Learning across boundaries Developing trans-professional understanding through practitioner inquiry

• Published in: Connecting Inquiry and Professional Learning in Education pp. 53 - 67
• Main Authors: Hulme, Rob, Cracknell, David
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Routledge 2010; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Teacher training; Multi-professional Settings; Common Moral Purposes; Professional Learning; Multi-professional Working; Dominant Trajectories; Inter-agency Working; Professional Development; Thematic Network Analysis; Inclusive Deliberative Process; Common Understandings; Vice Versa; Practitioner Inquiry; Building Leadership Capacity; Children's Services; Integrated Service Provision; NSW; Common Language; Focus Group Participant; Mid-career Professionals; Wider Workforce; Professional Learning Communities; Inducting Teacher Educators; Multi-agency Working; Face To Face
• ISBN: 9780415478137; 0415478138; 9780415478120; 041547812X
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203609453-5

The chapter explores the value of practitioner inquiry 1 in the development of common language and shared understandings for a group of mid-career professionals from a variety of public service backgrounds, brought together in order to formulate and disseminate responses to the Every Child Matters (ECM) (2003) agenda for integrating services for children. It draws upon data gathered from multi-professional action learning groups and focus groups within the Learn Together Partnership, a collaboration between a university in the northwest of England and six local authorities (LAs) in the region. This chapter complements others by widening the lens from teacher education to the wider workforce in children's services and explores the current English agenda for multi-agency working. The work presented here resonates with the book's international themes since the challenge of workforce 'integration' is an agenda with global reach.