UNESCO ICT Competency Standards for Teachers

T. ShawkiChief, Section for ICTs in Education, Science and Culture

Information Society DivisionCommunication and Information Sector

UNESCOParis

Gk3 - December 13, 2007

Why? .. Problem Analysis

Why? .. Solution Analysis

The Idea ....A UNESCO ICT Competency Standards for teachers are defined as a tool/benchmark to determine the competencies of a pioneer/leader/innovative teacher and to develop a core of learning activities which can be adapted and used throughout our member states.

Herein a “Syllabus” is adopted to set “a detailed description of the knowledge areas and skill sets” of pioneer teachers. According to the pioneer teacher’s profile, the UNESCO TT Syllabus deals with knowledge and skills related to four main areas of competence:

•Pedagogy and ICT,

•Collaboration and ICT,

•Organizational development and ICT,

•School innovation and ICT.

In the proposed UNESCO TT Syllabus, ICT is never seen as a knowledge area per se, the focus being on the relationships between ICT and the four components of a pioneer teacher’s profile.

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ICT-CST: ObjectivesICT-CST: Objectives

To constitute a common core curriculum that professional development providers can use to develop or review learning materials that are sharable at a global level.

To provide a basic set of qualifications that allows teachers to integrate ICT into their teaching, to advance student learning, and to improve other professional duties.

To extend teachers’ professional development so as to advance their skills in pedagogy, collaboration, and school innovation using ICT.

To harmonize different views and vocabulary regarding the uses of ICT in teacher education.

UNESCO Plan

Activity Completed

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ICT-CST: Policy ContextICT-CST: Policy Context

Increase the technological uptake of the workforce by incorporating technology skills in the curriculum—or the technology literacy approach.

Increase the ability of the workforce to use knowledge to add value to economic output by applying it to solve complex, real-world problems—or the knowledge Harnessing approach.

Increase the ability of the workforce to innovate and produce new knowledge and of citizens to benefit from this new knowledge—or the knowledge creation approach.

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ICT-CST: the FrameworkICT-CST: the Framework

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Important RemarksImportant Remarks

This set of standards is not meant to compete or over-shadow other existing standards.

It is meant to provide a consistent vocabulary for this important area while ensuring collaboration with all and buy-in by all involved.

We tried to stay at a high abstraction level to allow room for both governments and content providers to have their own interpretation.