Technology, Pedagogy and Education, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2003

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EDITORIAL

Information and Communications Technology as a Catalyst for Professional Growth

AVRIL LOVELESS University of Brighton, United Kingdom

Many have used the metaphor of information and communications technology (ICT) as a ‘catalyst’ to describe how its presence can facilitate a process and although the metaphor is stretching the meaning of its original chemical context, it does contain a sense of reaction, interaction and change. The articles of this general issue of the journal present a picture of various research enquiries in which ICT acts as a catalyst in curriculum development, pedagogy, attitudes, ways of working and assessment. In using ICT to support their own learning and professional growth, teachers, student teachers and teacher educators are developing their understandings of the interactions in their practice, curriculum knowledge and professional values.

Within the context of the changes in the expectations and implementations of policy for education, there have also been discussion and research on the nature of teachers’ work as a ‘profession’. Changes in expectations of autonomy, accountability and working relationships within teaching communities have led to expressions of positive visions of teaching in a ‘post-technocratic world’ (Hargreaves, 1994), as well as tension, complexity and ‘manufactured uncertainty’ in postmodern society (Hargreaves & Goodson, 1996). David Hargreaves argues that the innovations of the National Curriculum in the United Kingdom (UK) in the late 1980s provoked a ‘new professionalism’, in which teachers moved away from individual autonomy and isolation to new networks of collaboration, peer coaching, teamwork and mentoring.

Andy Hargreaves and Ivor Goodson argue that in recent years there have been many voices redefining teachers’ work – government, business, parental communities and teachers – which have created complex and contradictory forces for teachers. Whilst trying to establish a shared ‘professional knowledge’ which engages with complexity and contradiction,

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teachers also have to recognise the need to guard against reduction to parochial, technical competences and an increased insulation from critical approaches to wider structures and political contexts (Troman, 1996). Hargreaves and Goodson define an ‘interactive professionalism’ characterised by qualities of discretionary judgement, moral and social purposes, collaborative cultures, partnership in the wider community, active care, self-directed and continuous learning and recognition of complexity in the nature of teachers’ work (Hargreaves & Goodson, 1996).

Tony Fisher’s article focuses on teachers’ professional growth through curriculum development as they were involved in a trial of on-line curriculum materials in mathematics, Japanese and Latin. The initiative by the UK Department for Education and Employment focused on three subject areas in which there were teacher shortages, and explored the use of on-line materials in different models of supporting teachers in their pedagogy. The article presents a discussion of how the ‘side effects’ of the teachers’ involvement in the project promoted their confidence not only with the technologies, but also in their own teaching strategies as they adapted to their particular situations. The findings echo those of Becker & Riel (2000) in their description of ‘professional engagement’ and the use of computers in their practice. Fisher discusses how the situated use of the materials stimulates the sharing of experiences with colleagues, participation in in-service activities and new working relationships. His analysis of this aspect of the project presents a view of the on-line materials acting as a ‘catalyst’ for professional growth and offering the opportunity for the teachers to generate knowledge.

The two following articles relate to the ways in which on-line discussion can be used in teacher education, but offer two interesting perspectives on the analysis of such discussions which inform this developing research field. Carol Reid presents work in the context of undergraduate teacher education in which information and communication technologies are used to support student teachers studying a social science-based subject ‘Cultural Diversity and Learning’. The study focuses on the analysis of on-line discussion threads and face-to-face focus group discussions linked to the course, and the article presents a sociological perspective on new technology, pedagogy and cultural diversity, drawing out a discussion of ‘context’, ‘voice’ and ‘power’ in studying diversity issues on-line. Deirdre Cook and John Ralston’s article also focuses on the analysis of on-line discussion in professional development courses offered by the Open University in the UK. They present a discussion of analytic techniques in research that can provide insights into the processes at work within complex computer conferencing environments.

The next three articles also focus on studies in initial teacher education, and can be loosely grouped in their attention to changes that are

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taking place in approaches to the use of ICT. Pat Cuckle and Stephen Clarke identify trends in the increase in positive views and actual use of ICT by student teachers in their school experiences. Although issues of access to ICT and the desire to prioritise planning and classroom management are still important factors, there is evidence in this study of high levels of agreement between student teachers and their mentors about the value of ICT as a resource in teaching and learning. Cuckle and Clarke comment that the levels of student teachers’ professional competence, confidence and interest have changed considerably in recent years. Ruurd Taconis, N. Verhoef and A. Bakx present an analysis of a project in which student teachers worked on productive learning tasks in interdisciplinary teams. The authentic nature of the production of educational web sites for use in secondary schools had an impact on the student teachers’ learning in terms of web site design and approaches to collaboration with colleagues and the study indicates ways forward in designing teacher education courses. Declan O’Reilly’s study focuses on the use of ICT portfolios to assess student teachers in their meeting the standards for Qualified Teacher Status in England. The article discusses the ways in which the ICT portfolios were used not only for summative assessment of student teachers of mathematics, but also to support the students’ use of ICT during and beyond their school experience placements. It highlights that the levels of uptake of ICT were higher than indicated in earlier studies.

Each of the articles contributes to building our understanding of the role of ICT in teachers’ development within a changing profession. The books reviewed also point to issues of transition and the nature of meaningful change in the use of new technologies within teaching as a profession. Andy Hamill reviews Delivering Digitally: managing the transition to the knowledge media by Alastair Inglis, Peter Ling and Vera Joosten, noting the central tenet that developments in digital delivery should be driven by a desire to improve the quality of the learning experience for the student rather than a wish to reduce costs. Frank Fuller reviews the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization report by Paul Resta and Alexey Semenov, Information and Communication Technologies in Teacher Education: a planning guide, which, he states, should have a place on the shelf of every planner of technology in teacher education programmes. This general issue of the journal presents a range of studies which provide evidence of the use of ICT as a catalyst for professional growth.

Avril Loveless

School of Education, University of Brighton, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PH, United Kingdom (aml@brighton.ac.uk).

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References

Becker, H.J. & Riel, M.M. (2000) Teacher Professional Engagement and Constructivist-compatible Computer Use. Irvine: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.

Hargreaves, A. & Goodson, I.F. (1996) Teachers’ Professional Lives: aspirations and actualities, in I.F. Goodson & A. Hargreaves (Eds) Teachers’ Professional Lives. London & Washington, DC: Falmer Press.

Hargreaves, D.H. (1994) The New Professionalism: the synthesis of professional and institutional development, Teaching and Teacher Education, 10, pp. 423-438.

Troman, G. (1996) The Rise of the New Professionals? The Restructuring of Primary Teachers’ Work and Professionalism, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 17, pp. 473-487.