Cultivating a schoolwide pedagogy : Achievements and challenges of shifting teacher learning on thinking

Research in developing teacher and learner thinking highlights the challenges in translating theoretical constructs into changed practice. One Australian study tracked teacher thinking across school contexts over the proposed three-year timeframe of one professional learning programme. The programme framed a shift in learner and teacher thinking within a pedagogical model. The study questioned: How do teachers develop collective efficacy in their professional learning to modify their teaching practice and improve student learning within a schoolwide pedagogy? The primary and secondary schools from government and non-government contexts sought to cultivate routines that are continually developed through practice-based inquiry of teaching teams. The findings highlight the achievements of teacher inquiry into practice and the challenges of implementing a schoolwide professional learning initiative. The recommendations offered here may be transferred to other contexts to promote teacher collective efficacy through practitioner inquiry and the use of a pedagogical language and model that focusses on learning thinking. The research to date highlights the importance of bolstering teacher involvement in reporting their own learning and development of practice, as well as addressing the theory-practice divide. Further research on teacher professional learning is needed to enable teachers to traverse the knowing-doing gap in their practice.