ICT Competencies of Primary School Teachers Esther Mwiyeria
Education/Technologist Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative
(GeSCI)
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Outline Introduction Expectations Tell me something that I do
not know Background and Contextual information Exercise on the Wall
Group-work Output: Competencies to focus on in the next 8 months
for the ACE teachers.
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GeSCIs Foundation Developing countries following the rest of
the world by placing ICTs and ICTs in Education at the centre of
their development strategies. However, developing countries are
less equipped in terms of capacity and resources- human and
financial- to successfully and effectively harness the potential of
ICTs. With this in mind, GeSCI was founded by the UN ICT Taskforce
in 2003, and began operations in 2005 working initially with
Namibia, Ghana, India, Bolivia and Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya WSIS
UN ICT TaskForce GeSCI as a Global Programme
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GeSCI Activities 2009 - 2012 Country programmes involving
direct advisory engagement with developing country MoEs on a
system-wide basis to provide high quality strategic advice and
support to the countries own plans, policies and efforts to deploy
and integrate ICTs in education. Implementation (SME-ICT Project in
Tz, Ghana SHS connectivity Project) Regional programmes involving
knowledge sharing between GeSCI and the partner countries and
between the partner countries, at the regional level in Africa,
Asia and Latin America. In Africa (working with 12 African
Countries on skills in ICT leadership) Knowledge products and
services through the identification of major knowledge gaps or
common challenges related to ICTs in education. Courses, Tools,
Frameworks, Guidelines etc Promoting partnerships and facilitating
global dialogue by leveraging ICTs to promote communication and
collaboration with a diverse number of partners, globally,
regionally and locally.
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Accelerating 21st Century Education (ACE) in Kenya Accelerating
21st Century Education (ACE) in Kenya
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How does 21 st century education look like? Critical thinking
and problem solving Exercising sound reasoning and understanding
Making complex choices and decisions Identifying and asking
significant questions that clarify various points of view and lead
to better solutions Framing, analysing and synthesizing information
in order to solve problems and answer questions Communication
Articulating thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively through
speaking and writing Collaboration Demonstrating the ability to
work effectively with diverse teams Exercising flexibility and
willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to
accomplish a common goal Assuming shared responsibility for
collaborative work Information literacy Accessing information
efficiently and effectively, evaluating information critically and
competently and using information accurately and creatively for the
issue or problem at hand Possessing a fundamental understanding of
the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of
information
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21 st Century Education Media Literacy Understanding how media
messages are constructed, for what purposes and using which tools,
characteristics and conventions Examining how individuals interpret
messages differently, how values and points of view are included or
excluded and how media can influence beliefs and behaviours
Possessing a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues
surrounding the access and use of information Computer Literacy
Using digital technology, communication tools and/ or networks
appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create
information in order to function in a knowledge economy Using
technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and
communicate information, and the possession of a fundamental
understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access
and use of information Partnership for 21 st Century Skills
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21 st Century Education Flexibility and Adaptability Adapting
to varied roles and responsibilities Working effectively in a
climate of ambiguity and changing priorities Initiative &
Self-Direction Monitoring ones own understanding and learning needs
Going beyond basic mastery of skills and/or curriculum to explore
and expand ones own learning and opportunities to gain expertise
Demonstrating initiative to advance skill levels towards a
professional level Defining, prioritizing and completing tasks
without direct oversight Utilizing time efficiently and managing
workload Demonstrating commitment to learning as a lifelong process
Social and cross cultural skills Working appropriately and
productively with others Leveraging the collective intelligence of
groups when appropriate Bridging cultural differences and using
differing perspectives to increase innovation and the quality of
work Partnership for 21 st Century Skills
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Objectives of Primary School Education in Kenya Acquire
literacy, numeracy, creativity and communication skills Enjoy
learning and develop desire to continue learning Develop ability
for critical thinking and logical judgment Appreciate and respect
the dignity of work Develop desirable social standards, moral and
religious values Develop into a self-disciplined, physically fit
and healthy person Develop aesthetic values and appreciate own and
other people's cultures Develop awareness and appreciation of the
environment Develop awareness of and appreciation for other nations
and international community Instil respect and love for own country
and the need for harmonious co-existence Develop individual talents
Promote social responsibility and make proper use of leisure time
Develop awareness and appreciation of the role of technology in
national development
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Kenya Vision 2030 Kenyas Development Blueprint. transform Kenya
into a newly industrializing middle income country providing a high
quality of life to all its citizens by the year 2030. Human
Resource Development Kenya intends to create a globally competitive
and adaptive human resource base to meet the requirements of a
rapidly industrialising economy. This will be done through
life-long training and education.
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The big picture? Equity Quality Relevance Access Equity in
quality RadioTelevisionComputersThe Web StudentsTeachersPolicies
CurriculumAssessment
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Development ladder Subsistence economy Commercial economy
Emerging economy Information economy Kozma, B., (2009)
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The development ladder The subsistence economy: low
agricultural productivity, poor coverage of public services, small
amounts of exports in a narrow range of commodities, low living
standards, farm production goes to immediate use rather than
market, little capital investment for financing public
infrastructure
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The development ladder Commercial economy: rural and urban
households are part of the monetary economy, both save and invest
as they can, manufacturing capacity drawing on low- skill, low wage
labor, more people enter the workforce, save and pay taxes, large
attraction of foreign direct investment
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The development ladder Emerging economy: complete coverage of
basic infrastructure, basic education, basic health services, safe
drinking water, sanitation, exporter of manufactured goods and
information based products, increased capital investment, know-how
and technology, not only importing technologies from abroad but
also improving them.
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The development ladder Information economy: Technology-based
economy widespread tertiary education, extensive public financing
of scientific studies, extensive private-sector-led research and
development, foreign exchange earned by exporting knowledge and
technological advances,
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Implications on education system Basic literacy: increase the
number of people with basic literacy and numeracy skills, lecture
methods, high S-T ratios, closely supervised curriculum etc
Knowledge acquisition: preparing a knowledgeable workforce,
improving on quality, technology literacy, ICT as a subject add-on,
factual recall, supplemental use of various technologies, computers
in a laboratory Knowledge deepening: increase ability of the
workforce to add to add value to economic output, ICT integrated in
the curriculum Knowledge creation: learners develop the ability
search for, organize, analyze information, communicate effectively,
collaborate with others, critical, innovatively, and creatively,
life long learning
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Development ladder and education Subsistence Economy Commercial
Economy Emerging Economy Information Economy Basic Education
Knowledge Acquisition Knowledge Deepening Knowledge Creation
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How do we get there?
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Teacher competencies are descriptions of what a qualified
teacher/ educator in a given country should know and be able to do.
Thornton 2007 What are Competencies?
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Clear for all to see what is required Training Institutes will
need to procure lecturers & instructors to meet those
competences Training Providers provide training which meet country
priorities as expressed in the competency framework Teacher
Educators and Teachers understand the minimum standards required of
them The community can be confident that students are being taught
by teachers who have achieved agreed and transparent standards and
comptencies. Why do we need Competencies?
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Overview of different ICT competencies from around the
world
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5 sets of standards for different professional development
roles Beginning Teachers with modest skills and experience in
pedagogy and ICT use Practicing Teachers who are beginning users of
ICT range of pedagogy Practicing Teachers who are accomplished
users of ICT School Leaders who require ICT standards to encourage
and support their roles as effective leaders Teacher Educators who
require ICT standards to inform their own practice and to provide
effective role models for their students UNESCO 2010 Commonwealth
Department of Education Science and Training (2002) Australia ICT
CFT
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Five Categories - Student Learning & Creativity;
Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments; Digital-Age Work
& Learning; Digital Citizenship & Responsibility;
Professional Growth & Leadership Different target groups -
students, teachers, administrators, ICT technicians Clear
performance indicators - description of practices & master
levels Continual development phases beginning, developing,
proficient, transformative Practical case studies scenarios of
technology use in classroom practice UNESCO 2010 NETS 2008 National
Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS)
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UNESCO 2010 UNESCO 2008; 2011 BreadthDepth Role: Teachers,
Technology Coordinators, Principals UNESCO ICT-CFT
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Process of Contextualizing the UNESCO ICT Competencies
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A Road Map with the ICT-CFT competency statements Add an
emergent level that prepares teachers with adequate skills to
participate in ICT-CFT courses Organize the competency roadmap in
progression phases for beginning (emergent level), applying
(technology literacy level), proficient (knowledge deepening level)
and transformative (knowledge creation level) Create new statements
where gaps have been identified in the progressions from emergent
to knowledge creation levels Create general performance indicators
for each domain GESCI 2008 The GESCI Tools
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A Continuum of ICT Integration Approaches in Teacher
Development UNESCO 2010 Ng, Miao & Lee (2008) What is needed
Emerging Ability to use ICT at a basic level Applying Ability to
make general and specific uses of ICT Infusing Ability to make
dynamic and complex use of ICT Transforming Ability to experiment
and innovate with ICT
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GESCI 2008 The GESCI Roadmap
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GESCI ICTCFT Development Roadmap The roadmap can be used to
contextualize or tailor a development path for ICT use in
professional development to a particular country, its policies and
its current educational conditions. The key to moving towards
knowledge creation is to assess and leverage current strengths to
advance other components in the system. GESCI 2008; UNESCO
2008
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Where else has GESCI done this? Kenya Technical Education
Tanzania Secondary Education Rwanda Primary and Secondary Education
Nigeria Secondary Education
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33 Plenary Exercise 1: ICT Competency Framework for Teachers
Identifying and prioritizing the ICT competencies Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies
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Post Top Three Priorities with Stickers on the wall Review the
performance indicators for each domain in the competency framework
(Each group to be assigned one domain). Pick one priority subdomain
from each domain and use the BLUE sticker to identify this. Post
the RED sticker indicating what you consider to be your first
priority on the wall charts at the corresponding development level
indicating where the competencies you would like developed for the
ACE teachers. Post the GREEN sticker indicating what you consider
to be your second priority on the wall charts at the corresponding
development level of teachers indicating where the competencies you
would like developed for the ACE teachers. Post the YELLOW sticker
indicating what you consider to be your third priority on the wall
charts at the corresponding development level indicating where the
competencies you would like developed for the ACE teachers.
Assessment Continued Stage 3: Consensus Building on
Competencies
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1.What patterns do you see and what does this tell you? 2.What
seems to be highest ICT-Teacher development priority areas for the
total group and what might be the reasons? 3.What ICT-Teacher
Development areas seem to be lower priorities and what might this
indicate? 4.What do the patterns tell us about ICT professional
development gaps and needs? Assessment 1 Stage 3: Consensus
Building on Competencies
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Contextualizing ICT Competencies for Teachers Standards for
Standards Stage 3: Consensus Building on Competencies
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In groups of five What was the top priority competency in each
domain? Each group should pick one competency from the six domains.
Use the templates provided to complete the following activities
Provide feedback on the contextualized competency with identified
performance indicators for your competency
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Standards for Standards 38 Under each system domain there are
standards/ competencies which describe what a teacher should know
and be able to do in a progression path of ICT use in teaching and
learning. 1.Review the sub-domain assigned to your group using
criteria of relevance, clarity and scope to assess the progression
of standard statements. 2.Provide comments/suggestions your group
may have for improving or modifying the statements and progression
paths to make them more relevant, clearer or provide more coverage.
Stage 3: Consensus Building on Competencies
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39 General review 1.What does the competency mean to the group?
2.Does the competency have relevance for the teaching context in
Primary Schools in Kenya? 3.Do the competencies reflect what a
teacher needs to know/ need to be able to do with technology in
teaching and learning in primary schools in Kenya Relevance Stage
3: Consensus Building on Competencies Relevance
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40 Clarity 1.Will primary school teachers be able to understand
what each of the competency statements mean? 2.Will it be possible
for teachers to use the competencies for self- assessment of their
practice? Stage 3: Consensus Building on Competencies
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41 1.Is there something missing? 2.Are there other competencies
that should be included? 3.Are there competencies that should be
excluded? Coverage Stage 3: Consensus Building on Competencies
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Suggestions and Modifications 42 If the group has any
suggestions for modifications/ rewording (changes, additions, or
deletions) to make the statements and progressions clearer, more
relevant or more comprehensive for the teaching and learning
context. Please enter these in the space provided. Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies
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Additional comments of suggestions 43 Are there any additional
comments or suggestions that the group has for validating the
competency domain reviewed? If so please list these in the space
for further suggestions provided. Stage 3: Consensus Building on
Competencies
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Elephants Policy: Proficient (UC) 44 Discuss and work
collaboratively with others for vision and planning implementation
that focuses on exploring new and more effective approaches for ICT
integration across all subject areas in the school Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies
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Lions Org and Admin: Applying (UC) 45 Integrate the use of a
computer laboratory into ongoing teaching activities Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies
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Giraffe Professional Development Informal learning : Applying
(UC) 46 Identify and manage internet safety issues, use ICT
resources to support their own acquisition of subject matter and
PK. Stage 3: Consensus Building on Competencies
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Cheetahs Curriculum & Assessment (UC) Comm. &
Collaboration: Applying 47 Use digital media for communication of
information and ideas to students, peers to peers, Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies
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Rhino ICT (UC) Productivity tools: Applying 48 Stage 3:
Consensus Building on Competencies Describe and demonstrate the
basic tasks and uses of wordprocessors, such as text entry, editing
text, formatting text and printing, describe and demonstrate the
purpose and basic features of presentation software and other
digital resources
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Five Groups Elephants - Policy Cheetahs Curr. & Ass
Buffalos - Pedagogy Rhinos ICT Lions Org & Adm Giraffes Prof
dev.
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Elephants: Policy
Awareness Proficient Discuss and work collaboratively with others
for vision and planning implementation that focuses on exploring
new and more effective approaches for ICT integration across all
subject areas in the school
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Lions: Org &
Manag: Leadership: Applying Integrate the use of ICT resources into
ongoing teaching and learning activities
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Buffalos:
Pedagogy: Student Experience: Applying Use of presentation software
and digital resources to support instruction
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Giraffes: Prof.
Dev: Informal Learning Applying Identify and manage internet safety
issues, use ICT resources to support their own acquisition of
subject matter and PK
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Rhinos: ICT:
Productivity Tools Applying Describe and demonstrate the basic
tasks and uses of word processor such text entry, editing, text
formatting text and printing. Describe and demonstrate the purpose
and basic features of the presentation software and other digital
resources.
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Conclusions Contextualized competencies are: Cheetahs: Curr
& Ass: C & C- Applying 3. Use of digital teaching and
learning resources to enhance teacher to teacher communication,
teacher to student communication and student to student
communication
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Prioritization of competency rating 123456 Policy: Policy
awareness431359 Org &Man.: Teacher Understanding1245220 Prof.
Dev.: Informal learning2241080 Curr. & Ass.: Communication and
Collaboration 477400 Pedagogy: student experience5122210 ICT:
Productivity tools61117
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Next steps Develop modules based on the identified competencies
and implementation guidelines Develop M&E tools Conduct
training on the developed modules Apply the skills acquired in
classroom teaching Formative and summative evaluations
