ICT SUPPORTED TEACHER TRAINING IN IRELAND: THE SPÉIS PROJECT

Dr. Alan Bruce

Universal Learning Systems, Dublin

ICT for Language Learning: International ConferenceFlorence, Italy14-15 November 2013

Ireland: education and identity

• Learning and Gaelic society• The impact of colonialism• Ascendancy and hedge schools• Elitism, privilege and the assault on Gaelic• The impact of religion• Experiment and challenge: Maria

Edgeworth• Bardic lore to exile: maintaining the flame

of culture

Policy in crisis: the 19th CenturyNational School system (1831)Resistance and segregation

Identity and revolution The tidal wave of emigration

Partition and religion

The New State

• Department of Education (1924)

• The national curriculum

• The Irish language

• Subservience to the Church

• Separate systems: embedding elitism

• Vocational Education Act (1943)

• Declining demographics

Irish language profile

Irish and teaching

• Two official languages• Official Languages Act (2003)• Irish in a multiethnic society• Discontinuity between primary and post-primary• Language teaching deficits –English as lingua franca• No CLIL examples• Deficits in English language teaching• Overwhelming impact of curriculum based assessment• Teacher training systems

Teacher training

• Denominational basis• Secondary: degree plus Higher Diploma in

Education• Primary: Teacher Training Colleges

– Mary Immaculate, Limerick– St Patrick’s, Dublin– Colaiste Mhuire, Marino– Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin

Primary Curriculum• Education for a Changing World

(1992)• Primary School Curriculum (1999)• National Council on Curriculum and

Assessment www.ncca.ie• Scoilnet portal www.scoilnet.ie

CICE

CICE Background

• Established 1811

• Extensive library

• Effects of partition 1922

• Linkage to Trinity College Dublin

• Evolving future – DCU

• Poor ICT infrastructure

• Small numbers (150)

Active teaching methodologies

General focusTeacher Education comprised of developing knowledge but also developing skills and attitudes

Focus on skills such as:

1. Expressing and justifying opinions

2. Analysing information-facts/stories given

3. Opportunities to empathise with other people’s experiences

4. Resolving differences

5. Participating/co-operating

6. Ability to work co-operatively with others

7. Ability to see and appreciate different perspectives

8. Ability to tolerate another point of view

9. Ability to use and engage in a problem solving approach

Values:

• Openness to others

• Respect for the law

• Concern for human rights

Challenges in teaching formation

• Scattered and remote location of many Protestant schools

• Changes in degree structure and provision in B.Ed. program

• Minority ethos and status• Inadequate ICT and resources• Impact of financial crisis in 2008

The need for Innovation

• Supervising placement

• Costs, travel and remoteness

• Recording and uploading information

• Writing, monitoring and examining

• Supervision and quality

• Communications

Developing e-Support1. Method of supervision and contact for trainee teachers and

supervisory tutors in CICE.

2. A means for on-line engagement with trainee teachers.

3. An e-forum and seminar framework for group learning and exchange.

4. A method to manage classroom practice and learning.

5. A means for trainee teachers to upload assignments, materials, essays

and journals of reflective practice.

6. Integration of pedagogical processes and technology solutions to meet

CICE requirements

7. A creative and dynamic mechanism to supervise and support the

placement process over 10 weeks in various and remote locations.

Spéis: School Placement e-Integrated Scaffolding

• Aim of Spéis: to provide the first teacher

placement e-support and portfolio system in

Ireland

• Deployed advanced technologies to enable

creation of a platform where academic staff in the

College, student teachers and administrative

personnel could plan, design, implement and

review an ICT supported learning architecture

CLE: Context Learning Environment

• Developed for efficient and smooth digitalization of learning

processes and learner administration

• Learner-orientated approach to ICT systems, tools and

processes implementation by mapping the current state of the

learning organization

• Identifies potential areas where ICT tools can improve learning

and establishes a clear roadmap and milestones for e-learning

implementation

• Implementation of e-learning technology solutions that enable

a smooth transition towards digital learning

Process: Stage 11. Detailed identification of needs (1 workshop)

• Review of existing resources, plans/documentation and source material

• Learning process mapping: with main focus on placement periods

• Identifying areas in which technology can be applied to foster learning and

improve effectiveness of learner management and follow-up

 

2. Development and implementation plan (Context and ULS prepared based on

workshop results)

• Defining learner and teacher/mentor processes and tools

• Integration of pedagogical processes and technology solutions to meet CICE

requirements

• Implementation plan

 

Process: Stage 23. Technical implementation 

Tailoring and configuration of CLE solutions for CICE's ICT environment

Integration of communication, management/administration and evaluation tools into CLE

 

4. Piloting

User training/induction

Testing CLE solutions and tools with a pilot group

Pilot follow-up, collecting feedback, evaluating the process

Identifying critical development needs

Making necessary improvements in CLE solutions and tools

Quality management (ULS)

 

5. Launching the full B.Ed. on-line program

Format and deliverables• Learner (user) data management

• Management of learning activities (on-line, classroom)

and remote supervision

• Management of assignments, essays, learning materials,

journals of reflective practice, etc.

• Synchronous communication and group collaboration tools

• e-forum for sharing ideas and building knowledge

• e-portfolio (for students to maintain course-specific

portfolios and develop a personal student portfolio)

Supporting Irish• Integration of the Irish language and language teacher training supports.

• The deployment of advanced ICT supports in the digital portfolio

construction has enabled Irish to be fully integrated as a means of

communication and engagement.

• The history of language learning in Ireland has not been a happy one.

Decades of compulsion and mandatory rote learning produced

catastrophic results for the language as a positively perceived medium

of education, enjoyment and expression in its own right.

• Use of digital portfolios is designed to reinforce and complement

language instruction approaches that are proactive and learner centered.

Developing linkage

• Uses ULS expertise and networks to

link to analogous EU projects

• Link to Foras na Gaelige

• Specific linkage to LANGO project

Specific linkage: LANGO

LANGO aims to reduce language communication barriers through specific use of new smart phone technologies. The project has developed a language-learning tool which requires a little effort on the part of learners. LANGO users will be able to learn language - literally on the go, at any time and any place on flexible web-based and mobile learning platforms.

Specific linkage: NELLIP

NELLIP carries out the following main activities:

1.Identification and description of examples of best practice in planning and implementing

language learning initiatives that have received the European Language Label.

2. Development of guidelines on how to plan, implement, manage, exploit and create

network between language learning quality initiatives based on maximizing best practice

developed within the framework of European language labeled projects and initiatives.

3. Organization of workshops to test and exploit project results and European language

labelled initiatives and projects.

Summary• Spéis project: in context of the changing and evolving context of teacher

training provision in Ireland with specific reference to the central role of

the Irish language and its promotion.

• Teachers need to gather and demonstrate evidence of their growth and

achievement over time. Developing a professional portfolio at

undergraduate level is the first step in this process.

• It enables student teachers to begin the process of reflection necessary

for them to develop as reflective practitioners.

• Spéis is an innovative e-supported portfolio, unique in Ireland. E-learning

best practice and its adoption in Irish schools using this project and other

allied initiatives is designed to promote digital access and excellence.

Next steps

• Digital Schools of Distinction

www.digitalschools.ie

• Open Discovery Space

www.opendiscoveryspace.eu

• TRANSit

www.transit-project.eu

Thank you

Dr. Alan Bruce

ULS Dublin

abruce@ulsystems.com