An investigation into the implementation of cooperatively planned resource-based learning from the perspective of teachers

Abstract

This study investigates from the teacher’s perspective how the teachers' experiences with cooperatively planned resource-based learning 'teaching had influenced their use of this teaching method. The four schools studled were from a school system which had been encouraging its teachers to implement this teaching strategy for given years. During that period Saskatchewan Education had also expressed its commitment to implementing this teaching strategy. Since the emphasis in this study was upon the subjective meaning and the factors which affected teachers' implementation of cooperatively planned resource-based learning/teaching and the extent to which the teachers employed this teaching method, on-site semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data as well as participant observation in each of the school libraries. Subjective meanings held by the teachers interviewed varied from commitment to the innovation to fear that the students would not learn anything to the teacher were to use this teaching strategy. The degree of integration of the innovation into the teaching repertoire, also, differed among teachers as well I as among schools. Variation was found in the teachers, perception of the innovation itself, its meaning and demands and school level factors. Administrative support, were the teacher interaction i on and benefit it’s to student’s school level factors which were particularly significant. In each of the four schools’ teachers who had implemented the innovation had pans for continuation. However, continuation was threatened in schools where there had been a principal change or would have a new principal in the new school term. Findings from this study suggest that school systems which wish to achieve implementation of an innovation must provide leadership, encouragement and support at all levels. In addition, they must guard against threats to the innovation to ensure its continuation.