Possibilities and Challenges of De-privatisation of Classrooms in a Developing Nation

Abstract

De-privatisation of classrooms signifies the opening of classrooms so teachers can 'observe ', 'be observed' or 'engage in team teaching'. This study examined the perceptions and practices of school staff to determine the possibilities and challenges of deprivatisation of classrooms in Fiji. Employing case study methodology, data were gathered from two urban secondary schools using on-line questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. A total of 71 questionnaires and 16 interviews were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods respectively. There were several findings which emerged from the study. Firstly, that there is a strong correlation between 'observe' and 'be observed' by colleagues. Secondly, that teachers' major challenges in regard to deprivatisation of classrooms are the workload and school culture. Thirdly, in developing countries, colleagues and the heads of department are seen as the most suitable people in the school context to cultivate the effects of de-privatisation particularly inside the classroom where support is needed to help teachers improve the instructional practices. Overall, teachers, heads of department and the school administrators need to work together to establish a culture of professional learning communities (PLCs) to enhance teachers' instructional practices.

Do Good Intentions Lead to Expected Outcomes? Professional Learning Amongst Early Career Academics in a Problem-Based Program

“…Finally, PL should not be perceived at a private matter but as a contextual process. In this respect, the teaching context (departments and colleagues) of participants should be drawn into PL activities to promote a culture of deprivatization of teaching [63].…”

Implementation of Professional Learning Community among Teachers in Schools: A Systematic Literature Review

“…There are studies that confirm that schools need a culture that supports all staff working and learning together to enhance teacher learning. This requires the role of school administrators and heads of departments to create a culture and learning structure that encourage teacher participation (Mohan et al, 2019).…”

“…If senior teachers are aware that they are being watched because of some unique quality in themselves and the purpose of junior teachers observing them is to learn, the culture can certainly change (Mohan et al, 2019). However, some teachers are hesitant to share their material with other teachers for fear of being criticized (Tayag, 2020).…”

“…Strong professional learning requires ongoing commitment and support (Cherkowski & Schnellert, 2018;Avidov-Ungar & Ezran, 2020;Amirova, 2020;Chua et al, 2020). People in school believe that school culture can change through support from administrators (Mohan et al, 2019). Teachers experience power differences in defining the form, function and outcome of PLCs .…”

“…Teachers believe that if they have more opportunities to engage in this partnership practice, they can be better teachers (Mohan et al, 2019). Furthermore, professional learning is said to be effective when the program conducted gives teachers the opportunity to test the learning they have acquired in the classroom, act and provide feedback.…”