Locating Institutional Change at the Grassroots: Communities of Inquiry and Collaborative Self-Study

Abstract

Drawing on theories and insights informing practitioner inquiry, self-study research methodology, and culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, the articles gathered in this special issue of the Journal for Research and Practice in College Teaching offer readers a mix of narrative styles, varied genres, and alternate approaches for examining the meaning and potential impacts of our instructional practices as teacher educators. Framing our efforts to bring about change as occasioned by our collective commitment to decenter teacher education with the principles of culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies, this article recounts the various iterations of our journey to becoming a community of inquiry and introduces the five self-studies that follow.