The teacher as the initiator of change: turning a boring topic into an engaging lesson

Abstract

According to experts in the field of reform initiatives (Fullan, 2007; Guskey, 2003), when studying the process of introducing changes into the teaching practice, the key factors to consider include teacher motivation and initiative, horizontal learning, and learning with the support of colleagues, along with the relationship between teachers and facilitators. For this process to be truly successful, teachers need to be motivated to ensure that the change takes root in the teaching practice (Malinić, Đerić & Šefer, 2018). Teachers differ in their desire to innovate the practice. Some show no interest in innovation and change, others want to learn and improve but wonder how, and finally, there are the ones who readily adopt innovative practices, demonstrate eagerness, and take action (Van Eekelen, Vermunt& Boshuizen, 2006). The present study explored the process of introducing changes into the teaching practice and focused on teachers motivated to move beyond traditional teaching methods and cooperate with their colleagues with the aim of offering a different learning experience to their students. In our study, teachers adopted an interdisciplinary approach to a topic covered in class. Such an approach is based on processes of correlation and integration and is not commonly used in teaching (Stanišić, 2015), which makes it innovative and challenging.