In his concluding chapter entitled, Implementing Change, Cooper speaks about the need for change, but also lists a variety of strategies for implementing change in relation to teachers, students and parents. In my opinion, the education system has drastically changed since my time in elementary school. In my experience, the teacher was always an authoritative figure in the classroom, now it seems the teacher’s role has moved into the realms of facilitator. In this final chapter, Cooper, on page 243, expands on the use of the pronoun “we”, claiming, “teacher and students working collaboratively are equally responsible for a positive learning environment” (243). Of course, numerous schools across Ontario have attempted to restructure, and update their curriculum with the idea of Assessment for Learning at the forefront, yet such initiative often experience the “implementation dip” as per mentioned on page 242, which leads to the initiative faltering. In such cases, it can easily be argued that teachers, principals, and administrative staff were unaware that change often requires modification. In this final chapter, Cooper explains that successful change is a long-term goal, and provides the guidelines to achieve successful change.
First, in the sub-section titled: Teacher-Initiated Assessment Reform, Cooper explores the idea of support and maintains “planning together, perhaps observing each other teach a class, debriefing what worked and what problems occurred, and them problem solving to refine the strategy are all opportunities for teachers to learn from each other” (242). This easily relates to the third point raised by Cooper. The idea of collaboration is essential, and as mentioned in the text, a high school setting is often appropriate to begin discussing change because teachers from a same department may want to group together to develop a curriculum that promotes student engagement. Of course, this does not mean you have to shy away from the advice of other teachers from different departments. On the other hand, this can be quite beneficial because the different ideas and perspectives might provide further insight, and in addition, might increase the level of success. In my opinion, teachers need to collaborate in order to have a successful classroom. Collaboration is key at Pinecrest and this idea is apparent throughout the school. It is clear that the teachers, and administrative staff all work together to achieve a common goal, student success. Although this example might seem quite mundane compared to other visible acts of collaboration, during our math lesson, Ms. Bergquist collaborates with another math teacher to create a lesson that is both stimulating and educational for the students. This method proves to be quite effective since this is a split grade 3 and 4 class. During their prep. period, they both take the time to talk about the lesson, and start planning a lessons for the next day's class. Often, however, you may encounter teachers and other professionals who are for a lack of better words, resistant to change. As per claimed by Jessica Bohn, “veteran teachers are likely to resist change because they believe that traditional methods are best. These teachers are not simply trying to be difficult; they've most likely had success with their tried-and-true lessons and strategies, and so change may seem unnecessary or overwhelming” (2014). In such case, it is important to stress the fourth point raised by Cooper, which is staying the course. Experienced professionals may not be able to see the immediate benefits of change because they are used to working alone, but it is important to remember that collaboration is essential for school-wide improvement. Briefly, while this article speaks about implementing change, it is not limited to collaboration. In this final chapter, Cooper explores proper implementation and how teachers, the school, and the administration all have a role to play in this initiative. Citation: Bohn, J. (2014, February 13). Turning Resistant Teachers into Resilient Teachers. Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/910-bohn.aspx
1 Comment
linda radford
11/14/2015 04:18:15 pm
So interesting to hear about the how the teachers at Pinecrest are working together. Thanks for the reference to the Bohn article. It looks interesting!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
November 2015
Categories |