, and gather and analyze evidence.  By examining and reflecting on the results of their actions, individuals and teams expand their professional knowledge and practice (Donohoo, 2013).

Listen to a school leader from Raytown (2018) explain how teachers in her building are sharing best practices in the video Collective Efficacy Training Interview.

Collective Efficacy Training Interview (00:58 min)

Reflection Questions

• How might the school featured in the video use collaborative inquiry to expand what is currently happening in their building?
• How might developing a teacher inquiry process enhance Collective Teacher Efficacy in the school?

Critical Components of Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry is about solving problems that are relevant and job-embedded.  It is connected to Data-Based Decision Making in that they both focus on understanding data and using it to improve instruction; however, the Collaborative Teacher Inquiry process is an action research process that extends over a longer period of time. 

Steps in a Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Process  (Ermeling, 2010):

1. Identify and define a compelling, recurring problem of instruction.
2. Develop and document instructional solutions.  
3. Ensure collective commitment to the plan.
4. Implement instructional solutions.
5. Collect a variety of forms of evidence/data.
6. Reflect on the data and revise the plan, as necessary.

Collective commitment is a critical feature of this process, as it shifts the focus of the investigation from the individual teacher to the instructional plans developed by the group.  Teams engaging in Collective Teacher Inquiry begin by identifying and defining a recurring problem of instruction.  The team reviews research to identify instructional practices they will implement and determine the evidence and success criteria that will be used to determine the impact of instructional change. Following implementation, teams analyze data to assess the degree of impact resulting from the instructional change.  The team then reflects on the findings of their study and the processes used.  Next, they revise their plan as necessary.

Benefits and Impact of Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

Read the article, What Research Says About Collaborative Inquiry (David, 2009).

Reflection Questions

• Why is a focus on raising test scores a common mistake in the Collaborative Teacher Inquiry process?
• How does collaboration improve the teacher inquiry process?
• What are factors associated with effective collaborative teams?

Next watch the video What is Collaborative Inquiry? as Jenni Donohoo (2015) discusses the stages of a collaborative inquiry process and how it helps teachers improve student learning.

What is Collaborative Inquiry? (3:56 min.)

Reflection Questions

• How would you describe Collaborative Teacher Inquiry and its purposes?
• How does Collaborative Teacher Inquiry create cohesion and build efficacy among school faculty?
• In what ways would your school, teachers, and students benefit from using Collaborative Teacher Inquiry?