Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2006, pp. 51–67 ISSN 1354-0602 (print)/ISSN 1470-1278 (online)/06/010051–17 © 2006 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/13450600500365403 Knowledge construction in collaborative enquiry among teachers 1 Harm Tillema* and Gert J. van der Westhuizen Leiden University, The Netherlands; University of Johannesburg, South Africa Taylor and Francis Ltd CTAT_A_136523.sgm 10.1080/13450600500365403 Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice 1354-0602 (print)/1470-1278 (online) Original Article 2006 Taylor & Francis 12 1 000000December 2005 HarmTillema tillema@fsw.leidenuniv.nl In this article knowledge productivity, a process that creates conceptual artifacts, is used as a way to investigate the outcomes of collaborative and enquiry-oriented activity by teaching professionals. It is an outcome of the motivation to learn (self-regulation) in that it studies the issues from different professional perspectives (reflection on action) while aiming towards the construction of new knowledge and understanding (conceptual change). A team approach was used in order to examine how teachers working together as a team could become knowledge-productive learners in their work environment. In three different cases the outcomes of the study team process were evaluated against three different criteria of knowledge productivity: (a) improving knowledge and understanding; (b) shifting individual perspectives; (c) achieving commitment to the outcomes for professional prac- tice. Process accounts and retrospective evaluations by the three study teams themselves were the basis for judging evidence of knowledge productivity. The approach has revealed insights into ways in which the teachers accepted the study team’s (collaborative) outcomes, especially their initial (un)easiness for sharing existing knowledge and their (un)certainties about practicing the results of their collaborative enquiry. Keywords: Teacher knowledge construction; Learning in teams; Collaborative enquiry; Study teams; Knowledge productivity; Perspective shift Introduction Collaborative enquiry is regarded in many models of teacher professional develop- ment as an important means for enhancing teacher professional growth (Putnam & Borko, 2000; Cobb et al., 2003). It is expected to result in meaningful shifts in teacher practice as well as other positive outcomes. Evidence exists for this in the literature on knowledge construction by teachers (Woods et al., 1997; Hamilton, 1998; Day, 1999; Loughran, 2003). In collaborative learning communities (Cobb * Corresponding author. Department of Education, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, NL 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. E-mail: tillema@fsw.leidenuniv.nl