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The purpose of this paper is to describe how a group of International Baccalaureate (IB) Physics teachers exercise collective agency by initiating and facilitating their own collaboration using online tools across time zones and school contexts. The paper seeks to inform teacher communities, school leaders, policy and the growing body of literature about teacher agency.

This paper uses qualitative case study approach. Data were gathered from individual interviews, classroom observations and the group’s meeting agendas, notes and reflections.

Central to the group’s work is a norm of teaching “lock-step,” meaning they teach approximately the same lesson at approximately the same time. The norm enabled them to exercise collective agency over the curriculum and professional learning by establishing conditions for sharing knowledge and experiences and fostering accountability while still allowing for some individual adaptation.

An implication for teacher communities is that the norm of lock-step may be of benefit for improving curriculum (or other educational reforms) when the intention of the norm is to advance the collective (vs marching at the same pace). The study underscores the value of school leaders providing opportunities for teacher choice and voice in the design and facilitation of their learning communities.

The case of the IB Physics group contrasts decades of research showing that teachers cling to their autonomy. Group members were willing to give up a good deal of their individual autonomy for the benefits they derived from their collaboration.

The following is an introductory profile of the fastest growing firms over the three-year period of the study listed by corporate reputation ranking order. The business activities in which the firms are engaged are outlined to provide background information for the reader.

This paper presents the viewpoint of a parent of two children with Fragile X syndrome.

The paper presents the author's views of her and her family's experience of Fragile X syndrome.

The paper provides the author's perspective on the impact that the condition has had on family life.

The paper provides a unique insight into the day-to-day experiences of a parent of two children with Fragile X syndrome.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of planners and designers in supporting residents to negotiate the challenges of rebuilding after wildfire on the urban fringe. The research seeks to understand how planning and design professionals, in providing professional services, comprehend the changing expectations of residents transitioning from emergency to the slow process of achieving a post fire normal state through the project of redesigning their homes.

This paper uses semi-structured interviews to examine the role of planners and designers employed to facilitate and assess, or provide design services for residents who rebuilt houses after the 2003 bushfires in Canberra, Australia’s Capital City. Narrative analysis was used to identify emerging themes based on their professional experiences during the redevelopment of the suburb.

Case analysis shows that external influences were significant contributing factors in determining the design of houses rebuilt after the fires. The goal for both the designers and residents was to design a more sustainable built form; however, this was not achieved as external social and cultural influences came into the decision-making process.

The paper provides a different perspective on the competing goals planners and designers face in supporting residents to rebuild after disasters such as wild fires. It highlights the changing nature of the relationship between professionals and community. In particular, the research suggests planners can play an important role as observers and facilitators of long-term change occurring in the years after wildfire. The research provides insights into how planners and building designers may better serve the community by gaining a better understanding of the changing nature of redevelopment over time.

The research provides a novel approach to understanding the challenges facing planners and building designers working with residents to rebuild houses after wildfire. The paper makes the case for a better understanding of the temporal dynamics and external influences affecting decision making in post disaster redevelopment of homes.