ABSTRACT
Introduction Coaching and mentoring are well known in the business literature as strategies for induction and the development of the capacities of those engaged in learning organisations. More recently, those working in school education have turned to these powerful processes as a means of supporting practitioners at various pivotal points in their careers, whether as newly appointed teacher or as experienced school leaders (CUREE, 2005). The focus has been most often upon individual growth and development, however, my intention is to discuss a somewhat different orien - tation, that of working with a team of practitioners within a context of teacher inquiry. The process could be seen as a blend between coaching for individual development and mentoring for the support of a learning community. Effectively, the process that will be discussed is one where support is given to individual teachers who may be uncertain about the procedure that they might employ when they inquire into teaching and learning in their classrooms, while at the same time assisting a team of teachers in uncovering ways in which they plan for learning; developing, evaluating and enhancing those plans and their delivery.
