Objectives or purposes

The overarching aim of this doctoral research is to address our limited understanding and try to make sense of the mediation of Cypriot teachers learning through talk within a professional learning community. I consider the interactive processes through which teachers collaboratively develop and construct new and critical insights into their classroom practices as a basis for changing those practices. Yet there appears to be an absence of research that identifies and conceptualises different kinds of teacher talk in collaborative teacher learning groups. Thus there is an interest in describing different kinds of talk especially the ones that are useful for collaborative learning as well describing the different types of knowledge that are developed during joint work.

Perspective(s) or theoretical framework

Vygotsky's theory suggests that learning is best achieved through processes of social interaction (Mercer, 2000). From this view of situated learning comes a central focus on collaboration and problem solving. Hargreaves (1999, 2001) notes the importance of reflection, dialogue and inquiry. Most of these are well-founded elements of effective professional development (McCormick et al, 2008; Cordingley et al, 2005a, b). Few accounts of research investigate the processes by which new classroom practices are created and there is an absence of research that identifies different kinds of teacher talk in collaborative teacher learning groups. Thus there is an interest in describing the kinds of talk especially the ones that are useful for collaborative learning as well describing the types of knowledge that are developed during joint work.

Research question (maybe including hypothesis/hypotheses)

It is proposed to examine the following research questions:

1. What are the conditions and processes of collaboration through which Cypriot teachers learn in collaborative settings?

2. What kinds of talk characterise Cypriot teachers’ collaboration within a professional learning community and what kinds of talk are useful for supporting teachers’ collaborative learning?

3. In what ways are different types of knowledge developed and exchanged within a group of teachers?

4. How does teachers’ collaborative learning influence pupils’ and teachers’ classroom practices?

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