Promoting teacher collaboration through joint lesson planning: Challenges and coping strategies

This study investigated how a group of English teachers engaged in collaboration through joint lesson planning in a Chinese school. Drawing on data from interviews and field observation, the findings indicate that the establishment of a teacher collaborative culture is a developmental process permeated with various contextual challenges (i.e., a lack of structural conditions, superficial collaboration, and homogeneity of teachers) over time. In face of the challenges, the teachers and school leaders adopted appropriate coping strategies resulting in their collaborative practice and learning. The study concludes with some implications on how to promote teacher collaboration and facilitate teachers’ continuing development. Copyright © 2016 De La Salle University.