Continuing Cooperative Development: A Discourse Framework for Individuals as Colleagues by Julian Edge (31-Mar-2002) Paperback

by Julian Edge

In Continuing Cooperative Development, a series of guided tasks helps the reader acquire specific skills of listening and responding that, in turn, help a speaker to express and articulate thoughts and plans that lie just beyond what they knew that they knew.By adopting a certain style of speaking and listening to colleagues for agreed periods of time, motivated professionals can take individual control of their own development and increase the feeling of collegiality in their workplace. Continuing Cooperative Development draws on Edge's experience of more than ten years using this framework worldwide and provides authentic examples to guide the reader. This interactive framework is demonstrated in the book as part of a reflective teaching approach in response to everyday classroom problems, and also as part of a more formal, action-research approach to the formulation of local educational theory.The key theme of this book is the power of non-judgmental discourse to facilitate the development of ideas and action, accessing both cognitive and emotional intelligence. The transcribed and interpreted data of authentic interactions from the Americas, Europe, and Asia serve as evidence for the argument and as guidelines for implementation.The work is set in the field of TESOL, although its relevance reaches across discipline boundaries. The teachers featured in the book have duties ranging from the instruction of young learners to the supervision of doctoral research. The common denominator is that these people are motivated educators, committed to extending their own understanding and developing their own style of being an aware professional.

Paperback

First published March 6, 2002

About the author

I have been involved in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) since 1969, with an increasing engagement in teacher education in that field. I am fascinated by the interaction between personal development and professional development, and by how individual development is best achieved in social interaction. That is very much the focus of my 2002 book, Continuing Cooperative Development. Mind you, I also love a good story, and I find that my writing has moved more and more away from academic prose towards the sharing of experience and the shared attempt to make sense of it. In my 2011 book, The Reflexive Teacher Educator, I use re-interpretations of the myths of Icarus and Narcissus, as well as snippets from my own mental cowboy movie, to sketch a picture of TESOL teacher education as I have shaped my version of it, and it has shaped my working life. If you find that any of this resonates with you, you can contact me at julian.edge@manchester.ac.uk