Teachers’ collective learning: To what extent do facilitators stimulate the use of social context, theory, and practice as sources for learning?

Teachers' collective learning supports teachers to use social, theory, and practice as sources for learning. The aim of the current study is to explore to what extent facilitators support teachers’ collective learning and stimulate these sources for learning. Findings showed that facilitators paid sufficient attention to social and practice sources for learning but paid little attention to theory which hampered the inquisitive dialogue about shared vision, collective actions, and evaluation and reflection. Facilitators, who concentrated on student learning processes, focused more on monitoring collective learning and supporting meaning-oriented reflection than facilitators who concentrated on learning activities. •Optimal Teacher Collective Learning includes social, personal and theory sources for learning.•Facilitators' meta-cognitive questions are driving forces for Teachers' Collective Learning.•Focus on students' learning processes enables facilitators to take the monitor role.•Theory as a source for learning improves the inquisitive dialogue.