Collaboration With Colleagues

By Author: emaly su
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There were two main issues within the topic of collaboration: benefits of collaborating with others and problems during collaboration.

Some teachers discussed how collaboration made them reflect on their own practices: Putting theory into practice was great. It was nice to dwell on each other's lessons objectively and to try to find solutions to the problems together. I find it difficult to reflect on my own work when I'm alone, but when a colleague tells me about my weaknesses and encourages me to talk about myself I find a solution easily.

Although they thought that collaboration might be beneficial, some teachers found it difficult to work with a colleague: Collaborative observation has brought about an awareness of my own context but I still think the observation my colleague made was not correct. She couldn't back up her criticism ...
... with concrete examples.

Most of the journals included writing about teachers' 'struggles' through the research process: I think research is especially useful in that it helps you see different perspectives and think of a variety of relevant solutions. But, it is a demanding task; I may not always find time and energy to collect data and analyze it.

Some teachers felt 'lost' at different stages of the research process: Data analysis seems to be the most troublesome area ... I can't sort out the data. I think I need more guidance. To summarize, analyses of narrative essays showed that most of the E F L teachers were not familiar with the aims of doing research at the beginning of the study.

Some felt that it was reading articles and others felt it was mainly statistical research. Analyses of their journals at the end of the study revealed that teachers realized the importance of analyzing their own classroom data, and collaborating with their colleagues as a means of improving their classroom practices.

The aim of the IN S ET programme discussed in this paper was to update experienced E F L teachers' theoretical knowledge of pedagogical issues and research, and to engage them in the practice of conducting research. The underlying goal of the programme was for experienced teachers to see teacher research as an opportunity to question their own belief systems, and a tool for reaching understanding about the things they encounter in their classrooms with a view to initiating changes in their classroom practices.

To facilitate this, teachers were encouraged to seek ways of connecting the abstract concepts and principles examined in the literature to their own classroom context. My concern throughout the programme was that the experiences and perspectives of each teacher be reflected, shared, and accorded recognition.

Unlike typical INSET programmes, 'which offer information and experience which is insufficiently related to the concerns of the participants and which offer theory unrelated to practice' (Bolam 1987: 27), the theoretical knowledge part of this programme was prepared according to the suggestions of the teachers. Yet, teachers were not only recipients of theoretical knowledge but were also provided with the opportunity to become active researchers of their own teaching context.

In addition, a social framework based on discussion and reflection was established to support the implementation of knowledge and research skills acquired in training. As in previous studies carried out with teachers in other fields (Christenson et al. 2002; King 2002), teacher research, though it was found to be a 'complex' and 'demanding' task by the teachers, proved to have positive effects on the professional competence of the teachers.

The present IN SET programme had some weaknesses which should be mentioned for further research in this area. First of all, I had not expected it to become such an intensive one. In the six-week period I had to cover too many issues. Moreover, due to time limitations it was not possible to provide every teacher with sufficient feedback during the research process and to have a follow-up or presentation session.

Despite these limitations, this study has several implications for teacher education. First, as the research-oriented programme proved to be highly effective in fostering teacher development, it can be utilized as an IN S ET in schools and universities. As school administrators seem to lack the necessary knowledge and expertise required to deliver these programmes, it would be more appropriate for university educators specialized in research and teacher training to implement these programmes. Moreover, after the initial training, teachers should be encouraged to continue with the research practice in their classes, write reports on their research, and share these with others. In this way teacher-researchers will have the potential to enhance their professional image and become effective agents of change.