Abstract
Policy-based initiatives can encourage professional development and curriculum innovation. By means of in-depth interviews, focus group interviews, and document analyses, this case study investigated the interplay among professional growth, construction of professional learning community, and innovative teaching in a high school team for “the high scope program.” On the basis of the activity theory and the expansive learning model, the findings showed that to accomplish the policy objectives of the program, a program activity system emerged, which precipitated the formation of the aforementioned interplay. The artifacts generated in this system included meetings, lesson plans, and critical questions. They helped solve contradictions among the entities of program activities. The team also built a platform for collegial discussion, question analyses, lesson plan design and revision, and reflection. The process demonstrated the expansive learning cycle of the team that integrated individual actions into collective activities. The outcomes of such a cycle included mastery of inquiry-based teaching methods and creation of curriculum modules for innovative teaching. The university scholars provided scaffolds of challenges and conflicts to facilitate the professional development of the team. Through negotiations and constructive actions in the professional learning community, the team engaged in boundary-crossing collaboration which constantly pushed the team’s epistemic horizon, and thus fostered individual as well as collective professional growth.