Lifelong learning and better learning or just another activity? A case study of the perspectives of a teacher-librarian and classroom teachers towards a resource centre in a secondary school

This is the report of a case study of a resource centre in a secondary school. I studied the perspectives of the teacher-librarian and classroom teachers of cooperatively taught resource centre-based research projects, which I called RPs. The teacher-librarian, seven classroom teachers and the school's principal participated in this study.;I found that the teachers formed essentially two groups in their views. One group feels that consistent practice with RPs leads students to both learn deeply in the content areas and also to develop the skills and disposition for lifelong learning. These views are consistent with those of the teacher-librarian and the principal. These teachers value highly the cooperative working relationship they have with the teacher-librarian. They also feel their views are a change from the past, but that not all teachers have changed. The second group views the RP as another activity to teach content, but it may do so less effectively than other methods. They view the teacher-librarian's contribution as primarily clerical in nature.;I found that teaching in the resource centre is a problematic endeavour for teachers. It requires facilitating rather than directing students' efforts. It conflicts with the practice of those teachers who feel their major responsibility is to determine what is to be learned. It involves negotiation with the teacher-librarian, and it is more work overall.;The key factors governing the divergence in teachers' views include: their prior experience with a teacher-librarian, or prior experience themselves as students with the research process; their concern over ownership of the RP; and their understanding of what is required of them as teachers to help students be successful while working on RPs.