Restructuring Teacher Education Through Collaborative Action Research

Teacher education faculty at the University of Houston are collaborating with the staff at five elementary schools on an action research project. The evolution of the project is traced from its origins in the professional preparation program through the second year of work with the leader ship teams of the schools. Five dimensions of professional learning are identified: leadership, temporal and physical structures, individuals, interpersonal relationships, and synergy. Data from the second year of the project are considered in terms of the five dimensions. Implications of the project for developing a more collaborative, action-oriented approach to teacher educa tion that can be carried through the novice years of teaching and beyond are discussed.