Perceptions of Teacher Planning Time: An Epistemological Challenge

Abstract

The concept of developing teacher collaboration teams continues to be a prevalent problem for teachers and schools. The results of a Saskatchewan study of beginning teachers (Hellsten et al., 2007) was the finding that first and second year teachers perceived planning and collaboration with other teachers, as well as professional development as the least important support or resource for their induction years. This bears heavy implications for teacher learning and learning improvement in today’s schools. This paper examines the perceptions that beginning teachers in Saskatchewan have regarding preparation time and planning time, explores the epistemological basis for these findings and the impact of this basis, and discusses the significance of this finding and the potential problems and implications that this realization has for continued theory and practice for teacher education and collaboration in schools.

Keywords

• preparation time
• planning time
• improving teacher learning
• improving student learning