Abstract
This article is the result of an international collaboration between two academics who work closely with local schools as critical friends, each in their own PLC setting. This exploratory study aims to apply an analytical model in order to illustrate possibilities and clarify silences or missing links in collegial learning conversations. The analytical model is applied to analyse collegial learning conversations from two PLC settings, along with collegial conversations between the two researchers. The analysis was guided by three core considerations: What? Why? How? Two purposely selected transcripts of conversations with two separate PLCs, along with anecdotal notes from our conversations as research colleagues, provided the base for analysis. Findings generated by the application of the analytical model indicated that teachers’ PLC conversations were most explicit in relation to identifying what elements of practice to improve and how to improve teaching and learning, rather than articulating why change initiatives to develop professional knowledge were needed or on what basis they were chosen. In turn, this prompted the researchers to become more aware of ‘why’ considerations in their own work as researchers.
Highlights
This article is the result of an international collaboration between two academics who both work closely with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at local schools
This article explores the use of an analytical model to illustrate possibilities and clarify silences or missing links in learning conversations in a collegial learning context – be it a PLC or a collaboration between researchers
We primarily seek to apply an analytical model to collegial learning conversations for the purpose of illustrating possibilities and challenging assumptions about purposes, tools and practices through using three cornerstones – what, why and how
Summary
This article is the result of an international collaboration between two academics who both work closely with Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at local schools. We seek to apply an analytical model for the purpose of enhancing collegial learning by challenging assumptions about pur poses, tools and practices. Our intention is to explore how this model may provide a lens for researchers work ing together as critical friends. In this context, we hope that the model may highlight silences and ‘why’ considerations when one researcher (A) challenges their critical friend’s (researcher B) assumptions and interpretations about B’s study context and vice versa
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