7.2.5 Changing Beliefs

If we think of teachers’ beliefs as their own implicit theories, then we can affirm with some certainty that evolution in teachers’ beliefs evident in this study support the findings of the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1996) that, while changes in theories of learning affect uses of technology, so too do new technologies affect theories of learning. In this case, technology appears to be affecting the implicit theories of teachers. A common theme or conclusion in the literature about teachers' beliefs is that changing them is a complex, perhaps even, mysterious, process. Nespor (1987) argues that beliefs are static, and Brousseau et al. (1988) posit that beliefs are resistant to change. Many of the beliefs profiled in this study suggest otherwise. If we refer back to this study’s metaphor of the teacher as traveler or explorer of new uncharted lands, we can affirm, as a result of the findings in this study, that some teachers have adapted effectively to the new environments for learning. They have evolved new maps for the new territory. They have changed some of their beliefs.

Others have not yet adapted to the environments, but are in a transition. Their beliefs are undergoing a process of transformation as a result of being in new environments. They are beginning to reevaluate their beliefs as a result of exposure to what Dwyer et al. (1991) term the "altered context" such as that provided by technology. For these teachers, technology serves as what Bracey (1993) refers to as "a catalyst for change" forcing teachers to rethink their practices and beliefs. Their beliefs are undergoing what Woods (1996) describes as a "deconstruction of beliefs" whereby a change in beliefs is facilitated by the construction of another set of beliefs. Some of the beliefs uncovered in this study also indicate that not all teachers are adapting as well. Their maps correspond only partially, and in some cases, not at all, to the new territory. Faced with the newness of this environment, these teachers rely on the maps which they have already and which are representations of the world of the classroom. These maps or beliefs reflect pedagogies, methods and approaches that do not mesh well with OLEs and are not well supported or accommodated by them.

Some teachers in this study indicated that their beliefs were changing as a result of their experiences with OLEs. Others, however, expressed their frustration with the inability of these environments to meet their needs. They held beliefs that were not supported by OLEs. It is not clear why some teachers appear to be evolving or have already evolved their beliefs while others have not done so. We can hypothesize as to why but more research on this issue specifically might provide an understanding that can then be used to directly intervene in order to assist teachers to shift their beliefs. Do some beliefs about use of OLEs shift more easily than others? Which beliefs are more resistant to change? What sort of direct intervention, for example in the form of professional development sessions, would be best suited to affecting beliefs? Collaborative action research projects may be particularly well-suited to understanding the dynamics of change in beliefs while, at the same time, providing an impetus to actually effectuate change. Such projects may wish to explore the role that might be played by key individuals such as educational leaders, teacher mentors and exemplary teachers.