Learning-for-teaching across educational boundaries: An activity-theoretical analysis of collaborative internship projects in initial teacher education

The innovative Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme at the University of Luxembourg strives to interrelate academic concerns with school activities through joint learning spaces where students, academic tutor and internship teacher collaborate and create shared practices with regard to the core learning object of the semester.
Conceived as a boundary crossing research assignment, the “Collaborative Classroom Inquiry” (CCI) mediates learning and development within and beyond this boundary zone. As an educational tool, the CCI crosses institutional boundaries and generates contradictions among the collaborating partners, which may be seen as a promising starting point for creating mutually relevant practices within and beyond this joint learning space, but also bearing considerable potential for breakdowns of further collaborations. The present paper scrutinises the innovative potential of the CCI for generating change and development among the interacting partners through