Capacity building for 21st century learning in secondary schools in Africa

Symposium Capacity building for 21st century learning in secondary schools in

Africa: the case of ICT integration

ISATT Conference, 2 July 2013, Ghent, Belgium

Symposium

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 interalia; critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, creativity and communication (Voogt & Pareja, 2012). When the learning opportunities presented by ICT are well utilized, they have a great potential to develop 21st century skills. In view of the above, policy makers across the world expect ICT to be widely deployed for teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools (see e.g. Quality Education and Training for Vision 2030).

Symposium

However, a simple placement of hardware and/or software will not make ICT integration naturally follow (Tearle, 2004). 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.

Symposium

This symposium brings together researchers who are evaluating ICT-integration in developing countries. The variety of the studies addresses many of the current issues related to the processes of and capacity building for ICT-integration. The contributors to the symposium will be invited to focus on the consequences of their study with respect to professional development and policy making. This relation fits into the conference theme “Excellence of teachers?Practice, policy, research”. The discussion will focus on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding how to prepare schools in developing countries for capacity building in the field of educational ICT use. The discussion will be moderated by the discussant.

Symposium program

• Capacity building for ICT integration in secondary schools in Kenya: an exploratory case study Jo Tondeur, Don Krug, Mike Bill, Maaike Smulders & Chang Zhu

• Factors determining the pre-service and in-service teachers’ continuous use of technology after participation in professional development Ayoub Kafyulilo, Dar es Salaam University College of Education Petra Fisser & Joke Voogt, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

• Pre-service teachers’ development of technology integration competencies: insights from a mathematics-specific instructional technology course in Ghana Douglas Agyei, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana Joke Voogt, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

• Discussion Petra Fisser, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

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

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)

Capacity building for ICT-integration in Kenyan schools

“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)

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

CAPACITY BUILDING AND INTEGRATING ICT

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.

CONTEXT: ICT INTEGRATION PROGRAMME VVOB

CONTEXT: ICT INTEGRATION PROGRAMME VVOB

ICT Integration

Team

VVOB

ICT4E

THE HOLISTIC APPROACH

Policy level. School level. Classroom level

Vision Expertise Digital Content

Infrastructure

Location of the 4 secondary schools

School 1 460 Students

20 Teachers

Performs above average

School 2

Located in Kiserian on the shores of Lake Baringo. Home

to the minority tribe called the Ilchamus (Njemps)

Location

422 Students

15 Teachers

School 3

Started in 1978 Student population: 283, 16 teachers

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

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

Longitudinal mixed method case study approach

February 2012 2012-2013 VVOB Pilot

May 2013

Study 1 Study 2*

Method

- Questionnaires administered to all teachers

- 4 Focus groups* with teachers, ICT-coördinators

and school leaders (pre & post)

- Observation of ICT facilities*;

- Observation of teaching practice

- Review of school documents including school

planning/policy documents

*Focus of the presentation

Component Exemplary questions

Vision building

To 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-use Which opportunities can ICT bring for education?

What are the most important obstacles?

Support (How) are teacher educators working together?

Leadership Who’s involved in the process of ICT-planning?

What are their roles?

Instrument Focus group

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

CASE STUDY RESULTS: ACCESS TO RESOURCES

Our decision to have a computer lab

Setup was mainly motivated by security (T, S3)

To illustrate:

Computer lab S2

CASE STUDY RESULTS: ACCESS TO RESOURCES

Not enough laptops to have

equal access

Power breakdowns

“Unreliable electricity is a big

Obstacle 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

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, …

SURVEY RESULTS: USE OF ICT IN CLASS*

0 =not al all

1 = to a certain degree

2 = to a great degree

0

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_PU

Actual use

Preferred 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

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.

CASESTUDY RESULTS: ICT SCHOOL POLICY

Schools are developing policies….

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

Our school’s stakeholders all partcipate in the process of identifying

What is required. The process is led by teachers who iden:fy what

Is best for the school and all the other stakeholders give their input.

Our policy seeks to empower all the school stakeholders and

give 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)

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?

DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS

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)

DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS

EXTRA: SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

No overall significant diffences between schools

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

5


teacher perceived need

for innov

teacher participative

decision making

school innovation

orientation

supportive leadership

Need for instructional

innovations

Teacher participation in

decision making

School innovation

orientation

Supportive leadership

Factors determining the pre-service and in-service teachers’ continuous use of technology after participation in professional development

Ayoub Kafyulilo,

Dar es salaam University College of Education,

Petra Fisser and Joke Voogt

University of Twente.

This paper was presented at ISATT conference held in Ghent,

Belgium from 1-5th July 2013

Introduction

Efforts to introduce ICT in education in Tanzania started in

1997 when the first ICT syllabus was introduced in schools.

Up to 2002, most of

the schools and

teacher training

colleges were

equipped with

technology tools such

as computers, radio

and TVs.

Introduction

Although technology was available in schools since 1997, its

uses for teaching and learning was low.

Teachers’ limited knowledge and skills of integrating technology

in teaching was one of the reason for low technology uptake

A professional development

involving a workshop,

collaborative design in

teams, lesson

implementation and

reflection was introduced

from 2010 to 2012 among

pre-service and in-service

teachers

Introduction

The focus of most professional development projects is on the

effects that continue some years after its termination (Harvey &

Hurworth, 2006).

The current study was conducted to investigate whether or not,

teachers continued to use technology in teaching, after the end of

the professional development arrangement.

Conceptual model

Building from literature, the following conceptual model was

developed and used in this study

A conceptual model for the determinants of the teachers’ continuous use of technology

Research questions

Two research questions guided this study

Are pre-service and in-service teachers who previously attended the

professional development program still using technology in science

and mathematics teaching?

What are the professional development, personal, institutional, and

technological factors that affect the teachers’ continuous use of

technology in science and mathematics teaching?

Participants

The participants in this study were:

13 teachers who participated in the study in 2010 as pre-service

teachers

29 in-service teachers from three secondary schools which are

presented anonymously as:

School A, who participated in the study in spring 2011,

School B and School C who participated in the study in spring

2012.

Two data collection instruments were used: a questionnaire and

an interview.

Data analysis

Means and standard deviations were computed to determine the extent

of the continuation of the use of technology in teaching.

A regression analysis was conducted to establish the model of the

predictability of the continuous use technology in teaching.

Qualitative data were transcribed and coded by using the codes

generated from the study’s theoretical framework (deductive coding)

Findings

Teachers’ continuous use of technology in teaching after the

professional development arrangement was;

High (M ≥ 4) for pre-service and school B teachers,

Above average for school C teachers (M > 3.0), and

Average for school A teachers (M ≈ 3.0) in a five point Likert scale.

The regression models for the factors predicting the continuous

use of technology in teaching were developed for each factor

Professional development factors

The regression analysis verified that;

Approximately 16% of the variances were attributed to the

opportunity for continuous learning,

22% were attributed to the teachers’ perceived value of the PD.

The predictability increased to 23% when the perceived value of

PD and the opportunity for continuous learning were combined.

The regression model for professional development factor was;

Continuous use of technology predicted = Constant + 0.41 Value of the

PD

Personal factors

The regression analysis verified that approximately;

32.6% of the variances were attributed to knowledge and skills,

4% were attributed to the teachers’ belief

4% were attributed to time and

8% to engagement.

The predictability increased to 33.4% when engagement, and

knowledge and skills were combined.

The regression model for personal factors was;

Continuous use of technology predicted = 0.54 Knowledge and skills

Institutional factors

The regression analysis verified that approximately

28% of the variances were attributed to the access to technology.

22% were attributed to the support offered by the school administration

0% were attributed to the environment.

The predictability increased to 33% when support and access

were combined.

The regression model for the institutional factors was;

Continuous use of technology predicted = Constant + 0.40 Access + 0.36

Support

Technological factors


17% of the variances were attributed to the effectiveness of technology

in teaching, and

44% were attributed to the ease of use of technology.

When the effectiveness and ease of use were combined the

predictability of the continuous use of technology in teaching was

44%.

The regression model for technological factors was;

Continuous use of technology predicted = Constant + 0.71 Ease of use

Combined model of professional development, personal,

institutional and technological factors


33% of the variances were attributed to knowledge and skills,

28% to access,

22% to support,

22% to the perceived value of the professional development, and

44% to the ease of use.

48% when knowledge and skills were combined with access,

51% when knowledge and skills, access and support were combined

55% when the knowledge and skills, access and ease of use were

combined.

Combined model

The regression analysis further verified that,

The combination of the perceived value of PD, knowledge and skills,

access and ease of use, did not change the percentage of

predictability.

Therefore a combined model of the factors determining the

teachers’ continuous use of technology in teaching was;

Continuous use of technology predicted = 0.25 Knowledge and skills +

0.30 Access + 0.37 ease of use

Findings - interview

Although in some schools there were computers, their use for teaching

was prohibited (availability vs. accessibility)

Teachers who had support from their management were the most likely to

integrate technology in teaching

Teachers differed on the perceived ease of use of technology.

To some technology is easy to use,

Others difficult during the design, and

To few the ease of use depends on the type of technology

Majority of teachers reported to have a good knowledge of technology,

but some of them had forgotten and needed a rehearsal before use

Conclusions and discussion

From the model, the conditions for teachers’ continuous use of technology

in teaching are: knowledge and skills, accessibility and the ease of use.

Conclusions and discussion

Although support was not a significant predictor, we consider it essential for

teachers’ continuous use of technology in teaching.

From the findings, teachers who were supported by their management had

better implementation than those who were not supported.

The model is based only on regression analysis. Future studies should

involve high level of analysis such as structural equation modelling.

Future studies should identify the effectiveness of the professional

development when the conditions identified in this study are met.

Thanks for your attention

For any question please write to

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology

Pre-service teachers’ development of technology integration competencies: insights from a mathematics-specific instructional technology course in Ghana

Video

Douglas Agyei, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana Joke Voogt, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

2 July 2013

Pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology

Capacity building for 21st century learning in secondary schools in Africa:

The case of ICT integration

a discussion

Petra Fisser

2 July 2013

Looking back at this symposium

This symposium brings together researchers who are evaluating ICT-

integration in developing countries

The studies addressed many of the current issues related to the

processes of and capacity building for ICT-integration

A focus on the challenges and opportunities inherent in understanding

how to prepare schools in developing countries for capacity building in

the field of educational ICT use

Starting point

Knowledge and skills for technology integration

Teachers often have inadequate (or inappropriate) experience with

using technology for teaching and learning

They do not consider themselves sufficiently prepared to use

technology in the classroom

They do not appreciate its value or relevance to teaching and learning

Starting point

Acquiring a new knowledge base and skill set can be challenging,

particularly if it is a time-intensive activity that must fit into a busy

schedule

Moreover, this knowledge is unlikely to be used unless teachers can use

the technology so that it is consistent with their existing pedagogical

beliefs

Teachers have often been provided with inadequate training for this task

Many approaches to teachers’ professional development offer a one

size-fits-all approach to technology integration when, in fact,

Teachers operate in diverse contexts of teaching and learning

What to do?

How can teachers integrate technology into their teaching?

There is no “one best way” to integrate technology into curriculum

Integration efforts should be designed for particular subject matter ideas

in specific classroom contexts

At the heart of good teaching with technology are three core components:

content, pedagogy, and technology, plus the relationships among and

between them.

Content or Subject matter knowledge •Knowledge of central facts, concepts, theories & procedures •Explanatory frameworks •Evidence for proof

Pedagogical knowledge •Students’ prior knowledge •How to use resources •Classroom management •Lesson plan development & implementation •Student evaluation

Technological (ICT) Knowledge •Skills necessary to operate particular technologies •The ability to learn and adapt to new technologies •A functional understanding of technologies

Pedagogical Content Knowledge: How particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted and represented for instruction

Technological Content Knowledge: How subject matter changes because of ICT (or how ict can support subject matter!)

Technological pedagogical Knowledge: How pedagogies change because of ICT (or how ict can support pedagogy)

TPACK

TPACK goes beyond all three “core” components of

content, pedagogy, and technology

Technological pedagogical content knowledge is an understanding that

emerges from interactions among content, pedagogy, and technology

knowledge

TPACK Core

The combination of TPK, TCK and TPCK is the heart (or the core)

of the model (TPACK Core)

Professional development..

Teachers need to develop fluency and cognitive flexibility not just in each

of the key domains (T, P, and C), but also in the manner in which these

domains and contextual parameters interrelate

But how?

Model to prepare pre-service teachers for technology use

Based on a synthesis of Qualitative Data

Structured into two aggregation levels:

key themes explicitly related to the preparation of pre-service teachers

at the micro level and

Key themes about conditions necessary to implement such programs

at the institutional level.

Two key themes were clustered together as overarching themes

“Aligning theory and practice” and

“Systematic and systemic change efforts”

general

Possible in the near future?

in theory AND in practice?

Capacity building for 21st century learning in secondary schools in Africa

Education

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