'A learning history department': How effectively can teacher knowledge be developed through a collaborative professional learning group?

This inquiry will examine whether the participation of history teachers in a professional learning group can lead to effective professional learning and specifically have an impact on teacher subject knowledge. Teaching history presents distinctive challenges because of the vast expanse of subject knowledge that teachers are expected to master. Yet, there has been criticism of the professional development provision for teachers; courses are often costly and found to have limited impact on teaching practice. Meanwhile, In-Service Training within school settings tends to focus on generic educational and child welfare issues rather than developing the disciplinary and content knowledge needed to teach specific subjects. To overcome this shortfall, collaborative professional learning within departments has become prevalent in schools in recent years, with the benefits for participants said to include the chance to reflect on their practice in a non-judgemental setting, better collegiate relations and strengthened professional capital. This study will examine the experiences of a group of history teachers who formed a professional learning group within their department, and whether the claims about the benefits of professional learning groups can be substantiated.
Drawing on issues in the literature concerning the professional development of history teachers, and the importance of subject knowledge, this small-scale study involved experienced history teachers from an independent boarding school who participated in both face-to-face and online collaboration. In the first cycle of the project, the focus was on the identification and sharing of relevant scholarship and resources to enhance subject and pedagogical content knowledge. In the second cycle, the group identified a collective development need and focused on improving this aspect of their praxis through sharing their knowledge and teaching experiences using online collaborative tools.
Results from interviews with colleagues, questionnaires and group meetings indicated that the levels of collaboration within the group were dependent on the learning needs of teachers, their perceptions of the value of the professional learning offered, and the wider learning ethos of the school. Participants reported that their involvement in a professional learning group made them more aware of gaps in their subject knowledge which in turn motivated them to make improvements. Moreover, by setting aside time to discuss how to apply knowledge in a lesson context, teacher craft knowledge could be shared. Although low intensity, one-to-one collaboration, as opposed to higher intensity whole-department collaboration, was perceived by the more experienced history teachers as having a greater impact on their day-to-day practice than working together in a larger group setting, beneficial discussion about disciplinary subject knowledge still took place within the professional learning group, suggesting this was a useful way of history teachers developing the knowledge they need.

Keywords: MLT2020
MLT