Strengthening an international teacher team profile as a catalyst for development

Abstract

In the autumn of 2006, the national government had introduced a gymnasium reform bill, called GY07, which was going to have a significant impact on the school curriculm. Facing major restructuring, we struggled with the challenge of finding new ways to adapt, prepare and improve the international teacher team’s profile, to meet the changes and challenges ahead.

As part of my master’s program, I assumed the role of research practitioner and carried out an action research project in the winter/spring 2006-07, within my own teacher team. Together, we explored how an international team, faced with developing a strategy for dealing with the impending reform, could strengthening its international profile as a catalyst for development. The team participated in a series of round-table discussions that tried to focus on developing strategy and ways of making the team cohesive and viable, in order to be better equipped for the new international project work / communication and language curriculum. The discussions, along with my reflections form the basis of the action and provide the data for my conclusions. One year later, I followed-up by interviewing the team members, to find out how the team has developed and succeeded in creating a stronger profile. The complexity of studying in my own team was more than I bargained for. My research shows that to strenghten a team profile, it is important to, first identify and eliminate obstacles that prevent team building, team collaboration and school development, which are some of the key concepts in this project.