Teachers Changing Practice in Their Schools: Implications for School Libraries Rosemary Abbott Loreto Mandeville Hall SLAV Conference March

Laying out the Paper The research described in brief Teachers at the heart of the study The use of narrative to bring the teachers’ experiences to life

Laying out the Paper What the literature says What the data revealed Key findings and their implications

The Research Telling the story of the research Introducing the teachers Research design

2 Phase Qualitative Research Phase 1 – 18 teachers, 10 weeks Phase 2 – PLT of 6 teachers over 12 months, then 3 of those teachers for further 6 months

Teachers trying new learning technologies in their classrooms Regular Meetings Support Collegiality Absence of Judgment

Autoethnography A narrative methodology connecting the personal and the cultural An open declaration of my place in the research Looking at the teachers’ realities of practice

Activity Theory Theoretical framework and means of data analysis You are what you do Activity Theory “has been relied on to study contexts of implementation of innovation in education, such as when new technology is introduced and conflicts occur between teachers’ beliefs and their actual practice” Murphy and Rodriguez-Manzares (2008)

Generation 2 Activity Theory

My Activity Theory Model

Themes from the Literature and the Data Teacher Self Identity and Beliefs Emotions Self efficacy

Trust The best way you can find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them (Hemingway) What trust is Why trust matters in schools How trust can be built

Relationships Why they matter How they developed in the study

Change The nature of change “Things do not change, we change” Thoreau Responses to change Modelling of change

Time Ways to look at time Time as an impediment to change The impact of timing

IMPLICATIONS

For Leaders The teacher viewed as individual Encouraging passion and risk taking Acknowledging success Demonstrating trust

For Teachers Recognising change is ever present, a process not an event Rethinking responses to the pressures of time Open sharing of success and failure, recognising the importance of relationships with students and colleagues

For School Libraries Understanding the realities for teachers The value of building relationships Modelling change Providing collaborative support