Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Educational Reform, Coherent Teaching Practice, and Improved Student Learning

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• Johnston, M., & The Educators for Collaborative Change. (1997). Contradictions in collaboration: New thinking on school/university partnerships. New York: Teachers College Press.

This book is written collaboratively by the participants in a six-year longitudinal study of collaboration in a professional development school (PDS). The authors are a university professor, researchers, graduate students, and classroom teachers. The text is interspersed with academic asides, which connect the experiences of the group with relevant research literature. Between the chapters are "interludes with a metaphor," which extend the thinking about the experience of the PDS. The book looks at issues and problems in collaboration and at the results of a research project to study collaboration as it developed. Three primary ideas shape the understanding of collaborationÑdifferences, tensions, and dialogue. Differences between university and school perspectives were first thought of as conflicts to be overcome, but, over time, the idea of learning from tensions emerged and guided the group's thinking about differences. Differences challenged thinking and created a productive tension in which perspectives could be examined. Tensions are commonplace in collaboration and include challenge-support, individuality-community, openness-focus, and so on. Dialogue was the means by which the group examined and learned from the differences. Two case studies are presented in the second part of the book. The concept of collaboration is illuminated through the experiences and reflections of the multiple authors.

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