First turning point

Change is ubiquitous and relentless, forcing itself on us at every turn.

Fullan (1993: VII)

I found Fullan's description (1993) of the change process relevant as a reflection of the dynamic I experienced, in this study, almost two decades later. The following development will describe the occurrence of a turning point in the programme, which took place at the end of the fourth session of the general assembly. It had implications for the subsequent action programme in the pilot study and for the entire research process. Thus, the intention of this sub-section is to trace the dynamic that accompanied the initial steps leading to this change.

At this stage, although the school staff determined the mentoring topic, I was responsible for the planning of the mentoring programme and for providing the principal research resources (collection of data and its analysis),

My analysis of the teachers' reflections, written at the end of the fourth session, indicated that teaching strategies were being used sporadically and unsystematically. The teachers were being exposed to new stimuli (innovative strategies such as learning in groups and communication strategies through the Open University workshops). However, these strategies had not yet become an integral part of the teachers' learning cycles and were inadequate for promoting significant change in their teaching/learning methods. Despite signs of interest and enjoyment, they did not apply the learned activities in their classes. The following statement is one of several that indicated the lack of usefulness of their learning activities:

The activity is nice and important. I enjoyed it. I hope that it will be possible to impart it in class. Although not at this stage, perhaps later.

(Written reflection, November, 2001)

Based on my early experience as a teacher and the reports of many other teachers with whom I have worked, when pupils complain that 'it’s boring…not interesting…we've already learnt that,' it is taken as an indication of their lack of motivation for learning.

At the end of one of the sessions with the Open University, some teachers approached me and shared their feelings and thoughts about the course. One of them said:

Look, we really enjoyed what we did with you in the first two sessions.

It was very relevant…you talked to us as a fellow teacher…those sessions [with the Open University] were satisfactory, interesting, but it's not exactly something that you would use all the time [in class]…If it continues like that, it doesn't seem to me that you'll see some of the teachers here again. (Field Notes, 2001)

The teachers' expressions of a lack of interest and motivation to find ways to apply new methods in their instruction were previously interpreted by me in a way similar to the way teachers often react to their pupil's lack of success: 'the pupil is lazy' or 'doesn't make an effort'. I had reached similar conclusions from past experience regarding teachers who did not apply what they had acquired in my course.

However, at this point, my constructivist approach to teacher learning helped me abandon this judgmental attitude. Thus, equipped with a wider perspective, I began to view their reactions differently, instead of concluding that it was due to their lack of motivation to change or spend time and effort on innovations.

An alternative way to understand the teachers' reactions is to relate to them as a stage of dependence at which the group projects responsibility on the leader (Bion, 1961). According to this approach, the teachers may have projected onto me the

image of someone who knows what is correct, what should be done, and even be able to set the limits and direction of the development programme.

The teachers' reactions to the course were shared by the Head-teacher.

Consequently, I was asked to steer the programme toward the realisation of its full potential by replacing the sessions of the Open University. This development gave me a new sense of self-confidence. I found myself infused with decisiveness to lead the programme. This was in contrast to my initial lack of confidence, which was expressed in my need to share the leadership role with my colleagues in the Open University.

In this new situation, I wanted to explore the meaning and validity of this feeling.

My concern was whether the teachers' expressions of trust and willingness to cooperate were signs of dependency (as would be expected in most group experiences), or signs of growth, equality and partnership on their part. As a mentor who came from outside the school, I felt myself privileged to receive the teachers' openness and willingness to share their difficulties with me. Quite a few expressed that they felt that I had something valuable to give them:

You are different…you are not like other [mentors] who demand that we sit quietly and accept everything that they have to say…you speak to us as an equal...you respect what we've got to say (Personal Journal, January 2, 2002)

When compared with school staffs that relate to external experts as 'foreigners disassociated from the reality of the school' (Arieli and Shachor, 2003), their openness showed me that they had developed a significant measure of trust in me.

Thus it seemed that their reaction was not necessarily because they projected responsibility for their learning onto me, but rather because they related to me as a partner, as an equal.

Another way by which to interpret the teachers' reactions at this stage was to view them as the first signs that they were becoming active learners, attempting to direct

the programme in terms of their own felt needs. I sensed this first movement toward independence as an opportunity that should not be missed. I decided then that it was the right time to encourage their full participation in the planning of the programme, rather than just suggesting its direction.

Analysis of this positive feedback turned my attention toward inquiring about the impact of the management tools on teachers' learning. Their use for analysis of the instructional programmes, in addition to the process of written reflections (Chapter 3) seemed to foster teacher engagement in the learning cycle.

This involvement seemed to reinforce the development of the partnership between teachers and mentor. It emphasised the importance of the reflective discourse that took place and contributed to the formation of the research methodology at later stages. The following are excerpts from the teacher's written reflections (January 2002) relating to the impact of the various tools:

- Without planning work involving the integration of the entire staff there is no success. [It is necessary] to have a comprehensive and systemic perspective regarding the programmes.

- It is important to plan them [lessons] and to think about a vision and not just to perform…

- Thinking about a vision reinforces performance…

- I am interested in as many tools as possible that contribute to a dialogue with the pupils.

This dialectic between theoretical and methodological aspects revealed a significant axis through which the mentoring programme developed from this stage. It led to the second turning point.