Understanding the effectiveness of collaborative activity in online professional development with innovative educators through intersubjectivity

Effectiveness of professional development is affected by the quality of social interaction. This study examines how online collaborative dialogues might influence teachers' decisions in their classrooms -sometimes hurting when not appropriated well. This study extends principal sociocultural approaches to cognitive concepts of intersubjectivity and activity through illustrations of empirical data. Part of a larger innovative professional development involving four classroom locations across Missouri, synchronous chatroom dialogues comprising teachers and researchers, and pre- and post-unit interviews underwent qualitative discourse and focused microanalyses. We argue that teachers purposefully used their dynamic intersubjective spaces and strategies in the management of meaning-making negotiations within an online interactive environment. The findings reveal two novel variable forms of intersubjectivity: (a) temporary suspension, and (b) resistance and disagreement. These findings provide useful implications for advanced applications and developments with information communication technology in innovations for enhanced learning and teaching as they relate to the evaluation of teacher effectiveness in implementing collaborative online problem-based activities.