The current report, Part II, puts a magnifying glass to the five-phase model and examines the individual development of two ACOT teachers. These personal examples illustrate the conflict and vacillation ACOT teachers experience when teaching and learning begin to change in their highaccess- to-technology classrooms. The critically different outcomes of the two teachers’ experiences demonstrate the need for support from both colleagues and administrators that is appropriate at each of the five phases.
Research shows that instructional change is not a matter of abandoning beliefs, but of gradually replacing them with more relevant beliefs developed through experiences in a supportive environment (e.g., Nespor, 1987). If there is no change in the larger system, the struggling teacher and the innovation are doomed to frustration or abandonment (Bowers, 1973; Schiffer, 1979). The current research demonstrates that implementation of significant change efforts must take into account the need to recognize teachers’ belief systems and to design appropriate support.