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Abstract
The purpose of this action research study was to examine the perspectives of an instructional leadership team as they fostered a culture that encouraged teachers to unlearn habits associated with isolation and to learn practices of collaboration. The theory of change was situated in the unlearning processes by segmenting new practices into manageable parts, minimizing the influence of outdated knowledge, communicating clear expectations for the newly embedded structural changes, and designing effective feedback structures to support positive experiences with new learning. Action research provided the necessary methodology for identifying practices of isolation, developing interventions to encourage collaboration, and systematically analyzing feedback provided by the participants. The findings illustrated that instructional leader actions, including facilitating time to collaborate during the school day and providing clear expectations, impacted teacher attitudes and approaches toward collaboration; intentional team building fostered a culture of trust that used collaborative planning to make teaching practices public; and, participating in collaborative planning increased experiential knowledge, which supported teacher reflection and professional dialogue.