Face-work in teacher learning from problems of practice

Teachers' collaborative learning from problems of practice is beneficial to their professional development. Such learning cannot be taken for granted in the typical school culture, however, as sharing problems exposes teachers' work to scrutiny and criticism and may threaten the teachers' face. This study examines under which circumstances face-work is involved in teachers' discussion of problems of practice, based on interviews with leading teachers and observations of in-school meetings they led. Initial findings point to four major circumstances: (1) type of representation discussed (e.g., classroom video recordings, narrated case studies, or artifacts of student work); (2) group goal orientation (e.g., developing expertise versus demonstrating expertise); (3) group composition and micropolitics in terms of teacher seniority and administrative roles; and (4) group maturation over time. The study advances our understanding of the socio-emotional processes involved in teacher collaborative learning, specifically the role of face-work in group discussion of problems of practice. On a practical level, understanding how and when face-work is involved in teacher discussions can help us better design and facilitate teacher collaborative learning.