Mary Hooker EdTech 2009 Post-graduate Track: Dublin City University

1. An investigation into the use of Activity Theory to ‘Mirror’ICT Practices in the Teacher Professional Development Landscape of a Development Country Context Mary Hooker EdTech 2009 Post-graduate Track: Dublin City University

2. Action Research Action researchers start with an idea and follow it where it leads them... Mc Niff and Whitehead (2006: 31)

3. Research Question “How can I improve my practice as a facilitator to engage teacher educator institutions in a reflexive discourse on the use of ICT in Teacher Professional Development?”

4. My Context • I am an Education Specialist • I work for an INGO called Global eSchools and Communities Initiatives (GeSCI) • GeSCI provides strategic advice to Ministries of Education in developing countries on the effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for education and communities of learning.

5. My Values • I reject power imbalances evident in north-south relationships in development • Knowledge has to represent something far greater than a transfer of packaged models or frameworks from one system to another • I value other peoples’ capacity to come to know in their own way, to create their own knowledge, to draw on insights from the knowledge of others

6. My Concerns • An equitable relationship with partners developed upon processes of mutual learning and change • Approaching issues on a basis of co-construction of knowledge, through processes of critical reflection and experience

7. Why am I concerned? • North-south transfer of capacity which is often assumed, rather than a process of mutual learning (Taylor and Clarke, 2008) • Problematic nature of collaboration if participants have not been properly involved in defining the need and purpose of the developmental process and their views and interests are not addressed (Kontiainen 2007, cited in Hakkarainen, 2007) • The gap between ‘classroots’ and policy level (O’ Sullivan, 2004) • The absence of the teacher’s voice in policy discourse and formulation

8. What am I going to do about it? I need to develop appropriate tools to support knowledge building and understanding of the issues and challenges in Teacher Professional Development policy and practice

9. Literature Global Agenda: Education For All • Education for All (EFA) agenda as a Global Social Justice (GSJ) Project; • Concept of quality is fundamental to its achievement; • A quality education is dependent on the development of high quality teachers; • Momentous challenge in a global context of ever more complex demands on systems for educational provision; • Acute shortages in the supply of suitably qualified and experienced teachers north and south; • Disparities in quality provision accelerate as richer countries lure qualified teachers from less favoured regions. • Davis, 2000; Leach 2008 INCLUSIVE ACCESS? QUALITY ? MANAGEMENT ? RELEVANCE ?

10. Literature Global Agenda: Knowledge Society for All • Systemic economic growth is the key to poverty reduction and increased prosperity; • “New Growth” economic models emphasize the importance of new knowledge, innovation, and the development of human capacity as the sources of sustainable economic growth; • ICTs are engines for new growth and tools for empowering societies to change into knowledge economies or information societies; Source: AKRI Ltd.

11. Literature Global Agenda: Knowledge Society for All • Education is a major pillar of a knowledge economy and a human right; • Citizens will need to be prepared in new technology literacy competencies inclusive of higher order thinking and sound reasoning skills - the ability tolearn how to learn (i.e. to be a life-long learner), the ability to reflect, to analysesynthesize, to find solutions and to adapt • Through access to an inclusive high-quality education by all –benefits to individual, business, private and public enterprise are multiplied and will lead to economic growth that is more equitably distributed and enjoyed by all. • GeSCI, 2008; UNESCO 2008

12. Literature Use of ICT in Teacher Professional Development in Africa • Complex landscape • Myriad of national and international initiatives • Proliferation of one-off, topic-led, short-term training programmes that aim to develop specific skills of teachers • Paradigm shift towards longer term, systemic TPD initiatives • Features of ICT integration in and across curricula, on-line learning, virtual communities of practice, web portals of resources, certification of progress • Farrell and Isaacs, 2007 Source: UNESCO

13. Literature Benchmarking ICT in Teacher Professional Development

14. Literature Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)... New solutions, new model for practice ’Mirror’ of everyday practice (Historical and ongoing) Future Conceptual tools Present Past Activity system framework Facilitators Stakeholders Engestrom, 2003

15. Literature CHAT: Cycles for Expansive Learning

16. Methodology Qualitative approach: Action Research Living Theory (Whitehead and Mc Niff, 2006) Studying my practice and generating practical knowledge that is rooted in my practice in relation to the ideas of others

17. CHAT... Cycle 1:Past ’Mirror’ of everyday practice (Historical and ongoing) Conceptual tools Past Activity system framework Facilitators Stakeholders Engestrom, 2003

18. CYCLE 1 – TEACHERS STORIES Story telling in a conversational setting with its associations for risk-taking and permissiveness, ‘may be more likely to reveal uncomfortable experiences, ideas, issuesand concerns… conditions (that) can increase the odds for productive learning’. McDrury and Alterio 2002, cited in Haigh, 2005:12

19. THE ‘MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE’ (MSC) TECHNIQUE • Process involves • The collection of significant change (SC) storiesfrom the practice level • The systematic selectionof the most significantof these stories by panels or working groups of stakeholders or staff

20. THE ‘MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE’ (MSC) TECHNIQUE ‘Looking back over the last month, what do you think was the most significant change in your practice since using computers in your classroom?’ THE KERNEL

21. THE ‘MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE’ (MSC) TECHNIQUE ‘From among all these significant change stories, what do you think was the most significant change of all?’ THE KERNEL

22. Story Selection Criteria Shift in teacher role • teacher is no longer the gatekeeper of knowledge • teacher is emerging as co-learner - learning with and from students about the technology Shift in pedagogy • student-centred approach • discovering learning through exploring ICT as catalyst for change: • ICTs can change pedagogy • student can become ‘addicted’ and distracted from learning • ‘war’ inside teacher leading to anxiety Shift in learner role • from passive to active engagement • student more confident in using technology than teacher Shift in pedagogy • Learning becomes real - changes world view • Student can learn from research, team work, communication (self-learning) ICT as catalyst for change • ICT breaking down geographic barriers - world accessible through the internet • 3d multi-media dynamic learning instead of 2d static learning • Interactivity for student • Education For All Relationship

23. CHAT... Cycle 2:Present ’Mirror’ of everyday practice (Historical and ongoing) Conceptual tools Present Past Activity system framework Facilitators Stakeholders Engestrom, 2003

24. CYCLE 2 – TEACHERS’ WORK ENVIRONMENTS Activity Theory Lens ‘What ‘tensions’ do the stories reveal in educational practice?’

25. Facilitating Expansive School Transformation Using ICT in the SADC Region: A Botswana Pilot Project Nleya, 2009

26. School Time-table Teacher-Rules Do you collaborate with other teachers about how ICT can be used in teaching and learning? For now no, the teacher has a lot of, many periods, 27, 28, we are not permitted to get time to discuss about it... The high priority for teachers is to prepare notes for what they have to teach their students in their subjects... And marking, that is what I think... Tools ICT Teacher B Object ICT Literacy Rules Role School time-table Liaise between school and partner Curriculum National Examinations

27. Community of Practice Teacher-Community Do teachers ever communicate with teachers in other schools? Not so much actually, not so much... But if we can discuss with the teachers, during our time, our free time, we can say, we can help each other Tools - ICT Teacher B Object ICT Literacy Rules Community Role School time-table Teachers Liaise between school and partner Curriculum Management National Examinations

28. Tensions in School Environment • Teacher–tools: The insufficiency of ICT training and inadequacy of lab resources hampers the teacher’s efforts to implement ICT in the teaching-learning process. • Teacher–rules: Tight time-tables and bureaucratic planning inhibit opportunities for the teacher to research, to direct self-learning to communicate with other teachers on ICT use. Teachers tend to be excluded from school policy and planning on ICT use in the school environment. • Teacher-objective: The teachers are not involved in defining objectives for their training needs for ICT integration. There are many constraints and no incentives for teachers to apply ICT in their daily practice. • Tools-community: The insufficiency of ICT resources available to teachers inhibits inter-disciplinary collaboration internally between teachers and ICT liaison/ coordinators, and between teachers and other teachers from other schools.

29. CHAT... Cycle 3:Future New solutions, new model for practice ’Mirror’ of everyday practice (Historical and ongoing) Future Conceptual tools Present Past Activity system framework Facilitators Stakeholders Engestrom, 2003

30. CYCLE 3 – WORKSHOP: TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TOMORROW, TODAY

31. Change Story Lens Mirror 1 - Past Which story represents the ‘most significant’change? Teacher A? Teacher B? Teacher C? Student D?

32. Activity System Lens • Mirror 2 - Present • What ‘tensions’ do the stories reveal about current educational practice?

33. Future Scenario Lens • Mirror 3 - Future • What ‘scenarios’ will teachers populate in future practice?

34. Expansive Learning • Creating a new model • What will be the ‘Development Path’ for the next ten years? • Tailoring TPD programmes to a particular country, its policies and its current educational conditions... • UNESCO, 2008

35. Living Contradiction “We take as the starting point of our research the idea that we experience ourselves as living contradictionswhen our values are denied in our practice” Whitehead 1989 cited in Whitehead and McNiff 2006: 25

36. Workshop evaluation • Workshop was successful due to strong communication, facilitation and organizational skills of facilitators but it had some shortcomings. • To organize a workshop which yields no significant outcomes, is a wastage of money, time and resources which otherwise can be utilized in another productive mission. Participant Feedback - Workshop: Teacher Professional Development for Tomorrow, Today

37. Workshop on North/South Research Partnerships for ICT in Education April 21st Irish Aid Centre, Dublin • New joint research projects • New models for integrating research to education development and policy making • New capacities in South and North Research GeSCI Education Development Policy making

38. References • Davies, R and Dart, J. 2007. The ‘Most Significant Change’ Technique [Online]. Available from: http://www.mande.co.uk/docs/MSCGuide.pdf • Davis, N. 2000. International Contrast of Information Technology in Teacher Education: multiple perspectives of change. Editorial. Journal of Technology for Teacher Education [Online]. 9 (2) pp 139-147 Available from: Academic Search Premier http://www.library.dcu.ie/Eresources/databases-az.htm[Accessed 26 March 2009] • Engestrom, R. 2003. Change lab – a new perspective to teachers’ professional development [Online]. Available from WITFOR at: www.witfor.org.bw/doc/dr_ritva_education.ppt[Accessed 19 April 2009] • Farrell, G. and Isaacs, S. 2007. Survey of ICT and Education in Africa [Online]. Available from infoDEV at: www.infodev.org/en/Document.353.pdf [Accessed 9 April 2009] • GeSCI 2008. Strategic Plan 2009 – 2011 [Online]. Available from GeSCI at: www.gesci.org [Accessed 15 December 2008] • Hakkarainen, K. et al. 2008. A Research Plan for the Academy of Finland. Helensinki: University of Helsinki (internal document) • Kennedy, A. 2005. Models for Continuing Professional Development: A framework for Analysis. Journal of In-Service Education [Online]. 31 (2), pp235-250. Available from Professional Development Collection at: http://www.library.dcu.ie/Eresources/databases-az.htm[Accessed 15 December 2008] • Leach, J. 2008. Do new information and communications technologies have a role to play in the achievement of education for all? British Educational Research Journal [Online]. 34 (6), pp783 – 805. Available from: Academic Search Premier http://www.library.dcu.ie/Eresources/databases-az.htm[Accessed 26 March 2009] • O’Sullivan, M. 2004. The reconceptualisation of learner-centred approaches: a Namibian case study. International Journal of Educational Development [Online]. 24 pp 585-602. Available from: Academic Search Premier http://www.library.dcu.ie/Eresources/databases-az.htm[Accessed 15 December 2008] • Taylor, P. and Clarke, P. 2008. Capacity for Change. Sussex: CUIDS, University of Sussex • UNESCO 2008. ICT Competency Standards for Teachers: Policy Framework [Online]. Available from UNESCO at: http://cst.unesco-ci.org/sites/projects/cst/The%20Standards/ICT-CST-Policy%20Framework.pdf [Accessed 11 April 2009] • Whitehead, J. and Mc Niff, J. 2006. Action Research Living Theory.London: Sage Publications