This paper draws from a broader piece of research aiming at investigating teachers’ professional development in context. It addresses issues related to a collaborative action research project developed in 2008/2009 in a secondary school in northern Portugal. This project was developed under a broader research project on Teacher Exercising Leadership, the aim of which is to enhance teacher professionalism through the exercise of leadership and innovation in schools. Teacher leadership involves not only teachers leading learning in their classrooms, but also leadership of innovation and the building of professional knowledge within and beyond their classrooms and schools (Frost & Durrand, 2002, 2003; Frost, 2004). This also includes the analysis of the political and cultural contexts of the development of teacher leadership and the ways in which cultural factors shape the strategies that can support it. One of the key issues in the project was the understanding of teaching culture defined as the ‘beliefs, values, habits and assumed ways of doing things among communities of teachers who have had to deal with similar demands and constraints over many years’ (Hargreaves, 1992, p. 271). He distinguishes content and form of teacher cultures, the former referring to the ‘substantive attitudes, values, beliefs, assumptions and ways of doing things’, the latter being described as ‘the characteristic patterns of relationships and forms of association between members of those cultures.’ (1992, p. 219). In this respect, Lima (2002) draws attention to the fact that informal interactions generate important information about the forms of teachers’ culture.

Frost, D. (2004) Resisting the juggernaut: building capacity through teacher leadership in spite of it all, Leading and Managing 10(2), pp. 70-87. Frost, D. and Durrant, J. (2002) Teachers as Leaders: exploring the impact of teacher-led development work, School Leadership and Management, 22(2), pp. 143-161. Frost, D. and Durrant, J. (2003) Teacher Leadership: rationale, strategy and impact, School Leadership and Management, 23(2), pp. 173-186. Hargreaves, A. (1992) Cultures of Teaching: A Focus for Change, in A. Hargreaves and M. G. Fullan (eds) Understanding Teacher Development, Columbia University: Teachers College Press, pp. 216- 240. Lima, A. (2002). As Culturas Colaborativas nas Escolas. Estruturas, processos e conteúdos. Porto: Porto Editora.