Pedagogical practice and technology integration in the Diploma Programme in IB World Schools
Author(s):
Lucy Cooker (presenting / submitting) Charles Crook (presenting) Shaaron Ainsworth
Conference:
ECER 2015
Network:
16. ICT in Education and Training
Format:
Paper

Session Information

16 SES 02 A, ICT and Pedagogical Practice

Paper Session

Time:
2015-09-08
15:15-16:45
Room:
3005. [Main]
Chair:
Johan van Braak

Contribution

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools is an integral and required part of the curriculum, intended to facilitate the transition of IB students from school to higher education and on to the globalised workplace. Consequently, curriculum documents outline expectations for ICT use amongst IB teachers and students, but how do IB teachers and students actually use technology in the classroom? Are those pedagogical practices in line with the approaches to learning enshrined in the IB, such as the emphases on inquiry and the ability to think creatively and independently? And, when ICT is integrated into the classroom, how far is that integration guided by particular perspectives on learning and pedagogy? This paper reports on a mixed-methods project investigating the integration of technology in the science and mathematics Diploma Programme in IB World Schools. Whilst the focus of this project was schools in England, Scotland and Wales, the international nature of IB World Schools suggests that the findings have implications for the 413 IB schools across Europe, and for other educational institutions in the continent and beyond.

Existing approaches to understanding how technology enhanced learning impacts on teaching and learning tend to fall into two camps: 1) large scale surveys (e.g., Biagi and Loi, 2013) which tend to show that effects of technology innovation in schools are relatively limited and therefore can be attributed to the extent to which the technology is adopted, rather than its effectiveness in a particular institution; and 2) numerous small studies of controlled learning comparisons involving ‘technology present’ and ‘technology absent’ conditions, often under laboratory conditions (e.g., Hartley, 2007; Kulik, 2003; Liao, 2007; Sitzmann, Kraiger, Stewart and Wisher, 2006) The problem is that comparisons of technology absent or present are not an effective way to test the impact of technology (Clark, 1983) and, as such, there is perhaps only limited value to be gained by conducting and then synthesizing them.

Consequently, the methods we adopted for the present project were designed to highlight the complex relationship between technologies-in-context and learning and teaching pedagogies, and thereby to capture more clearly the relationship between effective curricular innovation with technology and how this relates to teaching and learning practices.

 

The main tenet underpinning this research project is that technology for use in educational contexts is fast developing in quantity and quality; because of this, pedagogy must remain at the forefront of the minds of those with a stake in driving technological developments. Commensurate with this belief, the conceptual framework adopted for the present study, allowed the research team to understand learning with technology by distinguishing amongst different forms of learning that the technology supports. The framework enabled analysis of the pedagogies of technology use expressed in terms of eight ‘acts of learning’ (Luckin, Blight, Manches, Ainsworth, Noss & Crook, 2012):

•        Learning through inquiry

•        Learning from experts

•        Learning with others

•        Learning through making

•        Learning through exploring

•        Learning through practising

•        Learning from assessment

•        Learning in and across settings

 

The research study aimed to explore and map the context of technology integration in the DP sciences and mathematics courses in UK schools and to identify examples of good practice of technologies-in-context. These aims were addressed through the following research questions:  

a)    How do IB DP schools plan for, and implement, the integration of technology into the science and mathematics curriculums?

b)    What types of teaching and learning activities occur around and through technology in DP science and mathematics courses?

c)    How do DP teachers and students in the case study schools use technology in the classroom? 

Method

The project adopted a mixed methods approach moving from initial contact with IB DP schools in the UK to establish general patterns through to detailed accounts from individual schools. Thus, uses of ICT within schools were explored using two online surveys completed by respondents from forty schools (25% response rate), followed by telephone interviews with participants to explore some of the survey responses in more depth. Finally, a detailed case study approach was adopted involving observation and interview techniques. The first survey (Technology in science and maths) was addressed to classroom teachers. The majority of the questions were compiled following the conceptual framework of eight acts of learning. Consequently, the questions focused on prominent activities for learning and teaching with technologies in the school. The questioning was based on reporting frequency of engagements with technologies in the science and mathematics curriculums since the start of the academic year, supplemented by open text questions for clarification. The second survey (ICT provision in your school) was addressed to the person(s) in the school most familiar with ICT provision. The questions probed issues surrounding ICT infrastructure and resourcing and focused almost exclusively on provision of ICT facilities. Any respondent to either survey who provided their contact details was sent an invitation to participate in follow-up telephone interviews. Thirty invitations were sent and 12 positive responses were received. A method of semi-structured interview was applied to allow the interviewee and the respondent to explore areas of ICT integration whilst also ensuring consistency of questioning. The interview focused on the issues raised in the surveys but went deeper to allow respondents to describe the specific ways they and their schools use ICT for teaching and learning. The aim of the research team was to identify a) good practice and b) schools which could become candidates for case study observations. Based on the survey and telephone interview results, seven schools were selected where ICT appeared to have been successfully integrated into the curriculum, and these schools were invited to become case study schools. These schools were from both the state and private sectors, covering England, Scotland and Wales. In these case study schools, conventional semi-structured interviewing techniques were supplemented by the use of audio recordings to describe photos of digital artefacts, and class observations provided a means of enriching the data and offering a further means of triangulation, thus generating robust and reliable research findings.

Expected Outcomes

The findings highlighted the strength of integration across IB World Schools in Britain, whilst suggesting that there are increased possibilities for innovative pedagogical practice across the eight acts of learning. Generally speaking, schools and individuals did not cite access to useful technologies as the major obstacle to their ambitions for ICT integration, thus suggesting that pedagogy could, and in our view should, lead future development. Nevertheless schools with fully-integrated ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) policies, although rare, were the places where were some of the most intriguing ICT practices were observed. In the presentation, the presenters use the learning acts framework to illustrate how technology was employed in schools. In general, the findings suggested that the full range of learning acts was not being exploited with a predominance of learning by exposition still dominating how technology is used and potentially more transformative approaches to learning such as those achieved through programming a robot, interacting with a simulation or connecting to the world outside the classroom were rare. However, IB World Schools must act within the constraints of a curriculum and its modes of assessment and individual teachers are also constrained by preparation and delivery time. Allowing more time within the DP science and mathematics curriculum for teachers and students to engage with inquiry-driven, constructive or playful uses of technology may have the potential to enhance the contemporary pedagogical experience of those students and, in future, to allow them to reap the rewards of their learning when working in real-world environments.

References

Biagi, F. & Loi, M. (2013) Measuring ICT use and learning outcomes: Evidence from recent econometric studies. European Journal of Education, 48, 28–42. Clark, R. E. (1983) Reconsidering research on learning from media. Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445-459. Hartley, J. (2007) Teaching, learning and new technology: A review for teachers. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(1), 42–62. Luckin, R., Blight, B., Manches, A., Ainsworth, S., Noss, R., & Crook, C. (2012) Decoding Learning: The proof, the promise and the potential of digital education. London: Nesta. Kulik, J. (2003) Effects of using instructional technology in elementary and secondary schools: What controlled evaluation studies say. Arlington, VA: SRI International. Retrieved October 3, 2003, from http://www.sri.com/policy/csted/ reports/sandt/it/Kulik_ITi nK- 12_Main_Report.pdf. Liao, Y. C. (2007) Effects of computer-assisted instruction on students’ achievement in Taiwan: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education 48, 216–233 Sitzmann, T., Kraiger, K., Stewart, D., & Wisher, R. (2006) The comparative effectiveness of Web-based and classroom instruction: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 59, 623-664.

Author Information

Lucy Cooker (presenting / submitting)
University of Nottingham
School of Education
Stamford
Charles Crook (presenting)
University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
Shaaron Ainsworth
University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

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