A collaborative professional development model for rapid collaborative knowledge improvement in Singapore schools

Abstract

Rapid Collaborative Knowledge Improvement (RCKI) is a pedagogical approach for designing computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) activities in the classroom. We have conducted design-based research on RCKI using the software called GroupScribbles (GS) in a few Singapore schools for over four years. For professional development of the teachers, a collaborative-apprenticeship learning (CAL) model is adopted in which researchers and teachers collaborate via reciprocal interactions on joint activities towards mutual understanding on innovative practices premised on RCKI principles. The findings show that the CAL model helps teachers develop RCKI principled-based understanding and improve the enactment of the innovations in their classrooms.