#100: Teacher Autonomy in Organized Informal Learning

Researchers often refer to teacher autonomy in either how they learn in professional development or how they make choices about what and how to teach. These two areas of teacher autonomy are usually studied separately, which we argue is problematic, and thus bring them together. We focus on a 4-day summer workshop where teachers were given unusually high levels of freedom to set their own goals and learning. By looking at the choices teachers made we explore what it means for teachers to exercise different kinds of professional judgment. We draw on Boote’s (2006) idea of professional discretion, illustrating how some relied on existing materials and organized them for their classrooms, while others developed new materials that addressed local student needs. By examining these choices, we highlight potential opportunities for how teacher autonomy can be supported to foster more innovative professional practice.