Transforming practice from within: the power of the professional learning community

This chapter reports on the experiences of Australian schools engaging with a process of school-wide revitalization known as IDEAS (Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievement in Schools) (Crowther et al. 2002a) which centers on the work of teachers. IDEAS engages teachers in sharing purpose and developing identity. Teachers engage in a process of professional enquiry that enables them, through language and metaphor, to create systems of...