Developing Teachers' Knowledge Through Collaborative Reflection

Researchers argue that knowledge construction about teaching and learning emerges from and remains situated in practice, that individuals benefit from opportunities to share expertise while engaged in a common pursuit, and that the knowledge constructed transactionally in discourse communities is richer than knowledge a teacher can construct on his or her own. Over time, within collaborative problem-solving groups, teachers develop a shared language for talking about teaching and coconstruct knowledge within a discourse community. On a practical level, collaborative inquiry may also be beneficial for teachers by structuring opportunities for reflection not typically available to practicing teachers. It is difficult to make meaningful shifts in practice without stepping away from immediate demands or having time to reflect on teaching. Further, working with others has the potential to sustain momentum through inevitable challenges.Theories explaining the role of social interaction in learning originate by and large from the sociocultural theory. This theoretical perspective sees learning as highly social and culturally embedded and emphasizes the role of social interaction in the construction of culturally embedded knowledge. From a Vygotskian sociocultural approach, Learning from a peer, like learning from an adult, can be characterized as guided participation or apprenticeship. According to Vygotsky, thinking begins on the interpersonal or social plane before it is internalized as intrapersonal knowledge. Meaning is constructed through social mediation, negotiation, and dialogue. For the adoption of a public meaning of professional knowledge, it must be a product of social interaction and understanding. In contrast, a Piagetian constructivist perspective emphasizes the notion of an active individual functioning in the social and physical environment. Interaction between peers of co-equal cognitive status is a particularly powerful. Dewey originally defined reflection as the "active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends". Engaging in dialogue with their peers is in order to illuminate the boundaries and frames of thought which...