8. The role of teacher education in facilitating integration of ICT
The discussion above indicates that the changing landscape of communications and information
exchange in the 21st century requires teachers to be at the cutting edge of knowledge production,
modification and application – rather than consumption. They need to be prepared for this by being educated to use ICT effectively and creatively. In many developing countries, however, most teachers have minimal or no ICT skills themselves and therefore cannot develop these in
learners. Two of the most important supports for ICT integration into teaching and learning are
effective Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Both
have the greatest impact on the beliefs and practice of teachers, and yet professional development time in particular is often not budgeted for (Venezky, 2004). Moreover, research into teacher learning in northern hemisphere contexts suggests that traditional, one-off external in-service workshops tend to be of limited value in developing sustained transformation of practice (e.g.Glazer & Hannafin, 2006; Muijs & Lindsay, 2008). The multiplicity of schemes over the last decade to introduce ICT into schools in SSA (infodev offers a database of such activities) have likewise often failed to live up to their aspirations because of their top-down nature and insufficient attention given to involving teachers. A growing body of research in this area shows that a more promising way forward is a sustained professional development programme that draws on teachers‟local professional communities, encourages ongoing peer learning by teachers of similar subjects and age groups and supports reflective classroom practice (e.g. Bowker, Hennessy, Dawes, & Deaney, 2009; Zwart, Wubbels, Bergen, & Bolhuis, 2007).
In recent years, there has been an encouraging emphasis on in-service development, supported by enlightened national ICT policy initiatives (as outlined for the East African context by Wamakote et al, this volume). Examples of seemingly successful CPD programmes have included the Connectivity for Educator Development programme in Uganda, Schools OnLine programmes in Senegal and Tanzania, World Links programmes
in Ghana and Uganda,and the Commonwealth of Learning Southern Africa Teacher Training Programme. Such programmes focus on helping teachers to use technology as a tool, and to transform their classrooms into interactive learning environments. For example the Intel Corporation „Teach‟ programme is currently supporting Kenya‟s transition from traditional teaching methods through educating teachers in the integration of ICT into primary and secondary school education (Panafrican Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs: Karsenti, 2009).
Using a „train the trainer‟ model, the 25 selected
participants from teacher training colleges, Centre for Maths and Science and Technology
Education in Africa, Kenya Institute of Education and Kenya Education Staff Institute, are working on the development of online material to then orient 250,000 teachers nationwide. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that teachers experiencing national and international training programmes falter after their initial learning success if they do not receive follow-up support in schools.
Earlier we discussed the pedagogical changes necessary to make most effective use of ICT, and it is here that ITE and CPD can play a major role. Transforming traditional classrooms in SSA from static environments, where a one-way flow of information from teacher to student typically occurs, into dynamic, learner-centred environments in which learners interact with peers in teams and teachers take a more facilitating role, is a major challenge for practitioners and teacher educators.
Many teachers are intimidated by technology and are very comfortable with their established
teaching styles. To effect change, the pedagogical and educational gains that use of the technology might bring need to be made explicit. Teachers need support, exemplars of new practice, leadership from their school managers and necessary time for their own professional development and trialling of new approaches. Many initially feel threatened by the perceived loss of control in the classroom as students, who are usually more adept at using technology, can quickly access information and challenge the teacher‟s role as the primary source of knowledge. Teachers who engage in appropriate professional development, however, learn how to manage their classrooms more effectively and to use the technology to create a more stimulating learning environment (Olakulehin, 2007).
So what do successful programmes look like? A recent evaluation of the national in-service
initiative a few years ago to train all school teachers in England to use ICT in teaching (widely
regarded as a failure, albeit with notable pockets of success) yielded some important messages
concerning the inadequacy of centralised skills-focused approaches, especially those with online
access to trainers (Davis et al., 2009). The most successful model proved to be an „organic‟
approach that provided school-based training designed to support the evolution of each teacher‟s
classroom, school and region, and the training of the ICT teacher educators. Training was provided largely in face-to-face mode for teachers, and included a module assisting teachers in evaluating the impact of ICT on learning. For the majority of teachers, the training was located in their own school using the school‟s equipment and resources. It was supplemented by teacher use of workbooks and groupwork on assignments in their own classrooms, plus case studies of good practice. The cultural context was very different to that in Africa, particularly in terms of ICT provision in the schools beforehand and a greater level of technical proficiency. Its principles were, however, derived from successful characteristics identified in the literature and validated in many studies and cultural contexts. These are incorporated in our synthesis below, and are expected to be more widely applicable.
Further insight is derived from the work for the UK government‟s Department for International
Development (DfID) carried out over three years by Unwin (2005). He has presented a highly
pertinent and critical analysis of previous initiatives, and developed a practical framework for
teacher training in Africa. The framework outlines the fundamental issues for ICT programmes to be coherent and effective, including the damaging duplication of effort and lack of integration in many ongoing activities. A damning Schoolnet-commissioned snapshot report of all (English
medium) ICT teacher training initiatives in Africa by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) (2004) corroborates the largely fragmented, regional, under-funded and inadequate nature of initiatives to build teachers' ICT capabilities. The key recommendations of Unwin (2005), COL (2004) and Davis et al (2009) are synthesised in the bullet points below. We also include some additional features of successful programmes for teacher education in ICT use distilled from our review of the literature in this area. Such programmes have the following characteristics:
Pedagogically principled, through:
• integrating ICT use into subject teaching rather than as a discrete subject in school;
• infusing technology use into an entire teacher education programme, not providing a “boltedon”
course or separate ICT topics within a course (Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2002);
• developing confidence with ICT and awareness of its potential through a hands-on workshop
approach
(Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2002);
• modeling interactive and participatory, rather than transmission-based pedagogy, in teacher
education programmes;
• employing external stimuli for change and innovation, including video-stimulated reflection and discussion of teachers‟ own (Jones et al., 2009) and others‟ practices (Bowker et al., 2009);
• offering sustained, collaborative and active learning opportunities for teachers working together within a supportive professional community of practice (Davis et al., 2009).
Culturally contextualised, through being:
• based in teachers‟ own schools and classrooms, incorporating tasks linked to participants‟
professional practices (Davis et al., 2009);
• tailored as far as possible to individual teachers‟ attitudes, knowledge levels, subject disciplines and pedagogical approaches;
• locally developed with cultural, linguistic and curricular relevance (Commonwealth of
Learning, 2004; Unwin, 2005);
• supported by champions throughout the system who can enthuse and inspire others (see
experiences of SchoolNets in Uganda).
Ongoing and aligned with national and local policy interests including:
• school/community-led agendas and participation, hence increasing sustainability;
• national policies and standards for ICT use (Davis et al., 2009), plus broader educational
reforms (Hawkins, 2002) – through strategic leadership and early involvement of relevant
stakeholders and potential partners (Commonwealth of Learning, 2004; Unwin, 2005).
Finally, the reported growing gap between the numbers of qualified teachers in SSA countries and funded places in institutions offering full-time, centre-based ITE and CPD means that ICT itself may offer a useful medium. Cawthera‟s (2001) study for DfID suggests that in such contexts (i.e.without the capacity to train huge numbers of teachers), cheaper, school-based, computer-supported teacher development might be part of the solution. Such programmes, already operating in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, allow teachers to learn independently and at their own pace. Hence open and distance learning
8. The role of teacher education in facilitating integration of ICT
The discussion above indicates that the changing landscape of communications and information
exchange in the 21st century requires teachers to be at the cutting edge of knowledge production,
modification and application – rather than consumption. They need to be prepared for this by being educated to use ICT effectively and creatively. In many developing countries, however, most teachers have minimal or no ICT skills themselves and therefore cannot develop these in
learners. Two of the most important supports for ICT integration into teaching and learning are
effective Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Both
have the greatest impact on the beliefs and practice of teachers, and yet professional development time in particular is often not budgeted for (Venezky, 2004). Moreover, research into teacher learning in northern hemisphere contexts suggests that traditional, one-off external in-service workshops tend to be of limited value in developing sustained transformation of practice (e.g.Glazer & Hannafin, 2006; Muijs & Lindsay, 2008). The multiplicity of schemes over the last decade to introduce ICT into schools in SSA (infodev offers a database of such activities) have likewise often failed to live up to their aspirations because of their top-down nature and insufficient attention given to involving teachers. A growing body of research in this area shows that a more promising way forward is a sustained professional development programme that draws on teachers‟local professional communities, encourages ongoing peer learning by teachers of similar subjects and age groups and supports reflective classroom practice (e.g. Bowker, Hennessy, Dawes, & Deaney, 2009; Zwart, Wubbels, Bergen, & Bolhuis, 2007).
In recent years, there has been an encouraging emphasis on in-service development, supported by enlightened national ICT policy initiatives (as outlined for the East African context by Wamakote et al, this volume). Examples of seemingly successful CPD programmes have included the Connectivity for Educator Development programme in Uganda, Schools OnLine programmes in Senegal and Tanzania, World Links programmes
in Ghana and Uganda,and the Commonwealth of Learning Southern Africa Teacher Training Programme. Such programmes focus on helping teachers to use technology as a tool, and to transform their classrooms into interactive learning environments. For example the Intel Corporation „Teach‟ programme is currently supporting Kenya‟s transition from traditional teaching methods through educating teachers in the integration of ICT into primary and secondary school education (Panafrican Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs: Karsenti, 2009).
Using a „train the trainer‟ model, the 25 selected
participants from teacher training colleges, Centre for Maths and Science and Technology
Education in Africa, Kenya Institute of Education and Kenya Education Staff Institute, are working on the development of online material to then orient 250,000 teachers nationwide. Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that teachers experiencing national and international training programmes falter after their initial learning success if they do not receive follow-up support in schools.
Earlier we discussed the pedagogical changes necessary to make most effective use of ICT, and it is here that ITE and CPD can play a major role. Transforming traditional classrooms in SSA from static environments, where a one-way flow of information from teacher to student typically occurs, into dynamic, learner-centred environments in which learners interact with peers in teams and teachers take a more facilitating role, is a major challenge for practitioners and teacher educators.
Many teachers are intimidated by technology and are very comfortable with their established
teaching styles. To effect change, the pedagogical and educational gains that use of the technology might bring need to be made explicit. Teachers need support, exemplars of new practice, leadership from their school managers and necessary time for their own professional development and trialling of new approaches. Many initially feel threatened by the perceived loss of control in the classroom as students, who are usually more adept at using technology, can quickly access information and challenge the teacher‟s role as the primary source of knowledge. Teachers who engage in appropriate professional development, however, learn how to manage their classrooms more effectively and to use the technology to create a more stimulating learning environment (Olakulehin, 2007).
So what do successful programmes look like? A recent evaluation of the national in-service
initiative a few years ago to train all school teachers in England to use ICT in teaching (widely
regarded as a failure, albeit with notable pockets of success) yielded some important messages
concerning the inadequacy of centralised skills-focused approaches, especially those with online
access to trainers (Davis et al., 2009). The most successful model proved to be an „organic‟
approach that provided school-based training designed to support the evolution of each teacher‟s
classroom, school and region, and the training of the ICT teacher educators. Training was provided largely in face-to-face mode for teachers, and included a module assisting teachers in evaluating the impact of ICT on learning. For the majority of teachers, the training was located in their own school using the school‟s equipment and resources. It was supplemented by teacher use of workbooks and groupwork on assignments in their own classrooms, plus case studies of good practice. The cultural context was very different to that in Africa, particularly in terms of ICT provision in the schools beforehand and a greater level of technical proficiency. Its principles were, however, derived from successful characteristics identified in the literature and validated in many studies and cultural contexts. These are incorporated in our synthesis below, and are expected to be more widely applicable.
Further insight is derived from the work for the UK government‟s Department for International
Development (DfID) carried out over three years by Unwin (2005). He has presented a highly
pertinent and critical analysis of previous initiatives, and developed a practical framework for
teacher training in Africa. The framework outlines the fundamental issues for ICT programmes to be coherent and effective, including the damaging duplication of effort and lack of integration in many ongoing activities. A damning Schoolnet-commissioned snapshot report of all (English
medium) ICT teacher training initiatives in Africa by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) (2004) corroborates the largely fragmented, regional, under-funded and inadequate nature of initiatives to build teachers' ICT capabilities. The key recommendations of Unwin (2005), COL (2004) and Davis et al (2009) are synthesised in the bullet points below. We also include some additional features of successful programmes for teacher education in ICT use distilled from our review of the literature in this area. Such programmes have the following characteristics:
Pedagogically principled, through:
• integrating ICT use into subject teaching rather than as a discrete subject in school;
• infusing technology use into an entire teacher education programme, not providing a “boltedon”
course or separate ICT topics within a course (Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2002);
• developing confidence with ICT and awareness of its potential through a hands-on workshop
approach
(Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, 2002);
• modeling interactive and participatory, rather than transmission-based pedagogy, in teacher
education programmes;
• employing external stimuli for change and innovation, including video-stimulated reflection and discussion of teachers‟ own (Jones et al., 2009) and others‟ practices (Bowker et al., 2009);
• offering sustained, collaborative and active learning opportunities for teachers working together within a supportive professional community of practice (Davis et al., 2009).
Culturally contextualised, through being:
• based in teachers‟ own schools and classrooms, incorporating tasks linked to participants‟
professional practices (Davis et al., 2009);
• tailored as far as possible to individual teachers‟ attitudes, knowledge levels, subject disciplines and pedagogical approaches;
• locally developed with cultural, linguistic and curricular relevance (Commonwealth of
Learning, 2004; Unwin, 2005);
• supported by champions throughout the system who can enthuse and inspire others (see
experiences of SchoolNets in Uganda).
Ongoing and aligned with national and local policy interests including:
• school/community-led agendas and participation, hence increasing sustainability;
• national policies and standards for ICT use (Davis et al., 2009), plus broader educational
reforms (Hawkins, 2002) – through strategic leadership and early involvement of relevant
stakeholders and potential partners (Commonwealth of Learning, 2004; Unwin, 2005).
Finally, the reported growing gap between the numbers of qualified teachers in SSA countries and funded places in institutions offering full-time, centre-based ITE and CPD means that ICT itself may offer a useful medium. Cawthera‟s (2001) study for DfID suggests that in such contexts (i.e.without the capacity to train huge numbers of teachers), cheaper, school-based, computer-supported teacher development might be part of the solution. Such programmes, already operating in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, allow teachers to learn independently and at their own pace. Hence open and distance learning
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
