Teacher Learning in a Professional Learning Community: Potential for Dual-layer Knowledge Building

Abstract

This study is situated in the field of knowledge building and teacher professional learning community (PLC). It describes a case study of eight elementary school teachers working on lesson design using knowledge building pedagogy to enhance student learning. The research question is: “How is knowledge building accomplished among teachers within a PLC?” The main method employed is the analysis of teacher’s discourse in the PLC. Results indicate that although not cognisant of it, these teachers functioned as a reciprocal layer of knowledge builders over their students’ work. Critically, teachers’ knowledge building was enabled by working with authentic classroom problems, embracing idea diversity and demonstrating epistemic agency in their knowledge advancement. Future work can focus on building teacher’s awareness of this layer of knowledge building and scripting creation of knowledge artefacts among teachers to mediate and record their collaborative inquiry.