Dialogic Teacher Change: Two Cases of Supported Collaborative Inquiry

This paper describes the impact of dialogic inquiry (Wells, 1999) on two groups of teachers engaged in a specific model of professional development, termed supported collaborative inquiry (Nelson & Slavit, in press). After a discussion of the professional development and teaching contexts, elaboration of two teacher groups engaged in a year-long collaborative inquiry process are provided. Evidence suggests that the two teacher groups had various levels of success regarding the establishment of an inquiry community, and both experienced difficulties in collecting and managing data. Both groups found the dialogic nature of the professional development to be of significant benefit in a variety of ways. Implications on professional development and further research are provided.