Assisting Teacher Collaborative Discourse in Professional Development: An Analysis of a Facilitator's Discourse Strategies

Abstract

This study aims to deepen the knowledge of how to assist the emergence of productive teacher collaborative discourse in professional development (PD) processes. We analysed a facilitator's discourse in a one-year PD process carried out with a group of in service teachers in a secondary school. Data analysis followed a three-step procedure designed to analyse the facilitator's discourse within the joint activity in which it appeared. We identified ten discourse strategies and three combinations of discourse strategies that the facilitator used to promote and scaffold teacher collaborative discourse throughout the PD process.