Keys to effective training programmes
Experience in teacher training and development in the context of ICT use in education has generated a number of valuable insights. Training and development can be significantly enhanced and made more effective by taking into consideration a few basic factors. In order to accomplish this, an effective training program should:
- Introduce applications that provide clear benefits for pupils and teachers and not simply on how to use the technology - this will create interest and an incentive to learn
- Encourage a broadening awareness of ICT resources with less emphasis on word processing and more on resources which are currently underused, such as the internet, e-mail and video-conferencing
- Broadcast the idea of ICTs as tools for lifelong learning for teachers as well as their students
- Promote information literacy in addition to ICT literacy; by focusing on the content of ICT and not only on the technology, teachers will become more aware of the value and benefits of ICT to themselves and their pupils
- Consider the types of ICT resources currently available to teachers in school - training in the use of ICT resources before they are available will result in demotivation
- Enable teachers to work with a range of computers and operating systems; despite the fact that some authorities are moving towards a more coordinated approach in terms of hardware, teachers still need to be able to transfer their skills between different types of computer
- Encourage teachers to reflect on and make decisions about their own ICT development needs on an ongoing basis; this will ensure more involvement and ownership and greater integration of ICT within the classroom
- Provide flexible training and development opportunities by allowing choice and guidance for teachers who are at different stages of ICT literacy, who teach different levels and curricula, and who are at different stages in their own career progression
The following guidelines, adapted from Secrets of Success: Professional Development that Works, are aimed at providing a brief introduction into recurring issues and hands-on solutions for common problems:
Spend less on hardware, more on human infrastructure
If schools do not provide adequate funding for sustained, well-designed adult learning programs, a large percentage of staff and students will not switch tools. The single biggest explanation for the failure of technology to penetrate the routines of schools is the failure to fund staff learning on a robust level. The economics are simple. It is better to have fewer computers that are used most of the time than many more desktops installed but disowned and rebuffed.
Spend less on hardware, more on human infrastructure
If schools do not provide adequate funding for sustained, well-designed adult learning programs, a large percentage of staff and students will not switch tools. The single biggest explanation for the failure of technology to penetrate the routines of schools is the failure to fund staff learning on a robust level. The economics are simple. It is better to have fewer computers that are used most of the time than many more desktops installed but disowned and rebuffed.
Take teachers seriously and adapt to their needs
Too often, teacher education sets up a parent-child relationship - frequently inspiring resistance and resentment rather than growth. Choice is the cardinal design concept behind adult learning, which recognizes that people learn most energetically when they have options which match their preferences, their interests, and their styles. Use andragogy instead of pedagogy.
Center instruction around practical issues instead of computer applications
Train teachers how to make up their own minds. Converting vast amounts of data into insight and knowledge requires remarkable skills such as questioning, navigation, information literacy (inference, analysis, synthesis, interpretation), and independent thinking. For example, ask the teacher and students how to solve problems like global warming, urban decay, unemployment, teen pregnancy, etc. While exploring these kinds of issues, teachers will learn all of the software necessary to conduct their searches, interpret their findings, and present their conclusions. Too much time has been wasted on teaching computer applications apart from their classroom utilization.
Address the emotional dimension
The best adult learning programs will place a high priority on developing confidence, comfort and calm along with competence. Question such as "What if I look foolish in front of my colleagues?" or "How do I fit this into my already crazy schedule and life?" or "What if I look foolish in front of my students?" may arise. Even those who are open to using IT have concerns about the unpredictability of the IT experience. Transfer, the difficult process of translating theories and strategies acquired during workshops into classroom practice, remains a challenge. A good percentage of the time available should be used to foster reflection about the steps which will make the new tools, resources, and strategies a fixture in the classroom.
Create a culture peer of coaching and mutual support
Rather than relying upon a few technology specialists and risking the development of dependency relationships which might actually delay your progress toward ICT integration, share, distribute and empower broadly. Encourage specializing so that one teacher is great at spreadsheets, one is great at search engines, while another one is great at multimedia presentations, etc.
Use surveys and assessment to guide planning
Teachers should be asked regularly and periodically about their skill level and their readiness for new stages by means of surveys and other assessment instruments. A yearly survey is essential, but a dynamic program gauges staff attitudes and levels of growth far more often. It is best to keep such inventories anonymous.
Provide time for invention and lesson development
Invention is one of the most powerful learning experiences of all. In the case of ICT, teachers are rarely given time to develop unit and lesson plans which would blend both tools and resources into the daily flow of events. Invention allows teachers to translate new possibilities into familiar terms and real contexts. They may customize the lessons to create a match with the needs, the preferences, and the capabilities of the young learners they serve. Invention must take place within reasonably rigorous guidelines in order to provide some degree of quality control.
Create a passion for ICT
Teachers will show engagement and commitment when they realize how they can wield ICT to explore their passions and dispel their fears.
Persist
The time-frame is 3-5 years. While some may learn very fast, the great majority will require sustained support and over several years if they are to fully welcome the mouse to their classrooms.
Too often, teacher education sets up a parent-child relationship - frequently inspiring resistance and resentment rather than growth. Choice is the cardinal design concept behind adult learning, which recognizes that people learn most energetically when they have options which match their preferences, their interests, and their styles. Use andragogy instead of pedagogy.
Center instruction around practical issues instead of computer applications
Train teachers how to make up their own minds. Converting vast amounts of data into insight and knowledge requires remarkable skills such as questioning, navigation, information literacy (inference, analysis, synthesis, interpretation), and independent thinking. For example, ask the teacher and students how to solve problems like global warming, urban decay, unemployment, teen pregnancy, etc. While exploring these kinds of issues, teachers will learn all of the software necessary to conduct their searches, interpret their findings, and present their conclusions. Too much time has been wasted on teaching computer applications apart from their classroom utilization.
Address the emotional dimension
The best adult learning programs will place a high priority on developing confidence, comfort and calm along with competence. Question such as "What if I look foolish in front of my colleagues?" or "How do I fit this into my already crazy schedule and life?" or "What if I look foolish in front of my students?" may arise. Even those who are open to using IT have concerns about the unpredictability of the IT experience. Transfer, the difficult process of translating theories and strategies acquired during workshops into classroom practice, remains a challenge. A good percentage of the time available should be used to foster reflection about the steps which will make the new tools, resources, and strategies a fixture in the classroom.
Create a culture peer of coaching and mutual support
Rather than relying upon a few technology specialists and risking the development of dependency relationships which might actually delay your progress toward ICT integration, share, distribute and empower broadly. Encourage specializing so that one teacher is great at spreadsheets, one is great at search engines, while another one is great at multimedia presentations, etc.
Use surveys and assessment to guide planning
Teachers should be asked regularly and periodically about their skill level and their readiness for new stages by means of surveys and other assessment instruments. A yearly survey is essential, but a dynamic program gauges staff attitudes and levels of growth far more often. It is best to keep such inventories anonymous.
Provide time for invention and lesson development
Invention is one of the most powerful learning experiences of all. In the case of ICT, teachers are rarely given time to develop unit and lesson plans which would blend both tools and resources into the daily flow of events. Invention allows teachers to translate new possibilities into familiar terms and real contexts. They may customize the lessons to create a match with the needs, the preferences, and the capabilities of the young learners they serve. Invention must take place within reasonably rigorous guidelines in order to provide some degree of quality control.
Create a passion for ICT
Teachers will show engagement and commitment when they realize how they can wield ICT to explore their passions and dispel their fears.
Persist
The time-frame is 3-5 years. While some may learn very fast, the great majority will require sustained support and over several years if they are to fully welcome the mouse to their classrooms.