Teacher Design Teams for technology integration in education

Teacher Design Teams for technology integration

Jo Tondeur (FWO) Natalie Pareja

Ghent University

Meeting ReleQuant Artevelde

Ghent

March 31, 2014

Problem statement

Training can affect teachers’ adoption of technology (e.g. Drent & Meelissen, 2008)

BUT: technology seems under-used by teacher (educators) (e.g. Spector, 2010)

Possible explanations:

Traditional training arragements may not be not enough to prepare teachers to successfully integrate technology

How to bridge the gap? FromTK…

to TPACK

So…

Some preliminary evidence:

From stand alone courses to field-based model (cf. Mishra and Koehler , 2008)

Combination of strategies (cf. Kangro & Kango, 2005)

Collaboration between preservice and (mentor) teachers (cf. Barton & Haydn, 2006)

“The jury is still out on which strategies work best (…). There is a obvious mandate for more thorough analysis”

[Kay, 2006]

SQD-model Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Sang, G., Voogt, J., Fisser, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2012). Preparing pre-service teachers to integrate technology in education: A synthesis of qualitative evidence. Computers & Education., 59(1), 134-144

Experiences from across the world sustain such viewpoints while at the same time emphasising difficulties faced in the

implementation of such programmes

See:  h&ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vwt-­‐f1cuMI&NR=1  

Teacher design teams (TDT) as a strategy for ICT integration

‘A group of at least two teachers, from the same or related subjects, working together on a regular basis, with

the goal to (re)design and enact (a part of) their common curriculum’

(Handelzalts, 2009, p. 7)

Goals

•  Improve practice (and hence student learning)

•  Facilitate teacher learning •  Share / generate knowledge about practice

“Ongoing collaboration among educators

produces teacher learning, and this ultimately improves teaching and

learning” (Levin, 2010, p. 110)

Generic activities of TDTs

IDENTIFY  A  PROBLEM  

DESIGN  A  SOLUTION  

IMPLEMENT  A  SOLUTION  

REFLECTION  &  ANALYSIS  

Ermeling,  B.  (2010).  Tracing  the  effects  of  teacher  inquiry  on  classroom  prac?ce.  Teaching  and  Teacher  Educa?on,  26,  377-­‐388  

Activities of TDTs in SQD

Characteristics of TDTs

¤ Own practice as a starting point (authentic problems)

¤ Design as a core activity

¤ Collaboration

¤ Reflection (design process and products)

¤  Individual and group learning

à TPACK development (Mishra& Koehler, 2003; Polly et al., 2010; So & Kim, 2009)

But…

Little is know about the relationship between

TDTs and the development of

TPACK in teacher education

Conditions

¤  Team level conditions •  Team characteristics: composition, size, type of participation

•  Organization of team activities: structure, inspiration sources, development of shared values and vision, monitoring of team activities

•  …

¤  Organizational level conditions

•  Time;

•  External support (e.g. coach, expert, literature);

•  Coordination mechanisms (between and within teams);

•  Leadership support; etc.

Study 1: Focus on the role of the coach

¤ Pilot with 3 TDTs to develop TPACK materials

•  Teacher educators (School of Education Leuven)

¤ Goal

•  Exploring the role of the coach

•  Exploring the communication processes

¤ Method: exploratory case study

•  Interviews with coaches

•  focus groups with members of the TDTs

Study 2: Focus on the conditions

¤ 4 TDTs in different teacher education institutions

•  Teacher educators (School of Education Leuven)

¤ Goal

•  Conditions for the success of TDTs

¤ Method: Delphi study

•  3 rounds; 30 experts

Study 3: Focus on output

¤ 4 TDTs in different teacher education institutions

•  Teacher educators (ENWAUgent)

¤ Goal

•  Quality of the output

¤ Method

•  Stimulated recall interviews with members of the TDTs

Study 4: Focus on STEM & classroom setting

¤  4 primary schools

•  STEM in education (FYXXI)

¤ Goal?

¤ Method: Design based research

•  To discuss!

Contact:  Jo.Tondeur@Ugent.be  I  ugent.academia.edu/jotondeur  Natalie.ParejaRoblin@UGent.be      

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