Session Information
16 SES 09 B, Designing Technology Enhanced Learning
Paper Session
Contribution
This paper reports the development and validation of a conceptual framework of ‘clusters of purposeful learning activity’ relating to teachers as users of technology. Our motivation arose from our interest in how a critical knowledge of purposeful activity with digital technologies might be used to support teaching and learning, and how a better understanding of teachers’ knowledgeable use of these technologies might support practice in both initial teacher education and the continuing professional development of serving teachers. We felt that, if it were possible to identify some general categories of ‘purposeful activities’ undertaken by teachers as users of technology, then these might provide useful ways of thinking about the uses of digital technologies across different contexts (subject, age range etc). International frameworks also engage with descriptions of the purposeful use of ICT by drawing attention to the complexity of teachers’ knowing the potential of digital technology tools in learning and teaching (Krumsvik, 2008; Nonaka et al, 2004). Whilst the work to validate the proposed framework was undertaken in England, the outcomes are of wider applicability in the international context.
Much of teachers’ knowledge about the use of ICT in learning and teaching is developed in the context of their own classrooms, working with such digital technologies as are available to them in those contexts. When people work with tools such as digital technologies, they develop procedural knowledge (or ‘know-how’), which, is highly situated (specific to the contexts, including localised and/or distributed ‘communities of practice’, in which it is developed (Putnam and Borko, 2000)) and often is not articulated - what Polanyi (1997) refers to as ‘tacit knowledge’. Tacit knowledge is recognised as being of enormous value from a ‘human capital’ perspective, but is not readily available for communication to others, since it is not immediately expressible – it is not easily made explicit in the way that declarative knowledge (‘know that’) is. Yet it is an important guide to further action, ‘not a sideshow but central’ (Eraut, 2000, p14).
Our aim in this research was to validate, and if necessary amend, a conceptual framework with a view to enabling teachers to make aspects of their tacit knowledge about their purposeful use of digital technologies more explicit. We see this as offering possibilities for the second stage – externalisation - of Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) ‘socialisation-externalisation-combination-internalisation’ (SECI) model for making tacit knowledge available for what they refer to as ‘transfer’. Our concern here is not with ‘transfer’ as such. However, we are concerned to provide a conceptual framework around which there might be a degree of interpretive agreement, and which might provide a means of supporting useful conversations about the use of digital technologies in learning and teaching. As such we hope that it will make a contribution to the long-diagnosed need for a shared ‘language of teaching’ (see, for instance, Hopkins 1996).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Eraut, M (2000) ‘Non-formal learning, implicit learning and tacit knowledge in professional work’ in F Coffield (Ed) The Necessity of Informal Learning. Bristol, The Policy Press Harrison, C., Fisher, T., Haw, K., Lewin, C., McFarlane, A., Mavers, D., Scrimshaw, P., and Somekh, B. (2001) ImpaCT2: Emerging Findings from the Evaluation of the Impact of Information and Communications Technologies on Pupil Attainment. Department for Education and Skills, London. Hopkins, D. (1996). ‘Quality teachers and the language of teaching’. Education Review (Winter) 10(2), 18–25 Krumsvik, R. (2008) The emerging digital literacy among teachers in Norway (The story of one digital literate teacher). In Riko, K. (Ed.) New Educational Technology. New York, Nova Science Publishers Marton F (1988) ‘Phenomenography: a research approach to investigating different understandings of reality’ in Sherman, R and Webb, R (Eds), Qualitative Research in Education: Focus and methods London: RoutledgeFalmer Meyer, C., Chalon, R., David, B. & Bessiere, C. (2001). A Learning Environment Based On Metaphors, Concepts Maps and Hypermedia : Application To Computer Networks' Training. In C. Montgomerie & J. Viteli (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2001 (pp. 1318-1323). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Nonaka, I and Takeuchi, H (1995) The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation, Oxford University Press Nonaka, Y., Loveless, A., Takeda, K. & Toyoda, M. (2004) Japanese & English comparisons of teacher training for using ICT with special reference to the ICT curriculum of University of Brighton. Bulletin of the Center for Educational Research and Training, 14. Pask, G (1975) Conversation, cognition and learning. New York: Elsevier Polanyi, M (1997) ‘The Tacit Dimension’ in Prusak, L Knowledge in organizations Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Putnam, RT and Borko, H (2000). 'What do new views of knowledge and thinking have to say about research on teacher learning.' Educational Researcher 29(1): 4-15.
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