Biology Practitioner Interview

Introduction

The conducted interview was with Ms. Rayan Katerji: an AUB graduate student with a Bachelor degree in Biology, attained a teaching diploma in Science Education, and a diploma in Education Administration and Policies; currently, she is pursuing a master degree in Education Administration and Leadership. She had been working at Lebanese International School (LIS) for four years and last year she started a new role as an academic supervisor. Ms. Rayan is a Biology teacher for grade 11 students, Science coordinator for cycle one and Biology coordinator for grades seven till ten, academic supervisor, and a TAMAM coach in LIS. The domain of Ms. Rayan’s performed roles extends to include curriculum, staff, and instructional development. LIS is a private and profitable organization affiliated to a religious association. The school’s mission is “to develop a responsible citizen with a balanced personality that has scientific knowledge and personal skills structured on the Islamic values so that he invests his abilities, produce a positive impact on society, and interact with the life demands and developments; this is accomplished

Rayan admitted the presence of resistance among teachers throughout the process of curriculum development and design. She perceived the situation to be normal and emphasized the significance of creating a positive working environment structured on strong professional relationships as means to overcome resistance (R. Katerji, personal communication, February 10, 2017). Ms. Rayan was mostly challenged by experienced teachers, since novice teachers are more flexible and open to change knowing that they require more time and effort from her (personal communication, February 10, 2017). To reduce this resistance, Ms. Rayan includes teachers in the decision making process and determines their needs through discussing the state of the curriculum in LIS and conducting needs assessment (R. Katerji, personal communication, February 10,