The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, reminds us with his famous quote about change is that change is inevitable regardless of our innate desire for the security of routine.  Personal change can sometimes be easy, but often encouraging change within others can be more challenging.  Colleagues who are used to doing things “their way” or have doubts or misgivings about changing practices that have worked in the past, can often be resistant and require assistance to try something new.  This is true in many professions and jobs and can be especially true in education.

Collegial Change in Education and the Role of the Teacher-Librarian

Teaching is a unique profession in that a school operates as a community and specific departments often work together as a team, however once the classroom door closes, the teacher will often work in isolation with his or her students.  Almost by design, it favours independent, solitary planning and execution of instruction.  Regardless, of how isolated teacher classrooms are, effective departments and schools encourage and help facilitate change amongst their colleagues.  Like Heraclitus implies, change is inevitable and when one looks at the dramatic way in which curriculum outcomes can change or how new assessment practices can be dictated, learning how to facilitate collegial change for any teacher is an important skill to have.

The role of the teacher-librarian is an example of someone within a school who has an opportunity to bring about awareness of the need for change and is in the unique position to effectively facilitate change amongst all of the teachers within a particular school.  This role is somewhat different from a Department Head or even an Administrator who may be concerned with school-wide changes, but then delegates those changes to departments or individuals.  The Teacher-Librarian has the opportunity to assist in specific subject or project planning by not only providing at-hand resources, but also by introducing different perspectives, different forms of technology, and by guiding or helping to provide different access points of  information that a classroom teacher may not be aware of.  The teacher-librarian also has the benefit of often being aware of or having experience in how other teachers approach instruction and inquiry just by being that central hub of information collection and distribution within a school.  Providing information is only part of the solution to being a facilitator of change.  Promoting collaboration and a willingness to try new resources or new methods can also fall to the teacher-librarian.

Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM)

The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is one example of how one should go about addressing reservations regarding change. CBAM is an example as to how one should first recognize that change may be difficult and may in fact require a process if one is to effectively promotes and facilitate change  (Loucks-Horsley).   CBAM is a process that attempts to recognize that change can be difficult but must be individual.  That change goes through a series of stages from “Awareness” to “Management” to some form of reflection or “Refocusing” as outlined in the table below;

A Personal Reflection of Collaboration and Facilitating Change.

In my current position at my school (of which I have been working at for 10 years), I am in charge of the Middle Years program within a larger grade 7-12 high school.   The grade 7 and 8 program is effectively responsible for one third of the school population and requires myself to be a constant conduit of change, a monitor of objectives and requirements and key facilitator of collaboration.  The Middle Years program currently has six core academic teachers and four elective teachers.  As a linear, team approach to working with an always active and excitable demographic, the success of the program depends upon the ability of the teachers to be open and willing to try new ideas, work on themes and collaborate on cross curricular studies.  When the team is cohesive and can work together, then the program works effectively.  When it doesn’t the whole program can suffer.

Recently, I experienced a year in which I had a colleague who was resistant to change and collaboration.  He would try to partition the team in an attempt to separate themselves into their own “pod” so that they could work in isolation.  Difficulties would inevitably arise when trying to get the whole team to collaborate on a cross-curricular project.

An example of the challenges associated with change, especially with a resistant colleague was when I was trying to promote the access to technology within the program by accessing some new VR or Virtual Reality googles that were on a district loan to our Library.  The teacher-librarian who had worked with me in the past, approached me with a question as to whether there was some way that I could use this new and exciting equipment within the Middle Years program.   Knowing the resistance I would face with this one particular team member, I had to use an approach similar to what is described in CBAM.

I was very aware that this particular colleague would be hesitant to try something new, collaborate as a team and would be resistant to my suggestions to try something new.  They had been teaching a certain way, for a number of years and they had their planning in place, so in their mind, I am sure there was no question as to why they would need to change.  Progressing through the “Awareness” stage was particularly important if I was to bring my colleague on side.  In this instance, I resisted my first impulse to announce to the team my desire to incorporate the VR goggles using Google Expeditions in order to supplement our Socials 7 unit on the Ancient Egypt.  The VR goggles would allow the students, some of which who never leave their small village in the interior of B.C., a chance to virtually visit the pyramids, but if I approached that suggestion as a top-down approach from the Department Head, I knew I would face resistance.

During a collaboration block when all of the Middle Years teachers were meeting together, I asked the teacher-librarian to bring to our meeting the VR googles and demonstrate their potential to the team.  The VR goggles work with Google’s Expeditions or downloadable virtual “tours”.  At the meeting I had ask the teacher-librarian to demonstrate an Expedition on the human body.  I purposefully asked to view an unrelated topic in order to simply expose the resistant teacher to the technology.  Once suitably impressed with the demonstration I waited and watched my colleague progress to the “Informational” Stage” where he would like to more about what the VR goggles, and more specifically, what Google Expeditions could offer.   I had already prepared a copy of a spreadsheet of what Expedition Tours were available and simply pointed out the Ancient Egypt tour and what it had to offer.

My colleague, having discovered this option essentially for himself, was able to progress himself towards the “Management” stage of the CBAM model and through to the “Consequence” stage where as a team we could then investigate more options as to how adapt or refine his unit on Ancient Egypt to include this dynamic supplement of Virtual Reality.

Change Has to Be Personal

Loucks-Horsely asserts that “The change process is an extremely personal experience and how it is perceived by the individual will strongly influence the outcome” (Louck-Horsely) and my own personal experience reflects this.  Facilitating change within a resistant colleague needed the time and opportunity for him to experience the potential for a change and be allowed the time for him to come to the conclusion that change can supplement his traditional way of instruction.  Change does not need to be a difficult process if the facilitation of that change takes a bottom-up approach, rather than a top-down approach.

The role of the teacher-librarian is in a unique position within a school to often have first access to resources and references that may be beneficial to the classroom teacher.  The teacher-librarian must always be aware of the individual nature of the teacher directed classroom.  That professional autonomy is important but at times can also lead to resistance to change or suggestions to try new things.  By taking a Concerns-Based approach, the teacher-librarian can help facilitate change and collaboration within a school.

Works Cited

“Google Expeditions: over a Million students, on trips to virtually anywhere” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MQ9yG_QfDA

Google Expeditions Tours https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uwWvAzAiQDueKXkxvqF6rS84oae2AU7eD8bhxzJ9SdY/edit#gid=0

“How to Use Google Expeditions as a Teacher” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCyCnoSfQvo

Loucks-Horsely, “Professional Development for Science Education: A Critical and Immediate Challenge” National Standards & the Science Curriculum, edited by Rodger Bybee of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 1996. https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/731/2015/07/CBAM-explanation.pdf

Riedling, Ann Marlow, Loretta Shake, and Cynthia Houston. Reference skills for the school librarian: Tools and tips. ABC-CLIO, 2013.

https://quotefancy.com/quote/1003699/Heraclitus-Change-is-the-only-constant