School‐based teacher development through a school–university collaborative project: a case study of a recent initiative in China

School‐based curriculum development has been a highlight of China's new curriculum reform since 1999. This reform introduces a curriculum policy change towards devolving partial power in curriculum decision‐making to teachers, and invites their active involvement in transforming their role from being book‐knowledge transmitters to curriculum developers. This paper describes an action‐research project based on a school–university collaborative effort to build teacher's practical, personal reflective experience, and understanding of both the new concept of school‐based curriculum development and the wider curriculum reform. How such Western concepts as school‐based curriculum development and reflective practice can be adapted and transformed in the Chinese context is examined.