This book examines teachers' lounges as sites for the development of communal knowledge. It highlights data from surveys of teachers regarding their interactions in 26 elementary and secondary teachers' lounges in Israeli schools. The book regards teachers in lounges as learners, whether they are involved in formal professional development activities or in informal exchanges with their colleagues. There are nine chapters: (1) "Modes of Inquiry"; (2) "Social Situations"; (3) "Dramatic Language"; (4) "Blurring of Boundaries"; (5) "Metaphors and Monologues"; (6) "Teachers' Perception of Lounges and Student Achievement"; (7) "Principals in the Teachers' Lounge: Intruders or Colleagues?" (8) "Professional Communities and Teacher Development"; and (9) "Implications for Teacher Education." An epilogue presents "Paradoxes in the Lounge." Two appendixes present a description of the location and interior design of some teachers' lounges in Israel and a copy of the teacher questionnaire. (Contains approximately 90 references.) (SM)