ABS009 - Expansive learning in and between organizations: The teacher education institution and school as arenas for learning

This article focuses on the collaboration between teacher educators and leaders and teachers in school. The problem formulation that guided the study presented in the article was the following: “How does school-based development influence learning in the school and teacher education institution?” The data material was collected through qualitative interviews with groups of teachers and leaders at three schools and a group of teacher educators. Within the CHAT framework, the concepts of boundary crossing and development transfer have functioned as analytical tools in the study. Furthermore, the concept of expansive learning has directed the analysis of the findings. The study shows that collective collaborative learning is a positive form of furthering the professional development of teachers and that both structure and culture can lay the foundation for and should interact with each other to foster professional development and thus lead to the school as a learning organization. It is also obvious that the activity in school-based development leads to learning for the teacher educators. The organizational environment at the University encourages non-social thought and action, and researchers seldom think of themselves as part of a university collectivity in which they collaborate. As the school-based development project requires that teacher educators collaborate, the project can contribute to more collaborative action at the university and thus more learning. The study shows that the development of research competence can enhance development and learning in both organizations and also improve the developmental transfer between these two arenas.