Essential Function 5: Unpacking Strategies to Promote and Support Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

UNPACKING

To implement Collaborative Teacher Inquiry effectively, educators must have adequate training in an inquiry process. In the previous video, Jenni Donohoo outlined four stages of a Collaborative Teacher Inquiry process.  Reflect on the purposes and importance of each stage in the chart below.

Stages of a Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Process (Donohoo, 2015)

Stage 1                 Framing the Problem What are the student learning needs? What are the gaps in educator learning? What actions must be taken to address the needs?	Stage 2 Collecting Evidence What evidence will be collected to show effectiveness? What evidence will best determine how to address the issues?
Stage 3 Analyzing Evidence What does the evidence reveal? How does the evidence inform the next steps?	Stage 4 Collecting and Sharing What worked? What didn’t? What are the groups’ next steps?

Reflection Questions

• What similar processes do educators in your building currently use?
• What challenges do you see in implementing an inquiry process such as this?  
• How might you address those challenges?

---

Topic in Practice: Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Process

Read about the Collaborative Teacher Inquiry process and how to put it into practice in the article,  When Teachers Believe, Students Achieve: Collaborative Inquiry Builds Teacher Efficacy for Better Student Outcomes  (Donohoo & Katz, 2018).

Reflection Questions

• What were some of the key factors that stood out to you from the article?
• What are some strategies school leaders can use to ensure effective implementation?

Strategies for Success

In his 2010 study, Tracing the Effects of Teacher Inquiry on Classroom Practices, Ermeling reported team make-up, protocols, and regular meetings were found to be the most likely conditions to meaningful instructional changes.  

Team Members Work in Job-Alike Teams Facilitated by a Trained Leader

Teams with job-alike members (e.g. grade level, content area) provide the best context for discussions around common issues of interest.  It is the common area of inquiry and shared sense of importance that motivates teachers to work together to test out new ideas and stay committed to the process. It is also important to have a member of the team who is trained in the specific protocol being used and identified with the responsibility for facilitating the team through the process.  A teacher leader can build rapport, guide the inquiry process, and still fully participate as a member of the team. This helps to ensure the work is focused on a relevant issue for the team and assists the group in remaining focused and persistent throughout the cycle of inquiry.

Protocols  

Inquiry-focused protocols are an essential tool for Collaborative Teacher Inquiry teams.  The structures of a protocol help teams systematically identify evidence-based strategies and collect and examine evidence. Protocols lead to more effective discussions and help keep teams on track.  When used consistently, protocols have the power to shape a team’s culture since they promote behaviors and habits that eventually become adopted as norms. Watch the video from EL Education (2019), Leading Teams with Data Protocols from 0:50 to 6:15 minutes to see the benefits of using protocols to help strategically guide a team’s inquiry and inspire rich discourse.

Leading Teams with Data Protocols  (0:50 to 6:15 min.)

Reflection Questions

• How did the two protocols used by the teams differ?  What was the purpose of each?
• Why is it important to align protocols with the professional learning goals determined by the team?
• Does a protocol for an inquiry team differ from one used by a data based decision-making team that reviews student work and assessment results?    If so, how, and why would a protocol be different?

Protocols that are compatible with the stage of professional inquiry the team is engaged in should be selected.  Choosing a protocol specific to the relevant needs of a team enhances educator learning and promotes the type of discussions needed at different stages of the inquiry process.

The links below contain collections of protocols to support the work of teacher teams. 

The Power of Protocols (Learning Forward Ontario, 2014)  

This document contains a chart linking the stages of collaborative inquiry to the protocols in the resource.

Protected Meeting Times 

Collaborative inquiry teams need guaranteed, uninterrupted time to meet regularly.  Team meetings should be long enough for team members to pose questions, discuss, reflect, and make decisions.  Short segments of time (less than 30 minutes) leave educators feeling hurried, non-productive, and frustrated. It is also important that team members use the allotted team time effectively.  Therefore, establishing team norms, utilizing agendas and protocols, are tools that enable teams to minimize distractions, stay on track, and optimize the use of the time they have available.

---

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry That Builds CTE

In summary, Collaborative Teacher Inquiry that builds CTE has these characteristics:

• Educators are role-alike members of a collaborative team.  They may teach similar grade levels, content areas, or have similar professional roles.
• The team identifies and defines a compelling, recurring problem or need.
• Data is analyzed in relation to the problem or need.
• Team members pose questions about the data to drive the inquiry.
• The team is committed to a decision that is researched and reflected upon based on the evidence of impact.
• Valid and reliable success criteria is determined by the team.
• The team determines and implements a clearly defined action plan to address the problem or need.
• Data is reviewed by the team to determine the degree of impact according to the success criteria.
• Growth is evaluated by reflecting on the findings and revisions are made as needed by the team.

Reflection Questions

• What are the benefits of having a structured inquiry process?
• What are the advantages of using a protocol for team meetings?  What should be considered when choosing a protocol?
• Why is it important for the team to utilize data to identify a problem and drive the inquiry?
• What other essential roles does data play in the inquiry process?
• What steps can be taken to support and promote Collaborative Teacher Inquiry in your school/district?