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Capacity Building for ICT Integration ISATT - Ghent 2013 Jo Tondeur, Mike Bill, Maaike Smulders, Don Krug & Chang Zhu in Secondary Schools in Kenya: An Exploratory Case Study

ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

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PROPOSAL ISATT 2013 Sub division: 21st century learning Capacity building for ICT integration in secondary schools in Kenya: An exploratory case study Jo Tondeur, Don Krug, Mike Bill, Maaike Smulders & Zhu Chang Introduction and objectives The demands of the 21st century dictate that learners should be equipped with requisite skills to competently engage and perform in the new information age. These skills commonly referred to as 21st century skills include inter-alia; critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, creativity and communication (Voogt & Pareja, 2012). When the learning opportunities presented by Information Communication Technology (ICT) are well utilized, they have a great potential to develop 21st century skills (Selwyn, 2007). In view of the above, the Kenyan Ministry of Education expects ICT to be widely deployed for teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools across Kenya (see Quality Education and Training for Vision 2030). However, a simple placement of hardware and/or software will not make ICT integration naturally follow (Earle, 2002). One of the key failures of many past programs in Africa – and the rest of the world - was that schools were provided with equipment but with little or no support for teachers’ professional development, national and local ICT policies, and/or community involvement (Agyei & Voogt, 2011). Clearly, the primary factor that influences the effectiveness of learning is not the availability of ICT, but the capacity to integrate of ICT in the different subject areas, the scope of the current study. This study investigates a professional development program that provides not only support to equip secondary schools in Kenya with ICT. The VVOB program was designed from a school improvement point of view to support the process of capacity building for ICT integration in the curriculum. It built upon teachers’ existing practices and facilities their reflection of an inquiry into these practices (see Lim, Tondeur, Nastiti, & Paragan, 2010). The school would be a collaborative community to create engaging content that would be shared and assessed (cf. Arntzen & Krug, 2011). We aim to gain insight into whether and how this program affects secondary school teachers and practices regarding the educational use of ICT. Method A case study was conducted in four pilot schools - with no previous ICT investments - to examine the process of capacity building for ICT-integration in the context of secondary education in Kenya. Based on a mixed method research approach, this study aims to critically evaluate the prospects and challenges through the lens of stakeholders at the different aggregation levels: policy makers (macro level), district managers, principals, and ICT coordinators (school level), and teachers and pupils at the micro level.

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Page 1: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Capacity Building for ICT Integration

ISATT - Ghent 2013Jo Tondeur, Mike Bill, Maaike Smulders,

Don Krug & Chang Zhu

in Secondary Schools in Kenya: An Exploratory Case Study

Page 2: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

INTRODUCTION

21st century skills > ICT-integration in education (Selwyn 2007; Voogt and Pareja 2012)

“ICT-integration should support teaching and learning in the delivery of the various curricula to achieve improved education outcomes, to develop diversified skills needed for industrialization and a knowledge-based economy” (Quality Education and Training for Vision, 2030, Kenya)

A simple placement of hardware and software will not support teachers and students using ICT within educational settings. (Earle 2002)

Page 3: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

“A few years ago, the emphasis in ICT in education in Kenya has been on the provision of computers to schools, …

after which it was left for individual schools to figure out what to do with the

computers”Kizito Makoba, ICT Integration Team member

INTRODUCTION (CON’T)

> Capacity building for ICT-integration in Kenyan schools

Page 4: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

1. Conceptualizing and creating capacity for the use, incorporation and integration of ICT.

“What does it mean to create capacity for the use of ICT?”

2. Planning and Implementing a systems approach to integrate ICT

“What does the VVOB model, MOE model, 4inB model, Ecologies of Learning approach and holistic approach look like?”

3. Examining and analyzing how to and why should ICT be

integrated within school cultures.

“What are the contextual forces, human and material factors and

relationships associated with ICT integration?”

CAPACITY BUILDING AND INTEGRATING ICT

Page 5: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CAPACITY BUILDING AND INTEGRATING ICT

Page 6: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Capacity Building and Integrating ICT

1. Digital Inquiry should include educators’ competencies and confidence in using technologies or the knowledge and skills needed to use ICT to improve learning, productivity, and performance (Becker, 2000; Wray, et al., 2000; Laferrière et al., 2001; Krug, 2002b, 2004; NEA, 2002).

2. Pedagogical practices should incorporate ICT to engage learners in problem-posing, problem-solving, decision making and other 21st Century Learning competencies through face-to-face and online flexible, formal and informal learning spaces.

3. Teacher’s should strive to develop a philosophy that embraces change and life-long-learning, and ability to not only know about, plan and implement the use and incorporation of ICT practices toward enhancing their own and student learning, but also to transparently integrate ICT through the curriculum as a way of living and learning, and generating new knowledge. This of course includes, but should not limited to learning about core educational content.

Page 7: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CONTEXT: ICT INTEGRATION PROGRAMME VVOB

Page 8: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CONTEXT: ICT INTEGRATION PROGRAMME VVOB

ICT Integratio

n Team

VVOB

ICT4E

Page 9: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

THE HOLISTIC APPROACH

Policy level. School level. Classroom level

Vision Expertise Digital Content Infrastructure

Page 10: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Location of the 4 secondary schools

Page 11: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

School 1 460 Students

20 Teachers

Performs above average

Page 12: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

School 2

Located in Kiserian on the shores of Lake Baringo. Home to the minority tribe called the Ilchamus (Njemps)

Location

Page 13: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

422 Students 15 Teachers

Page 14: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

School 3

Started in 1978

Student population: 283, 16 teachers

Page 15: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

School 4

Started in the year 2000

Built by the Munyu community to accommodate students that could not get to other secondary schools

Student population: 384 16 teachers

Page 16: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

AIMS OF THE STUDY

How does the PD program support the participating schools’ capacity building for ICT integration in the curricula?

Today’s focus

Exploring critical domains in the process of capacity building for ICT-integration in four secondary schools in Kenya:

Leadership I Cooperation and support I Access to resources I Development of a shared vision

Page 17: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Longitudinal mixed method case study approach

February 2012 2012-2013VVOB Pilot

May 2013

Study 1 Study 2*

Method

- Questionnaires administered to all teachers (pre & post)

- 4 Focus groups* with teachers, ICT-coördinators and school leaders (pre & post)

- Observation of ICT facilities (pre & post);

- Observation of teaching practice

- Review of school documents including schoolplanning/policy documents

*Focus of the presentation

Page 18: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Component Exemplary questions

Vision buildingTo what degree does the school have a shared vision on the place of ICT in the curriculum? Does the school have an ICT policy plan?

Access to resources

What kind of infrastructure can we find and where? Future plans?

ICT-useWhich opportunities can ICT bring for education?

What are the most important obstacles?

Support (How) are teachers working together?

LeadershipWho’s involved in the process of ICT-planning?

What are their roles?

Instrument Focus group

Page 19: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Case Study results: ICT-infrastructure

School 1 School 2 School 3 School 4

Computer lab (2CPUx10) + 8

desktops in each class

Computer lab with 16 desktops,

Computer lab 18pc’s

Computer lab with 16 desktops

5 laptops 3 laptops, 1 tablet 3 laptops 4 laptops

3 projectors 2 projectors 2 projectors, speakers 2 projectors

1 camera, 2 camcorders

1 video camera, 2 printers,

scanner

2 digital camera’s, printer,

scanner

1 video camera, 2 digital cameras,

2 printers, scanner

Page 20: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CASE STUDY RESULTS: ACCESS TO RESOURCES

Our decision to have a computer labSetup was mainly motivated by security

(T, S3)

To illustrate:Computer lab S2

Page 21: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CASE STUDY RESULTS: ACCESS TO RESOURCES

Power breakdowns

Not enough laptops to have equal access

“Unreliable electricity is a bigObstacle to proper use of ICTs”

(teacher, S1)

Lack of space/too many students

“Lack of enough infrastructure and space is an obstacle to good integration. Teachers have too many students in class

to use ICTs at an optimum level”

Lack of technicians for maintenance of the equipment

Page 22: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CASE STUDY RESULTS: ACTUAL ICT-USE

Use of ICT as an information tool:

Presenting information by teachers

“In our school it is also being used to show things that are not familiar to the students such as icebergs” (T, S3)

Use of ICT as a supportive tool:Preparing lessons, make lessons current, production and analysis of exams, Timetabling; school management system-accounting, …

Page 23: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

SURVEY RESULTS: USE OF ICT IN CLASS*

0 =not al all 1 = to a certain degree2 = to a great degree

School 1 School 2 School 3 School 40

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

Learning tool LT_AU

Learning tool LT_PUActual usePreferred use

* I teach my pupils to…work together in order to perform an assignment by means of represent info multimedially with ICT learn independently in an ICT supported environment, …

> gap between the actual and the preferred class use of ICT > Educational potential of ICT seems to be acknowledged by teachers

Page 24: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CASESTUDY RESULTS: LEADERSHIP & COLLABORATION

ICT integration team is leading the innovation process

Support from the school leader is crucial

The principal played a crucial role and she leads by example in that she integrates ICTs in her lessons

I have also observed better unity among my teachers. My teachers are consulting and collaborating a lot more because of the ICTs in school. This is very nice for me as a principal.

Page 25: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

CASESTUDY RESULTS: ICT SCHOOL POLICY

Schools are developing policies….

But ICT-policies are not (yet) integrated in a school plan

“Our policy seeks to empower all the school stakeholders andgive them responsibilities for ICT integration” (BOG, S2)

“The more we learn, the better we are becoming at generating a vision for ICT-integraton” (T, S1)

Page 26: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Teachers are starting to use ICT to support their practice and to bring reality to the classroom

> How to stimulate students’ use of ICT (given the number of students/lack of space)?

> How to achieve 21st century skills through student centered learning?

“ICTs tend to invoke creativity”

DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS

Page 27: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Towards distributed leadership for capacity building

> Limitations of a centralised system?

Development of policies for ICT Integration need experience of ICT Integration

> Implications for PD?

> Experience of possibilities with technology in schools (sandbox)

We would also like to to train teachers in neighbouring schools so that we increase the pool of teachers around us

who are integrating ICT. This will be beneficial to us as much as it will benefit our neighbours.

DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS

Page 28: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

Capacity Building for ICT Integration

More info: www.vvob.beContact: [email protected]

http://ugent.academia.edu/JoTondeur

in Secondary Schools in Kenya: An Exploratory Case Study

Page 29: ICT in secondary schools in africa: An Exploratory Case Study

EXTRA: SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

No overall significant diffences between schools

School 1 School 2 School 3 School 41

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

teacher perceived need for innovteacher participative decision makingschool innovation orientationsupportive leadership

Need for instructional innovationsTeacher participation in decision makingSchool innovation orientationSupportive leadership