Strengthening teacher co-leadership through professional inquiry

Abstract

The study described in this article is of international interest in that it explores the engagement of teachers in their own professional learning and the emergence of co-leadership capabilities (Darling-Hammond, 1998; Opfer & Pedder, 2011; Thibodeau, 2008). This can occur through a dialogic feedback process where teachers can be positioned as experts in their own practice and as co-leaders activating the learning of others. Through purposeful dialogue centred on classroom data, teachers can influence each other's professional learning. This qualitative case study comprised research into the interactions of teachers in peer-coaching groups located in the context of their schools. The study highlights how emphasis can be shifted from the role associated with the designated title of leader to the purpose and relevance of teacher leadership in the context of dialogic peer coaching. Communities of inquiry can support the development of high capacity teacher co-leadership in schools. Three key elements of this leadership are addressed in this qualitative case study - individual development, collaboration or team development, and organisational development, although the latter to a lesser degree. Findings suggest that there can be growth in teacher co-leadership capabilities as participants become dialogic peer coaches to each other.