Learning in the workplace through partnerships

Abstract

This article examines how a partnership between schools and external organisation provide learning opportunities for teachers and other partners to develop new competencies and practices. The partnership was formed between a school, science centre, community social service agency and education research institute to design programmes to improve lower-track students science learning and well-being. Using a design-based implementation research methodology, the partnership sought to design, implement, and evaluate innovative tinkering-based science lessons iteratively while learning about the profile of the lower-track students. Over the span of three and a half years of the partnership, we documented the partnership process, meetings, lesson design and enactments, and interviews with students and partners. We found that the learning outcomes of the partnership included the development of skills for design, new practices and changed mindsets about failure which was facilitated by collectively building capacity in the partnership and developing the understanding of students. Through a social cultural lens of collaboration, context, and tools, we found that participating in partnerships can move members towards the development of knowledge, practices, and experience that they contribute to the growth of other members in culture of sharing, openness, and power balance.