Allyson Macdonald LearnICT project Iceland University of Education

1. “Please don´t talk while I am interrupting!”Voices heard in the construction of the ICT curriculum in Iceland Allyson Macdonald LearnICT project Iceland University of Education SERA Annual Conference, 25th-27th November 2004

2. The study • In all 18 schools, grades 1-10 • What are the implications of using ICT for • Teachers and teaching? • Learners and learning? • The school as an organisation? • Survey of pupil views • Survey of teachers self-evaluated skills • This particular study draws on four of these schools and a study of the development of the national curriculum.

3. The approach • Curriculum issues • Activity theory • (ICT and leadership) • Analysis • Conclusions

4. The revision of the national curriculum 1996-99 • Previous curriculum 1989 • Revised 1996-1999 • Project manager • Managament committee • Subject coordinators • Preparatory groups • Workgroups • Two policy committees – curriculum and IT

5. The structure of the national curriculum 1999 • Compulsory and secondary school produced at the same time • Two new subjects – IT/ICT and life-skills • Compulsory schooling 1st – 10th grade • Final goals 10th grade • Aims 4th, 7th and 10th grades • Objectives for every grade in most subjects

6. Datasources • Documents – policy reports, preparatory reports, national curriculum, school curriculum • Four semi-structured interviews with policy makers, one of them an e-interview • Schools (four, urban, established) • On-site interviews with principals, ICT coordinators • Two focus groups of teachers with six teachers each • One focus group with six students • Analysis of school curriculum • On-site visits (11 lessons) • Part of the larger LearnICT study – student survey, teachers’ self-evaluation of skills, observations, interviews, document analysis

7. Disruptions in pedagogical spaces - 2003 Voices of policy – official initiatives and programmes Voices of teachers – professional and curriculum interests The construction of the ICT curriculum Voices of ICT – interests of software developers Voices of pupils – out of school use of ICT Robertson et al., 2003

8. Force fields • Some of it relates to the competing discourses or “force fields” which operate in the context for classroom practices. • Rather our work suggests that ICT seems to rupture more fundamental arrangements and as a result changes the relationships and relations these dimensions carry. Robertson et al. 2003

9. Activity theory – contradictions Mediating tools CONTEXT OUTCOME Subjector actor Object or task Rules Community Roles

10. Curriculum perspectives • Dominant perspective • Institutionalised text • Aims and objectives • Learning experiences • Reconceptualist perspective • Other approaches: historical, biographical, postmodern • Educational principles • Individualism or traditionalism

11. Disruptions in pedagogical spaces – 2004 Voices of policy – official initiatives and programmes Voices of teachers – professional and curriculum interests Voices of soft- ware developers Voices of principals? School Class Voices of pupils – out of school use of ICT Voices of pupils – in school use of ICT Robertson et al., 2003

12. Observations/ Interviews Documents/ Web-sites Interviews/ Observations

16. Voices • Policy-makers • Software • Pupils • Outside schools • Inside schools • Teachers • Principals

17. Mediating tools – ICT and pupils • Out-of-school ICT activities - pupils • Collaborative (e.g. games, web-sites) • Communicative (e.g. MSN, blogg) • Creative web-sites(e.g. programming, web-sites) • In-school use – pupils’ curriculum • Microsoft software • Technical, transmissive • Tedious! • The curriculum as tool • The pupils as a tool

18. Rules – school curriculum • The published curriculum • The school curriculum • Timetables • National standards • School options • Teaching contracts • Facilities • Access • Supervision

19. Division of labour – pupils, teachers, principals • Novices – experts • Principal • Delegation • Subject leaders • Class teacher/subject specialisation

20. Community – school culture • Community • collaboration – pressure • just-in-time vs. CPD • Commitment – to learning • Computers – that work!! • Vision of the principal • Managerial • Supportive • Authority

21. The principal’s voice • Leadership, management and administration • New rules • New laws • Technology • Roles • Educational leader • Manager • Community • Staff • Culture

22. The object /outcome • Policy-makers • Wanted a curriculum for analytical thinking and for promoting a way of working • Wanted a cross-curriculum approach • Produced a curriculum which has been interpreted as prescriptive, with lists of things to know and do; • Creativity and applied knowledge and CDT are rarely found in school curricula or in practice • Principals – want ICT for learning • Teachers – not sure • Pupils – capable but conservative

23. The object /outcome – the curriculum • Twining – Computer Practice Framework • IT skills • IT for learning • support • extend • transform • The constructed curriculum • Support, extension, not often transformation • For IT skills, not for ICT as a tool in learning • Computer skills and information skills A cacophony of voices! Thank you!