In the late 1980s Julian Edge started working on a discourse framework to facilitate the professional development of teachers (and professionals generally) engaged in reflective practice or action research. He named it Cooperative Development (Edge 1992, 2002). The approach is grounded in the non-judgmental philosophy of Carl Rogers (Rogers 1969, 1980; Rogers and Freiberg 1994), and in further elaboration of this approach by Curran (e.g., 1972; 1976).

The principle underpinning Cooperative Development is that, through adopting a certain style of speaking and listening to colleagues for agreed periods of time, motivated professionals can take individual control of their own development and increase the feeling of collegiality in their workplace. The key theme of this approach is the power of non-judgmental communication to facilitate the development of ideas and action, accessing both cognitive and emotional intelligence.

The purpose of this website is to support the dissemination of these ideas, attitudes and practices among teachers, researchers and other professionals worldwide.