How teachers approach the idea of change determines whether change will be effectively realized or not. Most of the effectiveness in implementing change is realized in the decision making process.
Many of the school administrators’ efforts to bring about change only require that teacher rely on the existing data to implement change. Consequently, training workshops for the teachers are organized as a way of effecting this change. Nonetheless, this does guarantee that teachers will be equipped to better handle the change process (Bernhardt, 2007).
To successfully implement change, teacher must first seek to understand the relationship between the context realities and the prevailing problems that necessitated the change and the implementation of the decision made to realize the needed change.
Teachers must therefore careful analyze the problems to be addressed by the change in question and seek to understand the most effective action needed to bring change (Kowalski, Lacey II and Mahoney, 2008). This will lead to teachers developing theories of change that are relevant in addressing the existing needs, along with the identification of the desired outcomes.
After the formulation of the said theories, teachers must move on to the next level which is to ensure that these theories are action based. With the identified needs, they must develop necessary actions that are supported by the developed theories of change. Teachers must ensure that the actions are concurrent with the desired outcomes.
Most of the teachers ignore capacity building as a necessary tool for effecting change. Capacity building in teacher driven change in schools involves gaining new capacities and is attained through a number of ways. It moves away from just gaining new data about the existing problem to gaining new knowledge. New knowledge is not gained through training but through learning from the context within which change is needed.
It means that teachers must not only be ready to change the existing knowledge, but also adopt the new knowledge. The new knowledge thus becomes fundamental in developing of action explicit change theories of change.
Most importantly all teachers must deliberately work towards establishing a change based shared vision which will make them establish a sense of ownership to the change program, which will in effect cause them to adjust their responsive behaviors accordingly (Fullan, 2006).
The acquisition of new context based knowledge is only a short term measure. in the long term, teachers must endeavor to ensure that they do not only gain new knowledge in education practice but also gain knowledge of, and adopt new technologies. To effectively establish change teachers must ensure that they see the acquisition of the new knowledge as a life long process.
The acquisition of new knowledge is not to be found in books only but in collaborations with others such as parents, local communities, students and education agencies.
To ensure that such collaboration based change is effective teachers must be deliberately and actively engage parents, students, local communities and agencies in efforts to improve the learning environment around them as well as in the classroom, a concept referred to as interactive professionalism. The result is that teacher not only become professional but also moral agents of change (Fullan, 2003).
In the face of the needed change, teachers are often called upon shift alter their views about change. They must be proactively involved in the change process not only as the agents of change, but also as learners who use their experiences in and outside of classroom in generating the relevant change based action to effect the needed change.
Reference List
Bernhardt, V. (2007). Translating data into information to improve teaching and learning Virginia: Eye on Education
Kowalski, T. J., Lacey, T., & Mahoney, W. (2008). Data Driven Decisions and School Leadership Best Practices For School Improvement. London: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
Fullan, M. (2003). Why teacher must become change agents. Educational Leadership, 50(6).
Fullan, M. (2006). Change theory: A force for school improvement. Centre for Strategic Education. Seminar Series Paper No. 157.