Michael Fullan

"Michael Fullan"

Until this assignment was given to us, I had never heard the name Michael Fullan. After browsing the Internet and looking through our textbook, I understand the need for us to have an idea of who he is and the need for us to, more importantly, have an idea of all the work he has done to reform education internationally. I noticed in our textbook that he is, damn near, the author that is most cited. It seems that he has had major input/influence in all of the areas and fields of education. The articles that I looked up on the internet are regarded as scripture by those who have reviewed and critiqued them. This man is a very important and influential figure in the field of education. Now, I can see why.

In our text, Fullan's name first pops up in the discussion of curriculum change. He discusses that teachers participating in curriculum development face four core changes: restructuring of the curriculum itself; use of new curriculum materials; changes in teaching practices; changes in beliefs or understanding of how the curriculum affects learning. According to Fullan, in order for planned curriculum change to be sustained within a school, the school needs to be connected to and nurtured by the external community.

I noticed this connection in a lot of what I researched on Fullan, that he believes that for any type of educational reform to occur, the involvement of everyone within the community is absolutely necessary. Also, his belief that successful implementation can be attributed to clear specifications and complex innovation that highlights the need for worthwhile change are very interesting. The second part is more intriguing because it means implementing something that will require the extra effort rather than something that requires simply an alternative approach.

Fullan did note that implementation could be problematic. He produced a list