As Drucker (2001, p. 195) states: ‘One alternative is always the alternative of doing nothing.’
What does it mean?
You have done your research and think you’ve found an intervention or change which has a sound base. However, just because the evidence base appears to be sound, that in itself is not a good enough reason to adopt the intervention or change. In fact, there are a range of factors that need to be taken into account before deciding whether or not to proceed. Willingham (2012) identifies the following factors worthy of consideration: Implementing a change incurs a cost in time, energy and resources. You must weigh the expected benefits against the anticipated costs
Any change you adopt will bring opportunity costs (i.e. the loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen)
A change may work as described, but may have negative side effects. (For more about side effects, see Zhao, 2018.) What are the implications for teachers?
Willingham (2012,
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