The purpose of this research is to describe how a university doctoral research team entered into a collaborative research partnership with a Midwestern rural school district to work with an eighth-grade team of teachers (teacher team) to think differently about their pedagogical practices in their non-AYP, low socioeconomic status middle school.

The findings indicate the importance of using an AI methodology when whole groups want to change yet seem mired in traditional behavioral patterns reinforced by a stagnant organizational culture. Progressive AI meetings were conducted with the eighth-grade team where the AI 4-D Cycle process became the catalyst for team change. Follow-up semi-structured interviews with the teacher team indicated their sustained excitement with the AI 4-D Cycle and provided feedback for future progressive AI meetings