An Open Door To Learning

Inquiry process builds collaborative cultures within and between schools.

Vol. 37 No. 3

When I began my work as a curriculum consultant for a local school board more than 10 years ago, most professional development took place at the district office or another central location, such as catering halls. Teachers and administrators would leave their schools, come to a workshop, then return to their schools and be expected to implement whatever strategies had been covered at the session. As consultants, we were expected to have expertise in our area and to share our expertise with teachers, administrators, trustees, and the public. Since that time, there has been a dramatic shift in how we support educators and administrators in their professional learning. While there is still a time and a place for centralized workshops, much of the professional learning

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Authors

Lisa Cranston

Lisa Cranston ([email protected]) is a teacher consultant for early years and primary grades for the Greater Essex County District School Board in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

References

City, E., Elmore, R., Fiarman, S., & Teitel, L. (2011). Instructional rounds in education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Fullan, M. (2007). Change the terms for teacher learning. JSD, 28(3), 35-36.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2014). Collaborative inquiry in Ontario: Where we are now and what we have learned. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Student Achievement Office.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Inquiry-based learning. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Student Achievement Office.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2011). Getting started with student inquiry. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Student Achievement Office.

Riveros, A., Newton, P., & Burgess, D. (2012). A situated account of teacher agency and learning: Critical reflections on professional learning communities. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(1), 202-216.

Stoll, L. (2009). Capacity building for school improvement or creating capacity for learning? A changing landscape. Journal of Educational Change, 10(2-3), 115-127.

Wien, C. (2008). Emergent curriculum in the primary classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press & National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Lisa Cranston

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