Using Cross-Visitation to Elicit Collaborative Inquiry among Teachers and a Building Administrator to Improve Student Achievement

• Main Author: Mitchell, Richard A., Jr
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest LLC 2018; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Administrators; Capacity Building; Collegiality; Constructivism (Learning); Cooperative Learning; Educational administration; Educational evaluation; Educational Improvement; Educational leadership; English Teachers; Inquiry; Mathematics Teachers; Partnerships in Education; Professional Education; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Administrator Relationship; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher Leadership
• ISBN: 0438046080; 9780438046085

The research presented in this study examined what happened when I, as a building administrator, created and supported opportunities for teachers to emerge as leaders with the capacity to support each other, how my engagement with teachers as a building administrator promoted collaborative leadership and learning, and how making the classroom a site for collaborative inquiry influenced the professional learning of four teachers, and myself. These foci were studied through a constructivist framework in which we learned together to collectively improve our practice. Three rounds of collaborative classroom cross-visitations took place through a high school semester in which two math teachers, and two English teachers visited each other's classrooms with myself, as a building administrator, present. Each round included a pre-conference and a post-conference. Data suggests that the teachers and I benefitted from the process professionally. Additionally, I, as a building administrator, benefitted by learning to observe and evaluate teachers more effectively, while building important professional relationships which enhanced my ability to collaborate in constructing a cohesive community of educators within the research site. Further, logistical records taken from the study illustrate the need for careful and deliberate planning toward the sustainability of any cross-visitation program. The research illustrates the importance of the development of teacher-leaders, and of establishing a program through which teachers can visit each other's classrooms with a building administrator so that all parties can learn from each other in a generative and collaborative manner. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]