Reflect on the previous discussion about change, leadership and school environments you have experienced. In the discussion forum consider a major change you have experienced in a school.

A major change I have experienced over the last 3 years is this implementation of co-teaching environments. Our school received a new build creating an environment that now included 50% traditional classroom and 50% open plan classrooms. K to 2 occupy the traditional classrooms and 3 to 6 occupy the open plan. All grades are expected to participate in some form of co-teaching depending on the learning spaces they have access to. The library space can hold up to 3 classes and all lessons held in the library are, history/geography lessons, co-taught with the RFF teacher.

• The predominant leadership style and how this shaped the way change was initiated.

Transformational leadership was the predominate leadership style evident in initiating the change from single teacher learning environments to co-teaching environments. This was evident as strategic plans were created and goals were set prior to change being implemented. The school leadership team ensures all staff members have access to initial and ongoing professional development throughout all stages of the transition.

• How staff reacted.

The idea of co-teaching was very overwhelming to most teachers and many were apprehensive to give it a go. Initially they could not see the benefits of a co-teaching environment. The leadership team were transparent and included teachers opinions when setting goals. Leaders allowed teachers to provide feedback at every stage, this allowed teachers to share their opinions, attitudes and concerns. As time progressed teachers attitudes began to shift and over time many began to see to benefits of the co-teaching environment. There was a level of trust built between leadership and teachers. There was an abundance of professional development provided before teachers were expected to commence co-teaching. Teachers were encouraged to trial co-teaching before the new building was completed. The roll out was completed in stages and teachers were given asked if they were ready to give co-teaching a go or if they felt they required more time and training. Once the first stage of teachers took the plunge and began teaching in the co-teacher environment, others then saw this and their confidence grew.

• The outcome of the change.

Overall, the outcome has been positive with most teachers embracing the change. Student, parents and teachers have had many opportunities to provide feedback on the teaching and the learning environment throughout this process. As evident in school surveys, student wellbeing and moral is as high as it has ever been. Many teachers have changed their view of co-teaching, besides a couple. This is also the same for students, as a few parents felt their child was not achieving their potential or were happy with the co-teaching environments and subsequently left the school. Overall, the new building was designed with co-teaching models as the priority and all learning areas within the new build are being used in a co-teaching capacity including the library.