Position+Statement

DRAFT OUTLINE OF OUR "POSITION STATEMENT"
 * Collaborative Teacher Inquiry**

Why Engage in Collaborative Teacher Inquiry?

Get Quotes from practitioners: Kathy Lewis, Barb Kolbus, Larry Beach, Vanessa Bently (Lena Shaw).

//"Inquiry constructs understanding of the 'classroom encounter' - where instruction, curriculum and student actions intersect// //(Moore, 2004)//

**What is Collaborative Inquiry?**

Collaborative Inquiry is a form of professional development that involves:
 * reflection on practice.
 * collaboration.
 * professional conversation—accessing our own knowledge and the knowledge of peers.
 * moving out of individual and isolated space.
 * honouring openness and flexibility.
 * extending understanding of practice through critical discourse.
 * planning and initiating some form of action for change.
 * distributed leadership.
 * an improvement mindset.

What do teachers say about Collaborative Inquiry?

"We can bounce ideas off each other. If one of us is having a hard time prompting a student in a certain way, the other one just naturally falls into place. So just having that new learning process with [co teaching in our collaborative inquiry and] having another person there has been great."

"the climate had to be established that it was okay to take a risk; we needed to have a venue to have courageous conversations... The climate is so important because... we were able to talk about our struggles."

**What does the research say about Collaborative Inquiry?**

//Having an inquiry habit of mind means engaging in inquiry and reflection to establish where you are, where you are going, and how you will get there. It is not a one-shot activity but an autonomic way of operating and making decisions that involve turning around and rethinking the whole process to see how well it is working and making adjustments. Teachers become comfortable with a cycle of collecting data, organizing them, and using them to stimulate conversation and planning// (Earl and Katz, 2003).

//The goal of inquiry is investigating our daily practice through dialogue, research and reflection. We might explore challenges, dilemmas, peak experiences, our curiosities that surface in our roles as we go about our daily work. We seek deeper levels of understanding about teaching and learning and, over time, create a community of practice with our colleagues as we dwell in our day to day work. The danger is without structure and facilitation, groups become simply sharing groups and may become lost or overwhelmed// (Nancy Hinds, BCTF Professional Staff).

**What does Collaborative Inquiry look like in Surrey at the school level?**

Approaches to Collaborative Inquiry can include the following principles:

· It taps into teachers’ lived experience. · It includes “unboundaried,” open questions (i.e., whatever questions participants bring). · It involves an inquiring group of colleagues. · It invites and encourages reciprocal learning. · It is run by school teams.

Teacher Inquiry is a process which includes the following methods and approaches:

· **Action Research**, which is “a form of inquiry that enables practitioners everywhere to investigate and evaluate their work” (McNiff & Whitehead, 2006). · **Professional Conversations**, in which a group of peers engages in a sustained and focused conversation on practice. · **Book Study Groups**, in which a group of teachers focus on one book or report, discussing its contents and relating the author’s views to their areas of practice. · **Subject** (e.g., English/Language Arts) **or theme-based** (e.g., inclusion, gender) **inquiry groups**. · **Appreciative Inquiry**, in which participants focus on one area of practice which is working well as a starting point for reflection on practice. · **Professional Learning Communities,** in which membership is voluntary, and where the focus of inquiry is decided by participants.

**What resources and tools are available to school teams to support initiatives through collaborative inquiry?**

(Include Key resources)


 * **Key approaches to Collaborative Inquiry can include:** ||