Collaborative Inquiry for Educators

A Facilitator′s Guide to School Improvement

Jenni Donohoo

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781452274416
• eBook ISBN: 9781452240251
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Professional Development

Your step-by-step guide to making collaborative inquiry work

Collaborating for improved student outcomes makes sense. But beyond theory, do you know where to begin? How does a team gather, analyze, and then implement and evaluate learning objectives while engaging students and meeting school agendas? Without directed guidance, it's easier said than done.

Aligned to current Learning Forward standards and based on the latest professional development research, Collaborative Inquiry for Educators deconstructs the collaborative inquiry process. This step-by-step guide gives facilitators tools to move teams toward purposeful, productive, and impactful collaborative work, including

• A clear and concise four-stage model that provides a structure for facilitating successful collaborative inquiry
• Real-world examples from collaborative teams that model components of each stage
• Clear, direct, and practitioner-focused tone with an emphasis on action over theory

Unlock your team's ability to work together to improve instruction and increase student achievement today!

"Jenni Donohoo?s immensely thoughtful and deeply practical discussion of collaborative inquiry helps teachers to live up to, and also be enlivened by, the high standards of evidence-informed judgment that define all true professions."
—Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education
Boston College

"In clear and unpretentious language, Donohoo guides the reader through a challenging but practical four-step learning sequence so that teachers learn and, subsequently, students achieve—a goal to which we all subscribe and endorse."
—Shirley M. Hord, Scholar Laureate
Learning Forward

1	Why Collaborative Inquiry?

Powerful professional learning designs provide the activities that make professional learning communities more than just a structure.

(Easton, 2008, p. 4)

Everyday educators face a variety of challenges. Some challenges are technical in nature while others are adaptive in nature. Technical challenges are ones in which the problem is clear, the knowledge and capacity to solve the issue already resides in the expertise of individuals, and solutions and implementation are readily understood. In education, a technical solution entails doing things we already know how to do—for example, increasing the penalty for late or missing work. A problem arises when doing what has always been done is not the right thing to do or does not result in the outcomes intended. An adaptive challenge is “one for which the necessary knowledge to solve the problem does not yet exist” (Vander Ark, 2006, p. 10). Adaptive challenges are more difficult to resolve as solutions and implementation require new learning and upset past ways of doing things—for example, raising awareness of ineffective grading practices. To tackle adaptive challenges, individuals must adopt new values and beliefs.

Heifetz, Grashow, and Linsky (2009) noted that when individuals and organizations meet adaptive challenges, they themselves become something different—they adapt. Change of this magnitude is not easily accomplished, as people’s ideas about how things work are not easily reconstructed. By focusing efforts on professional learning approaches that challenge mental models and engaging people in learning and working collaboratively, individuals and organizations will be more likely to meet adaptive challenges. Collaborative inquiry is a structure in which members of a professional learning community (PLC) come together to systematically examine their educational practices. Teams work together to ask questions, develop theories of action, determine action steps, and gather and analyze evidence to assess the impact of their actions. Throughout this process, teams test presuppositions about what they think will work against the evidence of what actually works (City, Elmore, Fiarman, & Teitel, 2009). By closely examining and reflecting on the results of their actions, individuals and teams begin to think differently. They begin to question long-standing beliefs and consider implications for their professional practices.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” (Benjamin Franklin)

The adaptive challenges educators face vary in their nature and complexity. Educators might be grappling with one or more of the following issues:

■ Supporting English Language Learners

■ Closing the gap between groups of students in the areas of literacy and numeracy

■ Accommodating students with learning disabilities

■ Improving graduation rates

■ Accessing background knowledge when working with groups of diverse students

Whatever student needs are identified, the challenge of change is “compounded by pressure from others to remain the same” (Levin, 2008, p. 81). Levin noted that effective change in schools comes from “thoughtful application of effective practices in particular contexts” (p. 81). When doing what has been done does not result in outcomes intended, real change is required. Real change comes and is sustained when goals are achieved in new ways under complex circumstances. When real change occurs, students and educators benefit.

Leading educational researchers recognize the power of the PLC concept to transform schools and help educators meet the adaptive challenges confronting them and, therefore, continue to promote collaborative inquiry as a strategy for strengthening teaching and learning. In a study that examined specific characteristics of school improvement plans that were most related to student achievement, Reeves (2010) found that the inquiry process was one of nine characteristics that had a measurable and significant effect on gains in student achievement in reading and mathematics in both elementary and secondary schools. Reeves (2010) encouraged teachers to take an active role in expressing and testing hypotheses and backed the notion that collaborative inquiry can have a profound impact on the professional practices not only of the participants but of their colleagues as well. Katz, Earl, and Ben Jaafar (2009) included collaborative inquiry that challenged thinking and practice as a key component in their theory of action for enabling impactful PLCs. Supovitz (2006) noted that when members of PLCs engage together in investigating challenges of practice, their understanding of those challenges grows deeper and is more unified, practice grows more sophisticated and powerful, and the group develops a tighter sense of camaraderie and common purpose. As a result, teams can construct common understanding, share knowledge and experience, and develop common goals (Supovitz, 2006).

Teacher-driven inquiry is not a new approach. For years, Lieberman among others has promoted a culture of inquiry where teachers have opportunities to discuss, think about, try, and hone new practices through structures such as problem-solving groups or decision-making teams. Promoting a contextual and collaborative approach, Lieberman and Miller (2004) stated, “The concept of learning in practice is now viewed as foundational to teacher leadership; it rests on the idea that learning is more social, collaborative, and context-dependent than was previously thought” (p. 21).

Some educators associate collaborative inquiry and action research with experimental research approaches and hesitate to participate, as they are not confident in their skills to conduct research. While collaborative inquiry is a process in which educators come together to examine their educational practices systematically using techniques of research, the intent is not for participants to focus on rigorous research designs or methodologies. Collaborative inquiry is primarily a process to support professional learning. Since it is contextual in nature, it is not expected that findings are generalized to a larger population.

Although it is not a new approach, collaborative inquiry is more frequently being used to address school improvement efforts. As elements of and conditions for effective professional learning are identified and better understood, educators are recognizing the potential impact that collaborative inquiry could have on sustaining changes in practice and ultimately achieving greater success for all students. Learning Forward (Killion, Hord, Roy, Kennedy, & Hirsh, 2012) identified standards that can be used to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional learning. Under the category of “Learning Communities,” Learning Forward promotes an inquiry approach stating that high-quality professional learning includes learning communities that “apply a cycle of continuous improvement to engage in inquiry, action research, data analysis, planning, implementation, reflection, and evaluation” (Killion et al., 2012, p. 16). Learning Forward also promotes a collaborative approach to learning noting, “The more one educator’s learning is shared and supported by others, the more quickly the culture of continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and high expectations for students and educators grows” (p. 17). More frequently, educational leaders are engaging practitioners in the process of inquiry, recognizing that it embodies the characteristics of high quality professional learning and valuing its potential for school improvement.

While collaborative inquiry is becoming a more commonly used professional learning model and it has been shown to be an effective approach to sustaining meaningful changes in practice, studies show that the investment does not always yield anticipated results. Katz (2010) stated that the majority of learning communities do not produce sustainable changes in professional understanding, classroom practice, or student achievement. Mitchell and Sackney (2009) suggested that PLCs “have remarkably little impact on the ways in which teachers teach, students learn, or leaders lead” (p. 12). After many observations across various settings, the researchers concluded that “deep, rich, authentic learning promised by learning community discourse” (p. 9) was evident in only a small number of high-capacity schools. Fullan (2006) also noted that it was common for communities to be operating on a superficial level.

As the adaptive nature of this work unfolds, facilitators face challenges in their efforts to embed collaborative inquiry into the work of PLCs in a way that is purposeful, productive, and impactful. DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, and Karhanek (2010) noted that one of the most common mistakes educators make as they attempt to implement PLC concepts is to regard collaboration as the end itself, rather than as a means to an end. They noted that collaboration would impact student achievement in a positive way only if collective inquiry focused on the right work. Easton (2008) warned, “Without meaningful learning activities that occur during PLC time, PLCs may go the way of so many other structures that were instituted without any attention to what teachers and students do that would take advantage of those structures” (p. 4). This book answers the question for leaders of educational change: How can I facilitate teams through the stages of collaborative inquiry while ensuring the work is purposeful, productive, and impactful?

A Four-Stage Model

This resource has been designed for facilitators interested in guiding school teams through a formal process of inquiry. It is of increasing importance to support individuals and teams through the change process, as collaborative inquiry requires people to think, reflect, and work together in new ways. Simply providing time for teachers’ growth opportunities is not enough. The tools to support meaningful collaboration that is focused on what matters most—identifying and addressing the learning needs of students—are needed as well. To ensure the integrity of the design so that greater success for all students can be realized, it is imperative that facilitators develop a deep understanding of how to support teams through the process. The four-stage model outlined in this book complete with the insights, suggestions, and prompts, will provide facilitators with what they need to guide teams so that the efforts of the team make a difference for the students they serve.

The four-stage model includes the following:

Stage 1: Framing the Problem. During this stage, facilitators assist teams as they determine a meaningful focus, develop an inquiry about a particular link between professional practices and student results, and formulate a theory of action.

Stage 2: Collecting Evidence. In the second stage, facilitators guide teams in developing shared understandings and building additional knowledge and competencies. Teams determine the type of evidence to collect. They also determine when, where, and how it will be collected.

Stage 3: Analyzing Evidence. Once teams feel they have gathered enough information to address the question posed, facilitators guide teams through a five-step approach to analyzing evidence. Teams learn how to make meaning of data by identifying patterns and themes and formulating conclusions. As teams refine their thinking, they revisit their theory of action accordingly.

Stage 4: Documenting, Sharing, and Celebrating. During this final stage, teams come together to document, share, and celebrate their new understandings. Teams consider next steps by identifying additional student learning needs and reflecting on what they learned through their inquiries. Finally, teams debrief the process by considering how their work was reflective of the characteristics of collaborative inquiry.

The four stages of collaborative inquiry (framing the problem, collecting evidence, examining evidence, and documenting, sharing, and celebrating) are the same stages used in action research. The difference between the two approaches is that collaborative inquiry is conducted by a group of educators interested in addressing a school, department, division, or common classroom issue driven by student learning needs. The work is often connected to a broader district and/or school improvement strategy. Action research is conducted by individuals and a single classroom is more often the unit for improvement.

Once facilitators engage teams in collaborative inquiry, they will find it is a more cyclical than linear model. Teams cycle through the stages, revisiting each stage as they change and refine their thinking.

Getting Started

In preparing to lead teams, there are a few things for facilitators to consider. For example, facilitators need to consider issues regarding timing, including when to begin and the length of the cycle of inquiry. When forming a collaborative inquiry team considerations include optimal size, participants, and recruitment strategies. In addition, facilitators should consider ways to foster academic discourse. These ideas are expanded on in the section that follows.

Timing

When is the best time during the school year to begin? How long might it take to complete a cycle? These are some commonly asked questions as people prepare to get started. If the work is going to be connected to larger improvement efforts, the best time to introduce collaborative inquiry is when the process of school improvement planning takes place. In many school districts, school improvement planning begins in the last month of the previous school year—projecting ahead for the year to come. Some school districts wait until the current school year begins to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment. In any case, if collaborative inquiry is going to be used as a structure to guide school improvement efforts, the two processes must begin simultaneously to complement each other. By introducing collaborative inquiry as a strategy for school improvement, it will help team members understand how it relates to the work that is already happening in schools.

The length of the cycle will depend on the team, the question, the school year calendar, and structural conditions. For teams new to the process, it may take longer to complete a cycle than it would for teams who have experienced it before. It is similar to when teachers introduce a new strategy to students. Initially, students’ cognitive energy is spent processing how to use the strategy. Once they become familiar with how the strategy works, they are able to focus cognitive energy on the content and advance their learning. Once collaborative inquiry teams get used to the stages and engage in one full cycle, they will be able to use their time more efficiently. The length of the cycle will also depend on the question posed. Questions that identify a change in classroom practice that requires a steep learning curve for participating teachers will increase the length of time the team engages in professional learning and the implementation of strategies in the classroom. A skilled facilitator will ensure that the p...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Praise
• Halftitle
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• 1 Why Collaborative Inquiry?
• 2 Stage 1:Framing the Problem
• 3 Stage 2: Collecting Evidence
• 4 Stage 3: Analyzing Evidence
• 5 Stage 4: Documenting, Celebrating, and Sharing
• Resource
• References
• Index
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