Teaching without boundaries: interviews exploring the adaptation of collaborative inquiry to the American context.

Abstract

This study qualitatively examines the efforts of implementing teacher-led collaborative inquiry in American public schools to improve instruction. We focus on a model called Teacher Peer Excellence Group (TPEG), designed to capture the essence of Japanese lesson study and Chinese teaching-study groups that involve lesson planning, peer observations, feedback, and revision. We conduct qualitative case studies in three pilot schools using a constructivist research paradigm. We identify action steps essential to introducing and sustaining the TPEG model and pathways to local adaptation. The study contributes to the body of research that seeks to understand the role of instructional leadership and teacher decision-making in successful school-level initiatives.