Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Into iPad Use in Grade 3 Classrooms - Mobilizing Knowledge Through a Long-term School-University Partnership

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben

Longitudinal case study findings report how Grade 3 teachers implemented iPads in Language Arts through a collaborative teacher inquiry model and a school-university partnership. The study examined factors shaping collaboration and documented outcomes including increased teacher sharing of iPad implementation strategies and developing leadership skills. Reciprocal digital pedagogy learning emerged as a key, unexpected benefit for university researchers, who integrated insights into pre-service education classes. Results highlight school-university partnerships as a pathway to narrow the theory-practice gap in technology-enhanced learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry

School-University Partnerships

Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Into iPad Use in Grade 3 Classrooms: Mobilizing Knowledge Through a Long-term School-University Partnership Ruth McQuirter Scott Brock University Donna Dortmans Brock University Cathy Rath Halton Catholic District School Board Nancy Meeussen Halton Catholic District School Board Jennifer Boin Halton Catholic District School Board Abstract In this paper, we report on a longitudinal case study exploring Grade 3 teachers’implementation of iPads in the Language Arts classroom. A school-university partnership was formed based on a collaborative teacher inquiry model. We examined factors that shaped our collaboration. The project resulted in greater teacher sharing of iPad implementation strategies and growth in leadership skills among the teachers. A surprising finding was the degree of reciprocal learning about digital pedagogy that the university researchers experienced during the study and were able to share with their Pre-service Education classes. We emphasize the potential of school-university partnerships for narrowing the current gap between theory and practice in technologyenhanced learning. Keywords: school-university partnership, collaborative teacher inquiry, knowledge mobilization, technology integration, iPads in education, school-based professional development Ruth McQuirter Scott is Professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University. Her research and teaching interests focus on technology in education, word study, and language arts instruction. E-mail: [rmcquirter@brocku.ca](rmcquirter@brocku.ca) Donna Dortmans is a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University. She teaches courses on assessment and is also a research assistant. Cathy Rath, Nancy Meeussen, and Jennifer Boin are elementary teachers in the Halton Catholic District School Board. They have an interest in the effective implementation of technology in all subject areas of their program. Introduction Digital technology has the potential to reform classrooms in ways that were seldom considered before the beginning of the 21st century. The fundamental role of teachers in technology-enabled classrooms is transformed from that of gatekeepers of knowledge to resource managers and design consultants (Knoble & Wilbur, 2009) . Digital devices such as iPads allow students to interact with multimodal texts, collaborate with peers on a local and global scale, and choose multiple ways to demonstrate their learning. Governments and school boards in Canada and the United States have made substantial investments in technology (Herold, 2015; People for Education, 2014) . Technology implementation, however, has lagged in many schools and established teaching practices have not been challenged or transformed (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010; Herold, 2015) . The gap between the potential of technology and its effective use in educational settings is an issue that needs to be addressed for students of all ages. Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Recent studies recommended that professional development in technology be schoolbased and adapted to the needs of the teachers and students in the school (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2013; Fisher & Rosenthal Tolisano, 2014) . Hughes (2005) identifies collaborative teacher inquiry as an approach to professional learning that holds strong potential for technology integration. Teachers can focus on shared problems of practice (Palmisano, 2013) in a collegial setting where they can own the initiative instead of being confined by system-driven, top-down mandates (Cody, 2013) . Credibility increases when individual teachers report on their classroom experiences with technology (Hobson, 2001) and an atmosphere of trust is established through which risk and uncertainty are valued and supported (Snow-Gerono, 2005) . Collaborative teacher inquiry projects may also involve collaboration with academic researchers. The initiative may begin with th

FAQs

What was the purpose of the longitudinal study in Grade 3 classrooms?

The study explored how Grade 3 teachers implemented iPads in the Language Arts classroom through a collaborative teacher inquiry model.

How was the school-university partnership structured in the project?

The partnership was formed collaboratively and involved examining factors that shaped teamwork, with university researchers acting as learners alongside teachers.

What were the major outcomes for teachers and university researchers?

Teachers increased sharing of iPad implementation strategies and developed leadership skills. University researchers also experienced reciprocal learning about digital pedagogy and shared it with pre-service education classes.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben