Title: NCSALL: How Teachers Change
Headings: How Teachers Change
How Teachers Change
What will lead to change that most benefits student learning?
Change Hurts
Voluntary Change
Laissez Faire?
Vision of Teachers
Training Model
Reflective, Collaborative Models
Community of Practice
Conclusion
Endnotes
References
About the Author

Content: Where, then, did the view come from that teachers resist change? And how can this view co-exist with the notion that teachers change all the time? This article explores the following thesis: The differences between these two views of teacher change may hinge on who is directing the change. Teachers often resist change mandated or suggested by others, but they do engage in change that they initiate: what I call voluntary change. In this article, I lay out and compare the two views of teacher change. I then examine two approaches to staff development, the training model and the reflective and collaborative model, and relate them to the differing views of teacher change. Finally, I suggest that the best teacher change is carried out in a way that involves teachers in the process, and promotes coherence among teachers in an organization. This article draws on my personal experiences, research that I have conducted, and the broader research literature.