A researcher-facilitator's reflection: Implementing a Singapore case of learning study

This paper reports a researcher-facilitator's reflection of implementing a professional development approach, and serves to address the inadequate attention given to the influence of researcher-facilitators in professional development efforts. The researcher-facilitator's experiences were compared to four Grade 9-10 Singapore Science teachers participating in a variation theory-framed learning study that promoted teacher research and collaboration. Extending current understandings of implementation and sustainability challenges, an analysis employing conceptual change framework surfaced three issues, namely, the choice and role of theoretical framework, degrees of openness to differences in patterns of variation, and role of a researcher-facilitator. Insights emerging from the reflection are discussed.