This research and development collaboration between Canterbury Christ Church University and Cardiff Metropolitan University aims to create a framework for teacher professional development in Wales, focusing on disciplinary and interdisciplinary teacher-teacher dialogue. It addresses a gap in understanding and implementing interdisciplinary education within the Curriculum for Wales, an education reform legislation passed in 2021.

Under this curriculum, teachers of different subjects are expected to work together to organize principles of pupil progression within six Areas of Learning Experience (AoLE) with autonomy and agency. However, there is concern among educators that interdisciplinary collaboration may lack depth if teachers are not given the time, space, and opportunity to carefully plan together.

The project starts with a survey fielded to teachers at 180 schools in Wales to capture teachers’ reports of the frequency and quality of teacher-teacher dialogue opportunities. The project team, led by Bob Bowie and Mary Woolley, will work with teachers in 4 schools, first in a micro-study in one school, then a macro-study across 3 further schools. The project will introduce teachers to new knowledge on the subject of Sustainability and Climate Change Education (SCCE), then explore how teachers talk about and respond to that new knowledge in disciplinary and interdisciplinary settings.

The project will specifically address interdisciplinary collaboration across Science and Humanities AoLEs, spotlighting the subject of Religion, Values, and Ethics (RVE). It is hoped that attending to teachers of RVE, particularly through the focus on SCCE, will demonstrate the value and importance of the subject to the curriculum.

The final phase focuses on disseminating data-rich academic and professional resources to raise the profile of teacher-teacher dialogue as a practice for effective teaching and curriculum planning.

The team hopes the research and resources resulting from the project will exemplify the benefits of fostering meaningful teacher-teacher planning and collaboration in Wales and beyond.