Teacher Inquiry in the BCTF - British Columbia Teachers' Federation

Teacher Inquiry in the BCTF:
A focus for supporting
teachers’ professional development
A report to the BCTF Executive Committee
from the Teacher Inquiry Work Group
April 2008

Teacher Inquiry in the BCTF:
A focus for supporting teachers’
professional development
Executive Summary and key messages
The proposals in this report would serve to advance the
BCTF’s goals and objectives in the “Support for
Teaching and Learning Action Plan.” They offer one
direction for supporting teachers’ professional
development. There are six key reasons to support the
proposed focus:
• It builds teacher autonomy and teacher leadership in
self-directed professional development in a way that
has the potential to challenge the current
accountability agenda.
• It connects the BCTF to what teachers care about
most—discussions about teaching and learning.
• It engages more teachers in professional development
that has a connection to the BCTF, thereby attracting
newer teachers to BCTF activities, and utilizing the
skills and knowledge of more experienced teachers in
terms of inquiry facilitation and support for newer
teachers.
• It creates a more coherent BCTF approach to PD
which links to BCTF priorities and creates an
increased profile for the BCTF as a “union of
professionals.”
• It encourages members to access district PD funds
while also providing BCTF support and networking.
• It offers the chance of building partnerships with
school districts while promoting a form of PD which
offers teachers choice and control over their own
professional development.

Teacher Inquiry in the BCTF: A focus
for supporting teachers’
professional development
1. Introduction—scope and purpose of the
report
This report considers supporting Teacher Inquiry as one
cornerstone of the BCTF’s support for teachers’ professional
development. Its primary areas of focus are to explore whether the
BCTF should enhance its current support for Teacher Inquiry as a
viable professional learning model and how the BCTF might lead
and sustain this professional direction.
Current research affirms that Teacher Inquiry is a form of
professional development that promotes teacher collaboration,
teacher leadership, and professional autonomy. It can promote
Social Justice and challenge accountability agendas. Teacher
Inquiry as an approach to PD matches two of the BCTF’s “Support
for Teaching and Learning Action Plan” goals—exercising
professional autonomy, and engagement in relevant and selfdirected
professional development. If an expanded BCTF Teacher
Inquiry program were to be developed, then such a program would
meet the Action Plan’s objective “to provide leadership for the
development of programs that assert the central role of teachers.”
This report considers:
• How Teacher Inquiry is defined, and is the approach worth
supporting by the BCTF within the approaches outlined in
the “Support for Teaching and Learning Action Plan?”
• How can the BCTF balance competing membership needs?
• What current strengths exist in the BCTF to support
Teacher Inquiry?
• How can a co-ordinated approach to supporting Teacher
Inquiry be developed and what might it look like?
• How can the BCTF build on current, effective, union-led
inquiry work?
• How can the BCTF increase relevance and influence
through Teacher Inquiry?
This report was produced by the members of the Teacher Inquiry
Work Group.
1
“I guess the biggest thing we’d
like to say is that this Inquiry
Group is one of the most positive
professional development
activities we’ve been involved in
for a very long time”
Vancouver elementary teacher,
UBC/BCTF Multiliteracies project
2005

“Action research is something
teachers do already. They
implement something and
monitor its success. What is
interesting about formal action
research, however, is that I
noticed that it encouraged
members of our group to begin
working on big ideas…on
problems that had been in the
back of their minds for a long
time. In a way, it encourages
them to follow their dreams and
do what really matters.”
Teacher Research in the Backyard,
Kitimat–Terrace Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
2003
2. Who are the members of the
Teacher Inquiry Work Group?
Members of the Teacher Inquiry Work Group were selected by
BCTF table officers or nominated by the BCTF committees on
which they sit.
The work group consists of:
Catherine Alpha, representative for the Professional Issues
Advisory Committee; Sooke school district.
Denis Fafard, representative for local teachers’ associations;
president of the Sunshine Coast Teachers’ Association.
Patricia Gudlaugson, representative for the BCTF Executive
Committee; vice-president of VESTA, the Vancouver Elementary
School Teachers’ Association.
Louise Herle, representative for the Program for Quality
Teaching; Chatelech Secondary School, Sechelt. PD Chair;
Sunshine Coast Teachers’ Association
Carol Johns, representative for PD chairpersons; Cranbrook
District Teachers’ Association.
Chris King, Committee for Action on Social Justice; second vicepresident
and PD chairperson of the Coquitlam Teachers’
Association.
Charlene Watts, representative for the PSA Council; president of
the Bulkley Valley Teachers’ Union.
BCTF staff members:
Marian Dodds, Field Service Division/Professional and Social
Issues Division.
Nancy Hinds, Professional and Social Issues Division – Program
for Quality Teaching.
Charlie Naylor, Research and Technology Division – Research
Department.
Jane Turner, Professional and Social Issues Division – Social
Justice.
These BCTF staff members in some cases already support BCTF
Teacher Inquiry projects, or work in areas where Teacher Inquiry
is a feasible option.
2

3. What is Teacher Inquiry?
a. Teacher Inquiry is a process that involves:
• Reflection on practice
• Collaboration
• Professional conversation—accessing our own knowledge
and the knowledge of peers
• Moving out of individual and isolated space to collective
and public space
• Extending understanding of practice through critical
discourse
• Planning and initiating some form of action for change
• Distributed leadership.
b. Teacher Inquiry as developed by the BCTF includes the
following principles:
• It taps into teachers’ lived experience.
• It includes “unboundaried,” open questions (i.e., whatever
questions participants bring).
• It involves an inquiring group of colleagues.
• It invites and encourages reciprocal learning.
• It is run by teachers for teachers.
c. Teacher Inquiry is a process which includes the following
methods and approaches:
• Action Research, which is “a form of inquiry that enables
practitioners everywhere to investigate and evaluate their
work” (McNiff & Whitehead, 2006).
• Professional Conversations, in which a group of peers
engages in a sustained and focused conversation on
practice.
• Book Study Groups, in which a group of teachers focus on
one book or report, discussing its contents and relating the
author’s views to their areas of practice.
• Subject (e.g., English/Language Arts) or theme-based
(e.g., inclusion, gender) inquiry groups.
• Appreciative Inquiry, in which participants focus on one
area of practice which is working well as a starting point
for reflection on practice.
• Professional Learning Communities, in which
membership is voluntary, and where the focus of inquiry is
decided by participants.
3
“I benefited immensely from
conducting action research, if for
no other reason than because the
research I did was directly
connected to my practice as a
teacher.”
Teaching for Social Justice,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
2004

“BCTF Research supports
teacher research because we
believe that it is a powerful way
of improving teachers’ practice
and students’ learning. Many
teachers who have taken part in
collaborative teacher research
groups have reported enthusiasm
for the process, an increased
sense of empowerment, and a
belief that practice has changed
to improve student learning.”
The BCTF Teacher Research Project–
Assessment
1997
4. Does Teacher Inquiry as a form of
professional development fit within the
principles and policies of the BCTF?
a. BCTF policies
BCTF professional development policy supports Action Research,
teacher autonomy in PD, and teacher-directed PD (Policy
30.A.09). It also supports critical reflection on teaching (Policy
30.A.15). Teacher Inquiry also epitomizes the principles outlined
in Section 31 of BCTF policy, Professional Ethics, Rights and
Standards, especially in the area of collaborative practice. Teacher
Inquiry fits well within the parameters of several BCTF policies.
The principles espoused in BCTF policies are identical to those
described in the preceding section of this report (“What is Teacher
Inquiry?”).
b. Current BCTF priorities and reports
Teacher Inquiry fits within several BCTF priority reports:
i. Support for Teaching and Learning Action Plan
This November 27, 2007 document proposes Teacher
Inquiry as one approach “to provide leadership for the
development of programs that assert the central role of
teachers.” It also argues for teachers to manage their own
PD, and for ways to engage teachers in dialogue about
teaching, both central to Teacher Inquiry. The ninth
objective of the Action Plan includes Teacher Inquiry as
one example of programs which are congruent with the
Action Plan.
ii. Leadership Report
The AGM Leadership report carried at the RA of
November 2–3, 2007 included a section on “Professional
Autonomy and Professional Issues” which stated that the
BCTF should “provide leadership for the development of
programs that assert the central role of teachers in student
learning such as the Program for Quality Teaching.” One of
the central pillars of the PQT program is its use and
encouragement of Teacher Inquiry approaches.
iii. School Union Representative Training (SURT)
The BCTF PD workshop “The Autonomous Professional:
Self-directed PD planning” stresses the need for teachers to
take control of PD, as well as the need for professionalism,
autonomy, and collaboration. Two activities that reflect
these approaches include Study and Action Research
groups, both forms of Teacher Inquiry.
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iv. Attracting new activists into the BCTF
In the June 2005 report to the Executive Committee, it was
reported that new/younger teachers recognized the utility
of Teacher Inquiry. The report also stated that Teacher
Inquiry groups be promoted as an opportunity to gain
access to university graduate courses. New/younger
teachers also suggested that the BCTF should “publicize
the impact of this work on professional development for
individual teachers.”
v. Acknowledging the role of experienced teachers
The inquiry process presents an ideal opportunity for
teachers with experience to act as facilitators/mentors to
newer teachers who participate in inquiry groups. This both
honours the experience of our older members and
welcomes in our newer members. As such, it presents a
win-win for the BCTF by promoting professional
development through teachers teaching teachers while at
the same time supporting the development of new activists
within the union.
vi. Promoting teacher leadership
Developing a cohesive approach to Teacher Inquiry can
develop cohorts of teacher leaders supporting and
facilitating union-led inquiry throughout the province.
At a time when hierarchical leadership is being promoted
by the ministry through BCELC, an alternative approach to
developing teacher and distributed leadership is of crucial
importance.
c. Existing structures and networks
The BCTF has a central office, and locals and sub-locals with PD
Chairs in every school district. BCTF committees focus on
professional issues: PIAC, PSAC, Social Justice. It has 33 PSAs,
multiple LSAs, FLIs, zone meetings and a summer conference, all
of which focus on professional issues and professional
development. With a web site and extensive electronic
communication systems, the BCTF has the capacity to launch and
sustain systemic initiatives. A new web page, the “Teacher
Inquirer,” 1 has also been launched to provide a place for BC
teachers to publish their inquiry reports and activities.
1 bctf.ca/publications.aspx?id=14460
5
“Doing research in my own
classroom required enormous
energy, concentration, and focus.
The constantly-changing
classroom situation from day to
day asks for extreme flexibility.
However, the challenge of
exploring and honing research
questions became stimulating and
left me with more energy than I
thought possible.”
Teaching for Social Justice,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
2005

“The big thing for me is that I think
the job is just too overwhelming for
people to work in isolation and I
think that often in the past our
teachers were feeling that’s the
way they had to work. So one of the
things that’s really struck me as
I’m approaching the end of my
career in education—I realize more
and more how teachers have to
help other teachers—that we can’t
depend on the universities to do
that—it has to be ongoing. Not only
does our PD need to be ongoing
but we also need to support each
other.”
Prince George teacher in the
Mentoring/Professional conversation
project
2006
6
5. What members are saying about PD
needs and about the BCTF’s role in PD
There is evidence that while many teachers do not connect the
BCTF with a focus on professional issues, they would like to see
their union as being more involved in supporting teachers’
professional needs. This is particularly important in terms of the
changing demographics of teaching, addressed below. In the
report “Building new activists in the BCTF: A summary report”
(Dodds, 2005), data collected from 500 teachers stressed that the
BCTF should have “more focus on professional issues” and that
Teacher Inquiry groups should be promoted.
Further evidence of BCTF members not connecting the BCTF
with professional issues was gathered in the Multiliteracies
research project between 2002 and 2006. Teachers in that project
primarily saw the BCTF as an industrial union, and even though
they met many times in a BCTF office to reflect on their inquiry,
they did not link the BCTF with a professional focus:
“I didn’t even know that BCTF had a room like this
where you could talk about things.”
This apparently innocuous comment from one BCTF member
reflects more than its literal meaning, indicating that for at least
one teacher, the BCTF and professional conversation were not
connected. The “room” is not just the facility but her perception
of the union’s support for Teacher Inquiry (Naylor, 2007).
One PD Chair shared her concern that while funding was made
available to schools through their district, from the ministry, and
through the Network for Performance-Based Schools, her
perception was that there was no financial assistance from the
BCTF.

6. The BC context
a. Changing demographics
Thirty-six percent of BC teachers are aged 50 or over (Hawkey,
2007). In some districts, the number of teachers over 50 is much
higher. As the “baby boom” generation nears retirement, the
demographics of the BC teaching population will change. In some
districts, the change is already evident. Coquitlam, for instance,
has only 29% of its teachers over 50, the Francophone School
District, 21%, and Fort Nelson, 11%.
With many new teachers entering the profession, a case can be
made for increased professional support from the BCTF. Focusing
on professional needs has the potential both to attract new and
younger teachers into union activities and to access and utilize the
knowledge and experience of those BCTF members soon to retire.
Some experienced teachers could become facilitators of inquiry
groups, thereby accessing their skills and capacity within the union
while also offering support to newer BCTF members.
b. Network for Performance-Based Schools
Since the BCTF and its locals have yet to develop alternatives,
many BCTF members continue to opt in to forms of collaborative
professional development which are offered by quasi-provincial
bodies funded by the provincial government. A current example
involves the Network of Performance-Based Schools (NPBS) 2 ,
through which many teachers (possibly around 2,000) are engaging
in some form of collaboration and community. The network
promotes a wide range of collaborative PD and networking,
seminars, and conferences involving schools across the province,
with an incentive of $1,000 per project. They also promote and
provide examples of distributed leadership3 . The NPBS is largely
defining and controlling much of what exists in terms of
collaboration and networking in BC’s K–12 system, and is
attracting a considerable number of teachers across BC. The
BCTF’s only connection to this or any other provincial
professional collaborations or networking is through PSAs. Thus,
the union is being marginalized and isolated while its members
find their “professional focus” elsewhere. This situation can and
should be changed.
2 www.npbs.ca/
3 www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wie/staff/teachingresearch/alma_harris/distributed_leadership/
7

“I have learned over the years
that someone else’s answers are
not going to be very useful to me.
Teaching is intensely personal,
and I cannot simply apply a
formula and magically transform
my classroom.”
Teacher research in the backyard,
Kitimat–Terrace Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
2003
c. Teacher Education Programs’ use of inquiry
approaches
Many teacher education programs utilize inquiry approaches with
pre-service students who are therefore familiar with inquiry
concepts and methods. Some university faculty support Teacher
Inquiry approaches, and have invited the BCTF to partner with
them in such work. The use and acceptance of inquiry approaches
in BC’s universities makes the concept familiar to many new
teachers, and opens up multiple partnership possibilities linking the
BCTF and universities to meet teachers’ PD needs through inquiry.
One such example is the UBC “Urban Learner” program. It was
from one Urban Learner program that the BCTF and UBC jointly
published a rich volume of Teacher Inquiry reports written by
teachers from Vancouver, Coquitlam, and Maple Ridge in the
“Teaching for Social Justice” (2004) publication.
d. The Accountability Agenda
Teacher Inquiry can challenge accountability agendas because
inquiry focuses on teachers’ practice, and changes to practice can
offer a counter to centralized mandates such as Standards and at
the same time offer a challenge to systemic accountability
processes. Uniform mandates imply that teachers are technicians
implementing a mandate, while professionally autonomous
teachers, reflecting on practice through inquiry, adapt their practice
to meet the needs of their students. This case has been argued by a
number of academics, including Kincheloe (2003) and Carr &
Kemmis (2005).
7. Current literature on Teacher Inquiry
a. Teacher Inquiry as a form of professional
development
There is considerable amount of recent academic literature (Elliott,
2005; Lankshear & Knobel, 2004; Carr & Kemmis, 2005) which
supports collaborative Teacher Inquiry as professional
development, perhaps epitomized by the work of Randi &
Zeichner (2004). In considering preferred directions for teachers’
professional development, Randi & Zeichner draw upon the
“teacher knowledge” literature, as well as social cognitive theory,
adult learning theory, and what can be learned from the history of
staff/professional development. Their preferred directions
encapsulate forms of professional development that build
individual and system capacity by respecting teacher knowledge,
collaboration with peers to focus on reflections on practice and
solving or addressing problems, and developing new knowledge
“from the sharing of expertise among members of teacher learning
8

communities.” Four examples of such professional development
are considered, all of which stress collaborative approaches:
• Teacher Networks, which generally incorporate
facilitative leadership and collaborative learning
approaches, with respect for both context-specific and
generalized knowledge;
• Teacher Research, featuring voluntary participation, a
balance between respect for and challenge of perspectives,
teacher ownership of focus and methods, and taking place
over time so that rituals and routines occur to build
community;
• Teacher Study Groups, often school-based, with agendas
of common interest to the participants, with possible areas
of focus including teaching strategies, content area, or
reading/discussing research; and
• School–University Collaborations, including professional
development schools and teacher-research projects, perhaps
linking theory with practice “in ways that matter to
classroom teachers” (p. 217).
These examples could provide a frame for Teacher Inquiry. If such
a wider frame were to be developed, then Teacher Inquiry might
include teacher research but could be conceptually and
methodologically more diverse, incorporating a range of
approaches which address teachers’ practices or contexts.
b. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
In terms of Professional Learning Communities, Hargreaves
(2007) has argued that a dichotomy has emerged, with two notions
of PLCs. One is spearheaded by DuFour (2005), while Hargreaves
argues for less forced and contrived forms of professional learning
community. While there exists some concern about PLCs in BC,
there is an opportunity, through Teacher Inquiry, for the BCTF to
develop an alternative form of community, based on teachers
raising their own questions and concerns.
One key goal of the BCTF might be to offer support for inquiry
groups that reflect a preferred form of learning community, run by
and for teachers. In this way, the BCTF, a long-standing critic of
coerced forms of professional development, might usefully shift its
primary professional development focus from critique to
construction in order to build and support inquiry groups as forms
of PLCs that are attractive and useful to teachers.
9
“I was aware of the positive
results teachers garnered from
being involved in classroom
research. Teachers reported that
in terms of professional
development, classroom research
offered the best potential for
professional growth. I needed the
framework that was provided,
and the release time.”
Fraser-Cascade Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
1999

One example of a learning community was shared from School
District #46, Sunshine Coast:
“Our local Learning Community Team consists of
school-based and district inquiry groups of teachers
working together to improve student learning and to
increase our use of classroom-based assessment and
performance standards to inform instruction.
Four formal meetings are scheduled throughout the
year to provide an opportunity for the teams to
exchange ideas and resources and to learn from
each other’s experience. The Inquiry Project
Celebration forum has been successfully
implemented within our district and has provided an
opportunity for the networking, energy, and
communication amongst our district teachers,
principals, board members, and parents.”
c. Collaboration and partnerships
There is a substantial literature supporting teacher collaboration in
inquiry groups as well as partnerships in education (Sparks, 2002;
OECD, 2001, 2003; Erickson et al, 2005; National College for
School Leadership, 2004). Networks are increasingly common,
involving teachers across sites and districts, often linked through
web sites. University-union collaborations have occurred with
BCTF participation. One UBC/BCTF project, “Teacher Research
as Communicative Action,” involved teachers (including one
current BCTF Executive member) from several school districts
participating in inquiry and presenting at a major international
research conference, the American Educational Research
Association conference. In another project, teachers from about 15
elementary and secondary schools in Vancouver demonstrated that
teachers were at the cutting edge of Multiliteracies practices, and
much of their work is featured on the Multiliteracies web site4 ,
with some reports authored by BCTF members.
d. The changing roles of teacher unions in the new
millennium
There is a body of Canadian literature on teacher unions’
involvement in PD (Bascia, 2003, 2004; Rodrigue, 2000;
Leithwood et al, 2004). Much of the literature shows a shift in
union thinking towards more sophisticated approaches to
supporting PD, and a clear move towards collaboration and
partnerships with other organizations such as universities and
school districts.
4 www.multiliteracies.ca/
10

Bascia (2000) explored and critiqued the capacity of teacher
unions to support teachers’ professional development. She
explored organizational considerations and issues that unions
should consider in moving away from the traditional staff
development model towards offering richer Professional
Development. Four areas are explored:
• how unions socialize teachers, shape teachers’ work and
Professional Development;
• which members are attracted to and which are alienated by
teacher unions;
• how to move beyond a conceptualization of Professional
Development and into considering how union systems and
structures enable/constrain teacher learning; and
• how to commit to multiple Professional Development
strategies.
In later papers, Bascia (2003, 2004) considers several areas as
prime foci for teacher unions’ professional focus: attracting and
retaining teachers, initiating and supporting teachers’ professional
preparation and ongoing learning, and improving teacher quality in
a time of systemic reform.
Bascia, Rodrigue, & Moore (2004) outlined the potential for
greater partnerships among faculties of education, teacher unions,
school districts, and parents, arguing that in their view there exists
a need for the involvement of multiple educational organizations,
and that such groups:
“…must embark on a continuous, evolving, and
dynamic process to work through and beyond
narrow, dichotomous thinking, to develop new
understandings and new roles. This ‘tapestry’
notion of support for teaching and learning is quite
different from the concept of ‘alignment,’ top-down
control or one-upmanship that has characterized
educational policies over the last number of years.
This undertaking of educational partnerships
requires risk-taking as organizations and positions
are de-centred from their traditional dichotomous
relationships with each other; it requires patience,
and above all an understanding that organizational
interaction is a necessary part of ensuring the
continuous improvement of teaching.” (p. 125)
11
“I think the value of the Inquiry
Group as a form of professional
development is that it’s not
“top-down.”
Nanaimo teacher in the Mentoring/
Professional conversation project
2004

“I felt that I grew professionally
from being involved with the
Inquiry Group. It started me on a
road of inquiry I am still
pursuing. I enjoyed working with
a group of teachers: the talk; the
feedback; the diversity of points
of view on the same topic, on
different topics; the feeling of
community coming from working
together with a group.”
Fraser-Cascade Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
1999
8. Existing BCTF programs which support
Teacher Inquiry
Currently, Teacher Inquiry is supported through the Program for
Quality Teaching (PQT) Program, and in projects developed by the
Research Department.
a. The Program for Quality Teaching (PQT)
Background
The BCTF’s Program for Quality Teaching (PQT) provides
teachers, through the process of peer mentoring and collaborative
inquiry, a framework within which they can engage in inquiry of
their own and each other’s professional teaching practices.
Supportive, learning-focused mentoring gives teachers an
opportunity to assess current practices and to thoughtfully adapt
elements of new programs into their classrooms.
It is through this approach to the study of teaching that discovery
of new educational knowledge emerges for the benefit of
immediate colleagues and teachers elsewhere. The Program for
Quality Teaching also provides opportunities for sharing
professional knowledge gained by practitioners acting as
classroom researchers through action research and models of
Teacher Inquiry.
PQT is based on the principles of collegiality, mutuality, and
supportive professional relationships. Participants become equal
partners in pursuit of strengthening their practice and advancing
their profession.
In addition, the Program for Quality Teaching involves developing
a network of teachers who are interested in sharing the results of
their professional explorations beyond their immediate colleagues.
Many teachers practicing PQT gain a deeper understanding of the
practical, theoretical, and personal meaning of their approaches to
teaching through structured, systematic, action research projects.
Some teachers are celebrating their professional experiences
through publishing their narratives in “Voices of Teaching,”
“Teacher Inquiry, Fraser-Cascade,” “Teacher Research in the
Backyard,” and “Teaching for Social Justice.” PQT provides a
natural forum through which teachers might share the results of
their classroom research with other teachers, and thus expand the
professional dialogue beyond the school.
PQT program benefits
Based on external program evaluations of PQT and
implementation experience, the following benefits to teachers have
been identified:
12

• Gained a greater theoretical understanding of teaching,
• Strengthened ability to self-evaluate teaching,
• Increased confidence and ability to incorporate new
strategies in teaching,
• Increased skill in providing useful feedback to another
teacher,
• Increased respect for colleagues,
• Created a more open sharing of instructional ideas,
• Improved problem-solving with colleagues, and
• Improved relationships with teachers and administrators.
Based on a 30-year history, the PQT program continues as a viable
PD offering. In the past five years, for example, Program for
Quality Teaching projects (focusing on peer mentoring and
reflection, and on action research/Teacher Inquiry) have been
offered to locals and districts such as North Vancouver, Surrey,
Vernon, Victoria, and Cranbrook. In addition, numerous
workshops on Teacher Inquiry and “Conversations on Teaching”
have been led at conferences, school PD Days, and local SURT
trainings. A cadre of fourteen PQT/Teacher Inquiry facilitators and
PQT staff supports this ongoing work in locals and districts. See
the Appendix for a PQT chronology.
b. Research Department (R&T) inquiry projects
The Research Department (R&T) has involved teachers in inquiry
approaches for 15 years. Teachers have participated in the
following BCTF Research inquiry projects, most of which have
resulted in either hard-copy or web-based reports:
• Case studies of good inclusionary practices (1992–93), in
Dawson Creek, Vancouver, Peachland, North Vancouver,
Courtenay.
• Assessment issues (1997), in 100 Mile House, Sooke,
Coquitlam, Langley, Richmond, Chilliwack.
• Literacy (1999), Vancouver teachers and parents.
• Staff Committees (2000), North Vancouver, Langley,
Central Okanagan, Campbell River, Prince George.
• Multiliteracies (2002–06), Vancouver elementary and
secondary teachers, Vancouver School Board, UBC,
University of Toronto.
• Professional conversation projects (2002–07), Coquitlam,
Nanaimo, Prince George.
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“In the Inquiry Group I feel
valued for one thing, as an
educator and as a person. I feel
validated in that I have something
to bring, that people want to hear.
I feel inspired to go and continue
to do my job. And enjoyment—
I do enjoy coming—if I didn’t
I couldn’t be here. I worked
really hard to get day care today.
Let me tell ya!”
Vancouver elementary teacher,
UBC/BCTF Multiliteracies project
2005

“The teachers who were in the
Inquiry Group have some great
ideas—it was wonderful to be
able to learn something new.”
Fraser-Cascade Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
1999
14
• A Vancouver elementary school staff’s inquiry (2007–08)
into their use of interactive whiteboards.
• Mentoring/professional conversation project for resource
teachers (2008), Kamloops.
• An inquiry study of teacher leadership (2008). In this
research we are linking teacher leaders from BC with an
aboriginal teacher leader in Hobart, Australia, and a Deputy
Principal in Scotland. All three teachers are working within
the teacher union in their respective countries.
• R&T has also participated in PQT projects such as the
Fraser-Cascade Teacher Inquiry (1999), where teachers’
research reports were published in hard copy by the BCTF.
• In collaboration with PSID staff, and with support from
university faculty from UVic and UNBC, R&T has also
launched the “Teacher Inquirer” web page (February 2008),
in which the inquiry reports of BC teachers will be
featured. The first issue includes the reports of four
teachers from Chilliwack.
c. Pilot Inquiry Projects, 2007–08
In order to model and evaluate Teacher Inquiry that involves a
joint partnership between locals, school districts, and the BCTF,
three inquiry pilots are taking place this school year:
• VESTA, exploring inclusion and equity issues
The VESTA inquiry project emerged through the union’s
call for teachers who wanted to pursue their interest in the
area of inclusion. Eight teachers who articulated questions
about various aspects of inclusion were invited to an initial
meeting. The first meeting generated an animated
discussion about the challenges of teaching diverse
learners, especially without the needed supports in place
and with too many needs in one place. Teachers have met
several times this year and have decided on a range of
approaches in which they reflect on and discuss meeting
the needs of diverse learners. One interesting discussion
emerged around the issue of being part of a “leaderless”
group. The teachers talked about how they so rarely had the
opportunity to direct their own professional lives that it was
not an easy or a comfortable role to slip into. The VESTA
inquiry group has met four times and has set up a schedule
of monthly meetings.

• North Vancouver, using inquiry, specifically
collaborative dialogue models, to sustain a culture of
professional development that fosters teaching and
learning practices
This pilot study engages teachers, school administrators,
the NVTA, BCTF, district co-ordinators, and senior
administration in a common inquiry around what a system
can do when its staff works together around a common
goal: to promote ongoing, powerful professional
development that will sustain the work of the district’s fiveyear
Instructional Institute with Barrie Bennett.
Collaborative conversations, led by members of the pilot
group and held in schools and groups throughout the
district, have been the main strategy for assessing the use of
the teaching strategies and for surfacing key professional
approaches to use in expanding the circle of teachers and
schools involved with this work. Some of the questions
being considered include: How can we build community
within our own school? How do we get all members of an
educational community to feel valued in order to promote
dialogue and make everyone feel empowered? How do we
overcome barriers in order to make collaboration happen
(i.e., time, facilitation support, relevance, and respect for all
voices)? What are the conditions that promote powerful
learning environments? The group will meet six times and
are preparing to host a joint session, using dialogue models,
at the culmination of their inquiry.
• Kootenay-Columbia, considering how to support new
teachers in secondary schools
In the Kootenay-Columbia project, the inquiry group is a
younger group of teachers, and demonstrates that union-led
inquiry can attract new and younger teachers into union
offices and activities. The areas of focus have ranged from
the pragmatic (teaching strategies and district policies) to a
more esoteric discussion on the future of teaching, using a
chapter from an Andy Hargreaves book, Teaching in the
Knowledge Society, as a basis for discussion. Meetings
alternate between the local teacher association office and a
school district centre, and both the local teacher union
president and the district assistant superintendent have been
involved in the setting up of the program and in supporting
the group.
15
“The Inquiry Group is
energizing. I guess it reminds
you why you went down that
road in the first place, and so
when you’re feeling that you just
want to go away and start
closing your door this brings you
back into it. This is the energy
behind teaching.”
Vancouver elementary teacher,
UBC/BCTF Multiliteracies project
2006

a. Projects
i. PQT projects
Current PQT
projects/approach
1. Pilot projects:
VESTA, North Vancouver,
Kootenay-Columbia
2. Ongoing PQT projects:
- Surrey, new and ongoing
groups
- Sooke, new action research
group
- Cranbrook, in process
- Conferences:
BCTF New Teachers, and
UBC “Joining Hands”
Induction/Mentoring: New
Teachers’ Conference
16
9. Proposed directions
This report has considered the utility, history, and potential of
Teacher Inquiry as one cornerstone of the BCTF’s approach to
supporting the professional development needs of its members. It
has also demonstrated that Teacher Inquiry advances the
“Support for Teaching and Learning Action Plan.” We suggest
that a strong case has been made demonstrating existing BCTF
capacity, strong member interest, and a provincial context in
which union-led inquiry can offer viable professional
development opportunities meeting both teachers’ needs and the
current goals and objectives of the BCTF.
We propose creating an Inquiry Support Initiative, consisting of
four directions:
a. Projects.
b. Co-ordination of PQT and R&T facilitation and training.
c. Publications and communication.
d. Infusing Teacher Inquiry into existing structures and
networks.
While there is a modest budget enhancement requested, much of
the funding is already in place in P540. The intent is to build
gradually in order to create a sustainable initiative. The total
2008–09 budget increase requested is $15,000.
Benefits/utility
- more than 100 teachers
engaged in BCTF
projects
- increased involvement
of locals/PD Chairs,
districts and partners
- funding by school
district and P540
allocation
- ongoing, powerful PD
- new, renewed group of
14 PQT facilitators
- mentoring and training
for PQT facilitators
2008–09 proposal
- increase to 5 “new”
pilot projects led by
staff and PQT
facilitators
(regionally
representative)
- P540 allocation
- continue to offer
local/district PQT
projects/add 5 new
PQT/Teacher Inquiry
groups
- expand opportunities
to lead Teacher
Inquiry processes
within existing PD
structures
Future benefits/utility
- expands number of
teachers and districts
involved
- builds facilitation
capacity
- provides expanded
networking base
- builds profile for BCTF
work in Teacher Inquiry
and action research

ii. Research & Technology projects
Current R&T
Inquiry projects
1. Mentoring/professional
conversation project
(Kamloops)
2. Livingstone Elementary
Interactive Whiteboards
Inquiry (VESTA)
3. Teacher leadership—
BC linked to Scotland and
Australia
Benefits/utility
- new local added
- most costs paid by
district
- facilitators trained
- PSA involved
- involves newer/
younger teachers
- collaboration with
UBC
- pioneering Wiki
documentation
- involves national
conference presentation
- data on teacher
leadership collected
- PSA involvement
- links to Scottish and
Australian teacher
unions
- extensive use of
E-luminate software
- presentation at
American Educational
Research Association
(AERA)
b. Co-ordination of PQT and R&T facilitation and training
2008–09 proposal Future benefits/utility
continue, and include - involves newer/
one new project
younger teachers
- consolidates teacher
facilitation capacity
- brings Kamloops
facilitators into existing
network
- provides materials for
web site
continue, and include - union publications on
one new project
Teacher Inquiry
- increased Wiki use and
capacity
- teachers presenting at
conferences with UBC
faculty and BCTF staff
- networking with other
teachers using
interactive whiteboards
continue - expand countries
involved
- seek funding from
SSHRC or other
national funding body
- possible access to
European Community
funding
- better understanding of
teacher leadership
within unions
- increased publications
Current projects/approach Benefits/utility 2008–09 proposal Future benefits/utility
Support for facilitation/
training/mentoring
- isolated facilitators
(PQT and R&T, plus
pilot sites)
- ad hoc training,
including Lipton/
Wellman
- expand mentoring sites
by one
- network facilitators
- develop joint
PQT/R&T training
- increases local
participation
17
- improved communication
between
facilitators across BC
- regional facilitator
cohort developed
- expands network and
adds to mentoring
expertise in a new local

c. Publications and communication
Current projects/approach Benefits/utility 2008–09 proposal Future benefits/utility
- web publications/reporting
- launch of “Teacher Inquirer”
web page with Teacher
Inquiry reports from
Chilliwack, methods page,
etc.
- wide member access to
BCTF projects
- publishing outlet for
BCTF members
- collaboration with
UVic and UNBC
faculty
18
- expand teachers’
inquiry reports on the
web page (including
PQT reports)
- promote web site in
other BCTF
communications
- reports from the
north/Vancouver
Island
- creation of resource
documents to support
Teacher Inquiry
d. Infusing Teacher Inquiry into existing structures and networks
- improved development
of “Teacher Inquirer”
- consolidate
collaboration with UVic
and UNBC
- more frequent reporting
in Teacher
newsmagazine
- more teachers
presenting at
conferences
Current projects/approach Benefits/utility 2008–09 proposal Future benefits/utility
Reporting and presentations to
PSAs, SURTs, Summer
Conference and Training, etc.
provides information to
BCTF members
- extend links to PSAs,
expand in SURTS,
Social Justice areas
- presentation of
inquiry approaches at
BCTF Summer
Conference, RAs,
etc.
- two-day seminar for
reps from LPs, PD
Chairs, PDAC,
PSAC, etc., to
consider Inquiry
approach in existing
structures.
2008–09 budget
enhancement for this
proposal:
$15,0000
- wider involvement of
members and PSAs
- providing forums for
discussion and
information for locals

10. Conclusion
This report has made a case for building on the inquiry approach to
professional development within the BCTF. The proposal requires
no increase in project funding, and proposes a modest budget
enhancement amount for a two-day seminar to consolidate and
extend the BCTF network of volunteer facilitators and to connect
the inquiry approach with a range of BCTF structures and
networks. By aiming for a limited increase in funding and by
building greater co-ordination and collaboration, the report lays the
foundation for the sustainable development of the inquiry approach
within the BCTF.
19
“On reflection, I’ve come to
realize that what began as a small
project in my classroom has had
profound effects on my teaching.
That personal journey in
professional growth left me with a
great sense of accomplishment.”
Fraser-Cascade Teacher Research,
BCTF Program for Quality Teaching
1999

References
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Appendix
Chronology of Program for Quality Teaching—Teacher Inquiry
See overleaf.
21

Launched at BCTF
Public Education
Conference
CHRONOLOGY OF PROGRAM FOR QUALITY TEACHING—TEACHER INQUIRY
Ministry Funding
Teacher Research
Groups
Pilots: Victoria &
Delta
Add: Maple Ridge
Research Evaluation
More Districts join …
Facilitator Training
Publications
• Voices of Teaching
• Call of Teaching,
etc.
More Facilitator
Training
More Districts
PROGRAM FOR QUALITY TEACHING: PQT ——————————
(classic)
Teachers “at risk” need
identified
SHORT
COURSES
1986+ Peer Consultation 1990 1995 peer
consultation
Colleague
observer
Teacher
Process
observer
2000
classroom
research?
continued…

CHRONOLOGY OF PROGRAM FOR QUALITY TEACHING—TEACHER INQUIRY
PEER SUPPORT SERVICE (PSS)
designed – piloted – launched
QUALITY TEACHING
‘WORKSHOPS’ added
2000 • Multiple Teaching
Strategies
• Classroom
Management
• Difficult Student
Behavior
• Setting the Climate
for Learning
PQT–BCTF
action research
grants ($1,000/site)
PSS
Continues . . .
Feb. 6 ’06
Teacher Inquiry
seminar to assess
& set direction
PQT: action
research grants
dropped from
PQT budget
PQT budget to continue,
recruit, and renew Teacher
Inquiry work—PQT &
BCTF Research
co-ordinator
2004 2005 2006 2007–08
… some workshops continue
(+ strategies dropped)
New added …
BCTF Teacher
Inquiry pilot projects
in VESTA, North
Vancouver and
Kootenay-Columbia

CN/af/av/bqs:tfeu NH:cep
RT08-0007
April 2008