Orbit, 1994

56 Pages·1994·4.8 MB·English

by  Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

The
Changing Role
of the Teacher
1
©MET VOLUME25,NUMBER4 1994
Aco-publicationoftheOntarioInstituteforStudies The Changing Role ofthe Teacher
inEducationandNelsonCanada GuestEditors:MaryBeattieandPaulShaw
EDITORIALOFFICES:
ORBIT
252BloorStreetWest
Toronto,Ontario,M5S1V6 1 Introduction-PaulShawandMaryBeattie
EDITOR:HeatherBerkeley
AeSdSiItSoTrAiNaTlEbDoIaTrOdR::PDaounlnaaBoHuurtnceh,inAsmyCasey, 2 TheChangingWorldofTeachinginthe1990s:Helping
ArdraCole,GeorgeDei,DaveHunt,ClareKosnik, TeachersMakeChangesThemselves-AndyHargreaves
ArthurKruger,HowardRussell,ValRossand
RgtyurptaehpshSeictocttitD,nEgSI:GAN:mhHeelimmutTyWp.esWetetyienrgst&raDhessign 6 CFuolnlcaenp-tuCaolnidzucitnegdtbhyeGTueeascthEedrit’osrsRoMlaer:yABenatItniteeravnidewPawuilthSMhiacwhael
© Printedandboundin Canada 9 TheRoleoftheTeacher:VoicesofOntarians-NancyWatson
byThistlePrinting
onrecycledpaper 12 TheNeedforSystemicChange:AnOTFDialogueonthe
S$3U8B.S5C2RIpPeTrIsOuNbsRcArTiEpSt:ionyear(4issues).Inch1%GST TNeaancchyerW’asnCnhaamnagkienrg,RLoaluere-nGtuJeosntcaEsd,itAobrPDauukalcSzh,aJwoewiAtthkinson,
Toorder:Mailchequeormoneyorderto andBobGarthson
ORBIT
PT.oOr.onBtoo,xO1n0t,arSitoa,tiMon4FY2L4 16 TeacherLeadershipUnderDifficultConditions:Personaland
Phone:[phone] ProfessionalCostsandBenefits-NinaBascia
Fax:[phone]
SIeScSoNnd00C3l0a-s4s4M3a3il04RegistrationNumber451 18 M-iDdidalneebGurireyveS,cPheogogly:MAorPrliascoen,WhaenrdeStTaefafchers’VoicesAreHeard
21 OurSchoolsOurSelves:TheStoryofaNewTeacher-LauraFord
NOTESFROMTHE DIRECTOR andLisaBetaFord
23 DevelopingCommunitiesofInquiry:TeachersasResearchers
TcehnitsrailsstuoepiocfsOinrbeidtucaadtdiroensaslesreofnoermof—thheomwostto -DavidBoothandGordonWells
eofngcalgaesstrhoeomfultleaccohmermsitinmesncthoaolndimpparrtoivceimpaetnito.n 28 TheTeacherinaLearningOrganization:AHolisticView
TlihgehtisosfuethteakreescoonmmaednddiatitoinoanlssiogfnitfhiecaRncoeyailn -BridgetHarrisonandRichardFrise
CraotmimngisthseiotenacohninLgeparronfiensgsiaonimfeordtahterneeixntvciegno-- 30 BecomingTeacherResearchers:BringingAboutChangesin
turyT.heguesteditors, Dr. PaulShawofthe ClassroomPrograms—VickyHopton
OBenattatriieooTfetahceheFrasc’ultFyedoefraEtdiuocnatiaonnd,DUrn.ivMerasriy- 31 NewWaysofRelatingtoEachOther:TeachersInitiatingChange
tyofToronto,havebroughttogetheroutstand- withtheTransitionYears-MaryCurran
ingtheoristsandpractitionersintheeducation
ftiheeldtetaochreerf’lseccthoanngtihnegcroolmep.lTehxeydihmaevnesicornesateodf 33 DevelopingaNewProfessionalism:CollaborationforLifelong
anissuewhichisrichinconceptualdetailand Learning-FlaviaChurchill
inexamplesofnewclassroompractices.
HarHgirgehalviegsht,sDianvcliuddeBocoontthr,ibGutoirodnsonbyWeAlnldsy, 35 TransformingTeachers’Work:ChangingtheReportingProcess
MichaelFullan,andMalcolmLevin.Itisnot -DianeCarterandJimGiles
anexaggeration to saythattheseOISEand
FimneEntUth.TeOpfvraeocruvaliltnlycetahrieenilesefsafudoeretrrssepairtnetsseecrnhntoastoilaonniamelxplcryiotvaienn-dg 37 MSealkf-iNnargraBtuitvete-rfC.lyT.APrattr(iMckBDAi)a:moTneadcherDevelopmentThrough
collaborationofclassroomteachers working
jhweiactvth,eOprTreoFtfu’erssnseCodrrestaotoicfnlgOasaIsSCrEuolotamunsrdewiogtfrhaCdhnuaaentwegseidPwerahoso-, 40 CEdeunctartieodnaOlbCshearnvgaeti-onWsy:nnTeeaBclhaeirrsEmbracingSocietaland
andteachereducators andresearchersatthe
FacultyofEducationcommittedtoeducation- 43 BecomingaMindfulTeacher:RelatingWhatWeKnowtoWhat
alrWeneewaalr.epleasedtobringthisissuetothe WeDo-RobertP.Parker
discussionofthechangingroAlnegoefltaheHtieladcyhearr.d 45 NewWineinOldBottles:TheLimitsofSchoolReformation
ActingDirector -MalcolmA.Levin
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The Changing Role
of the Teacher
INTRODUCTION
his issueofOrbit, onTheChanging andsocietyaswellasthosefactors,par- that have to be made in increasingly
TRole ofthe Teacher, contributes to ticularly school-community relation- complexsituations.
thedialoguethatisnowtakingplace, ships, that might reinforce and support Thechallenges raisedby ourauthors
schoolbyschool, acrosstheprovince,as theproposedchanges. clearly suggest that the school cannot
teachers seek to redefine their valued continue tofunction with acompressed
role. The Royal Commission on Learn- academic and supervisory day where
ing, which released its report to the teachers do not have time fortheirpro-
OntariopubliconJanuary26, 1995gives fessionalworkandlearning.
this dialogue an even greater sense of
urgencyandmakesthis Orbitissueeven MaryBeattie,GuestEditor
more timely. The report has helped to
shine the spotlighton the—importanceof Assistant,Professor,Facultyof
teachers’ professionalism on theneed Education, UniversityofToronto
for improved teacherpreparation, fora
renewed commitment to lifelong learn- tisevidentthatwearepartofaglobal
ing,andforupdatingtheirqualifications. Imovementto rethink the role ofthe
Thebackdrop to theteacher’s chang- Ischool in society andtherole ofthe
ing role is societal change and the new teacher in the school. It is also evident
demands placedon school administrators thatitis timeforintegration, co-opera-
and teachers to review curriculum, to tion,andrespectfortheunityofthings.
demonstrate learning outcomes forstu- Weneedtobecomere-unit—edwithour
dents,andtoprovideassurancethatteach- PaulShaw,GuestEditor innerselves and withothers tomake
ers arecurrentand competent in subject connections between learning and life,
mattersandteachingskills.Theteacher’s Co-ordinator, between schooling and education, and
changing world and changing role, and CreatingaCultureofChange, betweentheknowerandtheknown.The
the new realities ofschools and class- OntarioTeachers’Federation way forward lies in understanding the
rooms, arehighlighted in theissue’sfirst wholeness ofhuman experience, and in
section. Across Ontario, teachers, principals, the connections wecan make witheach
Thenextfoursectionshighlightsome and othereducators are beginning other, and with the environment we
oftheevolvingnewdimensionsofteach- toredefinetheworkoftheschool. inhabit.
ers’ classroom practice. Leading schol- Itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatthe
ars, school administrators, and teachers importantdecision-making,learning,and
discussthecomplexitiesofteacherlead- informed practice necessary forschools
ership and the need forempowerment, toadapttoandaccommodatechangesin
howtocultivatecommunitiesofinquiry both student needs and in society itself
inwhichteachersareresearchersoftheir bestoccuratthepointofaction,thelocal
own practice, and how to realize new school.
collaborativeroles forteachers in devel- Inthisedition,ourauthorssharemost
opingcurriculum, instructional methods, vividly the issues that confronttoday’s
and student assessment. A final section teacherandprovide practical examples
looksatteachers’practicesfordeepening anddescriptionsofthechangingworkof
theirreflectiveawarenessoftheirrolein theteacher.
the classroom and their impacton stu- Apparent in these descriptions are
dents’learningandlives. images ofteachers working collabora-
The issue ends with a sobering re- tivelytodevelop,refine,question,exam-
minderofthe pressures and resistances ine, reflect, andevaluatebothclassroom
to change within the education system practices and the informedjudgments
ORBIT 1
SECTION
1
Die Changing World
Social
Changeand
of Teaching in the 1990s
New
Demands
HelpingTeachersMakeChangesThemselves
AndyHargreaves matter. Teachers frequently regard such
imposedchangesasunworkable,unintel-
APdrmoifneisssotrr,atDieonp,arOtImSeEntofEducational ligiOblfe,cooruraslei,enittowtohuelirdobwenupnufrapiorsetso.say
thatteachers seeall imposedchanges as
eachersareconstantlybeingtoldthey abstractand alien. Where thesechanges
Thavetochangetowakeuptothechal- make sense in terms ofthe changing
lengesofthe21stcentury. They are classroom problems and realities that
beingurgedtocreatestudents withmore teachers are themselves experiencing,
flexibleskills forthehigh-tech, informa- thenteachersarelikelytoembracethem
tion-based, postindustrial economy. morepositively. Recentyears haveseen
Teachersarehavingtorespondtopolicy- many adjustments ofthis sort. Teachers
makers’ passionsformoreheterogeneous
classes, more integratedcurricula, more
personalizedprograms oflearning, and
morediversifiedformsofassessment. At P
the sametime, they mustalsocopewith
seemingly contradictory obsessions with Whangeis already
commonness and standardization in the inside teachers’ class-
formofcommon-curriculaandprovince-
widetesting. roomsbecausechange
Teachers in Ontario are becoming is everywhere outside
overwhelmedbythesechanges,bemused
by theircontradictory nature, and angry them.
aboutthereductions oftime, resources,
and professional development support
^ fortheirimplementation that have fol-
These changes lowedinthewakeoftheSocialContract. have made immense efforts to individu-
Do this andthat; do more with less; be alize their instruction forchildren from
are notjustconfined moreprofessionallyempowered,yetalso diverse cultural backgrounds, to cope
morecompliantwithourdemands: these withclasses wherechildren speak many
toToronto, orOntario, aretheparadoxesofchangethatOntario languages, to adjust theirprograms for
oreven Canada. teachers are having to confront in the growing numbers ofchildren with spe-
1990s. cialeducationalneeds,tobuildtheirown
They are change^s It is not that teachers don’t want competence with new technologies, and
on aglobal scale. cChhaannggeeroersedaornc’htertshleimkseeVlivregsiniparaRcitcihsaerdit-. dtoenwtisdesontthheeykicnadnsdoefvtealsokpsathnedypsreatctsitsue-
AndyHargreaves s(1o9n93()1h9a9v1e)sahnodwnMithcahtateelachHeursbecrhamnagne diffCehraenntgsetyliessaolfrleeaadryninign.side teachers’
theirpractice all the time. Butthey are classrooms because change is every-
most interested in making incremental whereoutsidethem. Schoolsorteachers
changes in theirown classes, withtheir are being caught up in a worldwide
ownstudents,whichtheyfeelwillmakea transformation ofpolitics, economics,
difference. Other people’s changes, technology,culture,morality,andevery-
imposed from the outside, are another daylife. Family structuresarechanging,
2 ORBIT
relationshipsarebecomingmoretempo- Manyteachershavealreadyres—ponded much work!”, especially “olderteachers
rary and fragile, and children’s selves magnificentlytothesechallenges tak- [who]aregoingtohaveanalreadyfixed
andidentitiesaremoreatrisk.Myrecent ingonmoreresponsibilities,diversifying family, personal kind oflife. And who
book on Changing Teachers, Changing and adaptingtheir instruction, reviewing wantstogivethatup?”
Times (Hargreaves, 1994) elicits the andexpandingwhattheyteach.Butthey
ovfoitcheesreofbeOintnagrimoantyeacmhoerrsewshoiccihals-pweoarkk chiarvceumfsretqaunecnetsl,yahnaddttohedsoetchiirsciunmsatdavnecresse FromImposedChangeto
TeachersMakingChanges
responsibilities in teaching today than havetakentheirtoll.Teachershaveoften
thereusedtobe.Teachersfeelbothpride changedalone,intheirownclasses,with- So we haveto reculture our schools so
and pressure for being the first and the outbeingconnectedtotheexpertise,sup- thatteacherscanreceivebettercollabora-
last call for many students. Mounting port, and planning ideas oftheir col- tivesupportfromtheircolleaguesasthey
problemsofsafetyandviolenceonlyadd leagues.Theyhaveworkedinanisolated undertakethechallengesofchange. And
to theonerous nature ofthese responsi- and individualized culture. They have weneedtorestructureourschoolssothat
bilities. also often had to make changes in and teachers can work with the structural
The multicultural diversity ofmany grain ofcurriculum and timetabling,
urban classrooms is anotherchanging ratherthan against it. What is at stake
realityforteachers.Whenmyfamilyand here, then, is notimposingawholenew
I were investedasCanadian citizens last A setofdisparateandunwantedchangeson
year,inaceremonyfarfromToronto,the teachersthatangerandalienatethem,but
40orsoofuswhoparticipatedinthecer- s my own work in redesigningthestructuresandculturesof
emonycamefromover20differentcoun- Ontario has indicated, schoolingsothatteacherscancontinueto
tries. In the North York school board, make changes themselves, and do so
with which I am currently working on struggling withchange moreeasily andextensivelythantheydo
language-policy issues, over50percent alone, insideexisting now.
oftheboard’sstudentsarecategorizedas Inrecentyears,Ihavebeenundertak-
English as asecond language, and over structures leads to guilt, ingaprogramofworkthataddressesthis
70 languages are spoken in its schools. exhaustion, perfectionism, fundamentalchallengeofredesigningour
Thesetrends havealready broughtabout schoolssothatteacherscansteerchange
profound changes in the materials that andburnout. themselves.Therearethreestrandstothe
teachers use with their classes, in the currentphaseofthis program; all arein
choiceofwordsandexamplesthatmake theirearlystagesofdevelopment.
up teachers’ classroom language, and in —
theverystructuresofteachingandlearn- around existing structures working 1. Beyond Transition: HowTeachers
ing thatteachers usesoas toallowchil- againstastructuralgrainofsubjects,time Interpret and Integrate Transition
drenofdifferentlanguages,cultures,and periods,andsingle-teacherclassesthatis YearsReformsintoTheirPractice.Co-
traditions to find a voice among their unsympathetic to theirpurposes. They directed with Lorna Earl, Research
peers. havehadtomeetwithcolleaguesintheir Director ofthe Scarborough Board of
Thesechangesarenotjustconfinedto owntimeoutsidetheregularschoolday; Education. Funded by the Ontario Insti-
Toronto, or Ontario, or even Canada. to practise co-operative learning three tuteforStudiesinEducation/Ministryof
Theyarechangesonaglobalscale.They timesadayforfixedperiodswithdiffer- EducationandTrainingTransferGrant.
are changes ofinternational migration ent secondary school classesratherthan Thisprojectisbeingconductedcollab-
andcultural diversity; changes ofoccu- having longer time frames and other orativelywithLornaEarlandwiththeco-
pational flexibility and uncertainty teachers ofother subjects alongside to operation and ongoing assistanceofthe
brought about by transnational corpora- assistthem; and to work administrative LearningConsortium. In it, weareinter-
tionsandceaselesstradingandcurrency; miracles so theirschedules can be syn- viewingatotalof32Grade7and8teach-
changes in our levels ofmoral certainty chronized with other subject teachers ersandtheirprincipals,from 16schools,
ascultures mix and theirboundaries are with whom they wantto team teach or in4schoolboards.Theseteachershavea
permeatedbythecirculationofinforma- developintegratedcurricula. “serious and sustained” commitmentto
tion; changes from a written to a visual AsmyownworkinOntariohasindi- implementing various aspects ofthe
cultureandall thatentailsforourteach- cated, struggling with change alone, OntarioMinistryofEducationreformsin
ing as we become immersed in a world inside existing structures leads to guilt, theTransitionYears.Theparticularroots
ofgreatertechnological complexity; and exhaustion, perfectionism, and burnout ofthe reforms weare investigating are
changes ofnational identity as global (Hargreaves, 1994). It subjects teachers CommonCurriculumoutcomes, integrat-
economies make our borders precarious to the principle ofwhatone secondary edcurriculum, and alternative forms of
andturnusinwardstodevisecurriculaof school interviewee ofours aptly termed studentassessment. Thisisachallenging
commonness, tests ofstandardness, and “implementation by stamina” (Harg- arrayofreformrequirements.Wewantto
internationalcomparisonsthatalertusto reaves etal., 1993). As one innovative see what sense teachers committed to
the barbarians who are seemingly ham- teacherinthesamestudyputit,“Idon’t theirsuccessmakeofthem,howfarthey
meringatourgates. thinkeverybody should haveto do this are able to incorporatethem into their
ORBIT 3
classroompractice, whatitis abouttheir to createacultureofinquiry among the justtheavantgarde,andthatawiderange
schoolenvironmentthathelpsorhinders teachersinvolvedintheresearch. ofschoolteachersshouldbeinvolvedin
them in doing this, and to what extent One criticism ofourstudy might be the leadership oftheir school’s project
theseteachers’ livesandcareersaretypi- thatitconcentratesonaneliteinnovative fromtheoutside.Thisiswhatreculturing
cal ofotherteachers outsideoursample groupofteacherswhoseperceptionsand schools really means in thepostmodern
orexceptionalinsomeway. experiences are not generalizable to age: willfully involving those whomight
Ourpurposeis notto study andpor- otherteachersintheprovince,particular- initiallymakelifemoredifficult,asacri-
tray exemplary teachers and schools, to ly those who are more sceptical ofthe terion offairness, as away ofacknowl-
placetheseteachers onpedestals above Ontarioreforms. Asecondstrandofour edgingdiverseexpertiseand as asource
oflearning,creativeproblem-solving,and
criticalinquiry.
As Bev Bailey, adoctoral candidate
in theCurriculum DepartmentatOISE,
isfinding in herstudy ofteachers who
Inrecentyears, Ihave iizdeedn,tisfuychthteemascehlervsesbeacsobmeeinmgarmgairngailniazle-d
beenundertakinga notbecauseofmoralfailingsorperson-
programofwork alityflaws.Theirmarginalizationresults
from being ideologically at odds with
thataddressesthis theirprincipal,fromspeakingoutagainst
fundamentalchallenge reforms, from being humiliated orde-
valued by previous administrators, or
ofredesigningour fromaccumulatedexperienceovermany
schools sothatteachers yearsoffailedreformeffortsinthepast.
Michael Huberman (1993) has found
cansteerchange similarpatternsapplyingtocertainkinds
themselves. ofmid-careerteachersinhisimpressive-
ly broad study ofteachers’ lives in
AndyHargreaves Switzerland. Difference and dissidence
oftenleadtostigmatizationandtosilenc-
ing.Aswelooktorecultureourschools,
weshouldtrytomakethemasourceof
everyone else. Such a strategy leads at program in some ways compensates for listeningandlearninginstead. Ourwork
best to voyeuristic fascination and at thislimitation. with ten elementary schools in Prince
worstto shame and guilt among those George’sCountyis seekingtobuildjust
who feel that the exemplars ofexcel- 2.WorkingTogetherForYourSchool: such aprocess ofreculturingby includ-
lence are impossible toemulate in their Creating a Culture of Collaboration. ing many kinds of teachers and by
own circumstances ofimperfection. Co-directed with Dean Fink, retired acknowledging the diverse forms of
Whatwewanttounderstandandportray, superintendent, Halton BoardofEduca- expertisethattheypossess.Fundamental
rather, is what sense thereforms make tion.FundedbyPrinceGeorge’sCounty changemust involve an e—xtensiverange
and how well the reforms fare even School DistrictChapter 1 Program, and ofteachersinourschools otherwiseit
among those committed to them. We theNational Urban Alliance forEffec- will beconfinedto enthusiasticelitesof
wanttoseeiftheyareinprinciplework- tiveEducation,USA. teachers or to small pockets ofexcel-
able,iftheyhangtogether,andwhatthey Marginalizedteachers areoften apar- lence in individually successful schools.
looklikewhentheydo. ticularriskforandchallengetoeducation- Ourprojectaimsforthiskindofbreadth
The study participants are notjust alreformefforts.Theyareoftenthelastto andinclusiveness.
objects ofresearch inquiry here. We beinformedaboutorinvolvedinchange.
have also secured support from the Theyshould,however,beamongthefirst. 3. A Language Policy Development
Learning Consortium so thatteachers in In a school improvementproject I am ProcessforNorthYorkSchools.Fund-
the study can meeteach other, discuss conducting with Dean Fink, in Prince edbyNorthYorkBoardofEducation.
theirworktogether,andactivelydevelop George’sCounty School District, Mary- Eventhegroupoftenschoolsinvolved
acollectivesenseofwhatmeaningsand land,wehaveinsistedthatschoolschoos- inthepreviousprojectisbutafractionof
possibilities the reforms holdforthem. ingtoparticipatehavetocommittotheir an entireschooldistrict. Inthesecircum-
In this sense, we are endeavouring to school improvementteam including “at stances, schools inimprovementprojects
connect the purposes ofresearch and leasttwoteachers who arenotnormally canoftengetanedgeontheircounterparts
inquiryforawideraudience,topurposes consideredtobeon theleadingedgeof in thesystem, through special attention,
ofdevelopmentand involvementforthe initiativesintheschool.”Webelieveour discretionaryresources, contactwithout-
teachersincludedinthe study. Wewant projectisforallteachersintheschool,not side expertise, permission to break the
4 ORBIT
rules, andflexibility overhiring and fir- enough to securereal consensus. Policy Conclusion
ing. Whilethismighthelpcreateclusters is thereforebestsecurednotthroughthe By working simultaneously with small
of“improvingschools,” itdoes nothelp sole medium ofwritten administrative groups ofteachers, small groups of
create“improvingsystems.” texts,butthroughcommunitiesofpeople schools, and entire policy systems of
What does involving teachers in within and across schools who create schooling, we hope to understand and
change mean when the teachers number policies, talkaboutthem, process them, supportproductiveprocesses ofchange
osyvsetre4m,?0H00owancdanspcruelatduraalcrrohsestorainceanbtoiurte ibneqauriirnegiinntomtihnedm,thaendcirrecfourmmsutlaantceesthaenmd, tehratinavroelpvreemdeincta.tedReucpuoltnusriignngi,firceasnttrtuecatcuhr--
involvement be squared with the struc- thechildrentheyknowbest. ing,andpolicyrealizationarethreeofthe
tsuyrsatlemasn?dApolthiitridcaplrorjeeacltitiinesoonfecofomCpalneax- croTssh-escshtoroulctgurroeuspsofwsechaoreolc-rbeaasteindgaanrde ktoeyacihdieeavseanthdesperacetnidcse.sTwheesaereprpoucressusinegs
da’s largest school boards addresses the thereforebeingdesignedtosupportsome address thekinds ofstructures, working
challenging vision ofa system-wide key shifts in ourconceptions ofpolicy relationships, and policy processes that
change process for language policy andtheplaceofteachersinit.Thesecan will stimulate and supportteachers to
development. Not a language policy or besummarizedasfollows: makechanges oftheirown in theclass-
the development ofa language policy, rooms and with thechildren they know
butaprocessofcontinuouspolicydevel-
opment for language learning. What we From bestT.eachers have been making changes
ttaeireaocnhsetorrfsugpigonlliiitn.cgyWfeoarnadhreetrthereyiisinngavtnoolemvwoevmceeonnfctreopom-f PaonldicIympDleevmeelnotpamteionnt fdioenrgntmsnaetenhdyesyyaesnaedres,cihnraretashceptioernrdiosiwtningcstcoloaftshtsehreosohsimtfsut.--
aposition where teachers are implemen- But the cost ofmaking these changes
torsortoolsofotherpeople’spolicies,to To alone and againstthe structural grain of
amapkBoiisntigtbiytohnbeiwmt,htewhreeieratorhweency.reraetailnigzeapcoolmicpileesx, PolicyReRienavleinztaitoinonand ocsfchhatoniogmleeis,ngsitnirsecsbusr,ercaiocnmudilnulgmif,etsoatosylsehe.isgsMhmaeninndta,tteiarnnmgds
networkofteacherstodiscussandrevise otherdomains will only intensify these
principles oflanguage learning, share demandsuponindividual teachers,espe-
good practices, exhibitclassroom work, From cially whereresources and professional
and inquire into examples oflanguage PolicyMakingasa development support are wanting. For
learning.Ourreasonsformovingtowards RepresentativeProcess teaching to change in tune with the
this reconceptualization ofpolicy devel- changing world around it, we must
opmentarethatit makes moresensefor redesign school structures and build
asmanypolicydecisionsaspossibletobe To strongercultures so teachers can make
determined atthe immediatelevel where PolicyMakingas changesmoreeasilythemselves.
peoplewillhavetorealizethem(Corson, anInteractiveProcess
1990).Inacomplex,uncertain,andhigh-
ly variable world, planned change that
fmeonltl,owismpslyesmteenmtaattiiconc,ycalnedsroefvideewveislotpo-o From CRoErsFoEn,RED.N(C1E99S0).Languagepolicyacrossthecur-
inflexible and bureaucratic torespond to TeachersImplementingPolicies riculum.ClevedonAvon:MultilingualMatters.
local perceptions, needs, and circum- Darling-Hammond,L.(1995).Policyforrestruc-
stances. Moreover, detailed documents turing.InA. Lieberman(Ed.),Theworkof
thatfreezepoliciesintextbecomeoutdat- To restructuringschools.NewYork:Teachers
ed andovertaken even as they arebeing TeachersMaking CollegePress.
written by changing communities, new andRemakingPolicies Hargreaves,A.(1994).Changingteachers,chang-
technologies, fresh legislation, research piongsttmiomdees:rnTaegaec.heNres’wwYoorrkk:anTedacchuletrusreCoilnletghee
insights, and unanticipated problems Press.
(DaWrrliitntegn-Hpaomlmicoineds,a1r9e95a)l.so problematic From HargCroeuasvienss,,BA..,L.L,ei&thTwhoieosds,enK,.,D.Ge(r1i9n9-3L)a.joYieea,rsD.o,f
in that like all written texts, they are PolicyasText transition:Timesforchange.Finalreportofa
interpreteddifferentlybythosewhoread projectfundedbytheOntarioMinistryofEdu-
them. Passed through the prisms of cation.Toronto:Queen’sPrinter.
ctbeylaacbchkeecraosn’mdepwuhscriatpteotseteresexdtsainondtfoepadenurcciaentpfitioinniotanels,aprotrlhaiey- PoliocfyAacstaioCnonaTtnoidnuDioaulsoPgruoecess HRiucbhNceahreramwdnasgnYoe,on?r,kAI:n.V.STM.e.(aC1c.9h(9Ce11or9)9sn.3lC)eo.HylolT&ewhgeBe.alPnSird.veesCssw.ohooyfpettreeaa(cEchdheser.sr).s,
ofcolours and shades ofinterpretation. Theschoolasaworkenvironment.Needham,
No written policy can beclearorliteral MA:Allyn&Bacon.
ORBIT 5
Theotherpartofitisthatthewaythe
Conceptualizing schoolisorganizedisill-designedforthe
roles I’vejust described. It’s an old
model, an outdated model, and even
the Teacher’s Role roefsttrhuectnueriwngwhaayssoonflydotiinnkgertehdinwgis.thWseo’mree
on theedge ofarevolution in the way
schools areorganized. Andy Hargreaves
An Interview with Michael Fullan atunrdinIg,a”ndasotthheersneheadvetotaclhkaendgaebotuhetc“urletcuurle-
ofteaching sothatitis morecollabora-
tive,sothatthereisatwinfocuson new
pedagogy andon newprofessionalcolle-
DeanMichaelFullanoftheFacultyofEducation,Universityof gtiiaolniatlyl.yTwhoerkneodrmasgaoifnstteatchihsi,ngbuhtatvheerteraadrie-
Toronto,wasinterviewedinDecember1994byOrbitGuestEditors ensoswareyntohuatghwpeeospeleepwushhoesseientthhaetirtecisulnteucr--
MaryBeattieandPaulShawonthechangingdimensions ingdirection.
Thesecondchangeintheorganization
oftheteacher’srole. ofschoolsis whatIcall“retiming.”This
hasbeenimplicitintherestructuringdis-
cussion, but I think needs to be made
explicit now. A U.S. National Commis-
sion report released six months ago,
Beattie Howdoyoudescribetherole agechange, aboutimplementation, about called Prisoners ofTime, said that the
oftheteacherin1994andbeyond? how to deal with multiple innovations, way schools are organized makes stu-
about, really, howto beachange agent. dentsaswellasteachersprisonersoftime
Fullan Theteacher’srolehasbecome The otherdomains can help in this, but inawaythatisinappropriateandineffec-
muchwideranddeeperthan inthepast, knowledgeofchangeisitselfbecominga tive. I don’t know how we’re going to
and the future role, from a knowledge definablebodyofinsightsandskills.The breakthroughthis,buttheway in which
andskillsbase,willbeevenmorepromi- sixthdomain is moral purpose, which is teachers spend theirtimehas tobe radi-
nent. In arecent article* I outline six theoverriding domain, and itrelates to callyredesigned.Totakeonealternative,
domains ofknowledge, skills, andcom- tryingtomakeadifferenceinthelivesof instead ofhaving free time which is
mitmentthatseemtobeallimportantfor students, especially thosethat aredisad- divorced from regular work you could
theteacher’spresentandfutureroles. vantaged. spendfourorfivehoursadayteachingin
Thefir—stdomainiswhatwenormally adirect sense, and fourorfive hours a
think of knowledge and skills for Beattie How can teachers deal with daypreparingtoteach,workingwithstu-
teachingandlearning,includingnewped- continuous professional development in dents,workingwithotherteachers,devel-
agogies and new approaches to assess- times ofbudget cuts, downsizing, and oping skills, and so forth. Redesigning
ment andtechnology. Knowledgein the socialcontract? theschooldayisgoingtohavetobedo—ne
teaching and learning domain has withoutcosting a lotofnew money
expanded tremendously in the last five Fullan Partofit, I guess, is attitudi- forexample,lengtheningtheschoolyear,
yearsandwillgetevenbiggeranddeeper nal. It can be hard to convince people usingpeerteaching andcross-ageteach-
in thefuture. The seconddomain has to whentheyfeelthey’reharddonebythat ingamongstudents,orintroducingsome
do with teachers being skilled in and they can eitherbe victims ofchange or new approaches to pre-service teacher
committedtocollaborationandcollabora- agentsforchange.Butaslongasyou’re educationwhereweputinternsinschools
tiveworkcultures. The thirddomain is goingtostay in theteachingprofession, so that there’s more adult labour in the
knowledgeofcontext.Theteacherofthe youmightaswellbeachangeagentwith school.
presentandfuturehas to beknowledge- moral purpose, even though it may ini-
ableaboutthekindofsocietywelivein, tially bedespite the system. Thesystem Shaw In this issue ofOrbitwe have
about multiculturalism, about different isn’tgoingtodoyouanyfavours.Soit’s identified some ofthe new roles for
family situations, and so on. Thefourth importantto havetheright mindset, not teachers. We see teachers inquiring, we
domain isthatofinquiry andcontinuous to be naive and idealistic, butto really see teachers developing curriculum in
learning. Becausethe knowledge baseis understand thatknowledge aboutchaos the school, we see teachers developing
soevolvingandsodeepandsochanging, theoryisreallyknowledgeabouthowto new assessment methods, and at the
the ability to be acontinuous learneris deal with dilemmas and how to fight moment, allofthis ishappeningoutside
anotherkeycomponent.Thefifthdomain uphill battles, establish powerful new ofthe real time ofthe school. So, I’m
relates toknowledge abouthowto man- partnerships,andthosetypesofthings. wonderingwhenandwhereisthechange
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