Un/comfortable Collaborative Inquiry

This qualitative case study describes the ways in which a group of art educators who were engaged in collaborative inquiry privileged sameness, downplayed difference, self-silenced, and “played nice” in attempt to gain acceptance and support from the other group members. The author argues that the group avoided complicated conversations and overlooked points of disagreement, despite the generative possibilities such conversations may hold for deep collaboration that challenges teachers’ existing ideas or beliefs before yielding to shared understandings. The author makes recommendations about the ways that group introductions, the use of protocols, and the role of facilitator may help foster group members’ willingness to engage in complicated conversations as part of deep collaboration and transformative professional learning.