Design principles to stimulate collaborative learning in communities of teachers in school-institute partnerships

Recent trends in educational research and practice emphasize the importance of collaboration of teachers with their colleagues in learning and working communities. Another shift in teacher education is the development of school-institute partnerships, in which student teachers, teachers and supervisors learn and work together. In this study, we investigate how this collaboration in communities can be stimulated. To answer this question design principles are developed, implemented and evaluated in a small group of language teachers. The data reveal three important factors in school-institute partnerships: the role of the educator, the balance between community and individual and the hierarchical status of the group members. Finally, the community level in this group increased, especially on the dimension of group identity.