Resource 5: The challenges to making changes

There is a large amount of research written about effecting change with teachers from many perspectives (Piaget, 1967; Shulman, 1986; Atherton, 1999; Eraut, 2001, 2004, 2007; Fullan, 2008; and many others). The School Leadership OERs on change introduce you to some of the theories of change and encourage you to think about how to plan and deliver it.

All the theories seem to agree that effecting change in teaching means asking teachers to expand the boundaries of their comfort zone. To help teachers overcome any resistance that may arise, support is needed. Potential difficulties have to be addressed in order to plan effectively for delivering professional development activities. The list below summarises some of the challenges from teachers and suggests how you might respond.