Together We Teach: Teachers' Experiences with Collaborative Professional Development

Teacher professional development is essential for enhancing instructional effectiveness, improving student outcomes, and strengthening overall teaching quality. This study explored the lived experiences of teachers participating in collaborative professional development (CPD) at Kiamba 2 District, Division of Sarangani. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, utilizing in-depth interviews and thematic analysis to capture detailed, reflective accounts of participants’ experiences. Ten teachers took part in the study. As to teachers’ views on collaborative professional development, the themes included gained confidence, perceived growth, viewed teaching efficiency, valued innovation and collaboration, thoughts on collaboration, student-centered beliefs, and standpoints toward application. As to teachers’ feelings about collaborative professional development, the themes were positive emotions, sense of support, driven by collaboration, sense of gratitude, recognition of growth, uplifted progress, and endured team frustrations. As to teachers’ insights on the impact of collaborative professional development, the themes included uncovered stress relief, discovered collaborative solutions, gained relational understanding, discovered work efficiency, embracing lifelong growth, and enriched teaching insight. These results contribute to understanding how structured collaborative learning experiences shape teachers’ professional development within basic education contexts and emphasize the value of sustained collegial engagement in improving teaching practice and fostering continuous professional growth.