Using concept constellations to illuminate collective teacher learning

Collaborative talk is an important contributor to teacher learning, but most research has examined its contributions to individual teachers’ sensemaking, rather than to collective teacher learning. In this paper, we consider the phenomenon of collective teacher learning—that is, the learning of an entire group—through collaborative talk, in order to explore aspects of learning and resources for learning that might otherwise go unnoticed. Through qualitative and discursive analysis of video-recorded classroom debrief conversations with experienced secondary mathematics teachers, we investigated shifts in concepts that emerged as teachers discussed observational data from their own classrooms. By identifying and tracing shifts in concept constellations in relation to discursive moves, we determined that the interanimation of generative contrasts in concept constellations can shift teachers’ approaches to future work. Importantly, this paper distinguishes teacher collaborative learning from collective learning —the learning of the group rather than of individuals within it—and contributes a method for making collective learning analytically visible through concept constellations. Our findings point to the mechanisms by which artifacts participate in teacher learning, with implications for researchers interested in designing meaningful co-inquiry with teachers and for practitioners seeking to support teacher learning.