How technology is changing the way we teach and learn

– and what we can do about it!

We all know that technology is changing our learning institutions. This year, Lifelong Learning UK commissioned Pontydysgu to undertake some research to ascertain how technology is changing teaching and learning – and make some recommendations for what we should do about it.

Overall findings

The following slides cover the key findings of the reporton these themes:• Learners• Pedagogies• How teachers are using technology• Futures• Teacher dispositions• Continuous professional development (CPD)• Workplace and work based learning

Learners

• Learners are making extensive use of technologies in their everyday lives but we should not make assumptions about either the technologies they are using or the way they use them.

• Learners - young people, in particular, assume that teachers will be familiar with technologies and have high expectations that they will use them for teaching and learning.

Pedagogies

• The technologies do not change the theory nor does the theory change the technology and it is difficult to see how there can be a ‘theory’ of e-learning any more than there can be a theory about blackboards.

• What is important is how those theories are applied to practice and e-learning technologies lend themselves well to collaborative, investigative and learner-centred approaches.

How teachers are using technology

• Take up and practice is very uneven and there are no clear patterns. There is no discernible evidence that it is related to particular groups of teachers (by age or gender or experience or sector). It is messy, often contradictory. Patterns vary between institutions and within institutions.

• Subject area is important, particularly so in vocational education.

Skills needs of teachers & trainers

It is helpful to think of the skills needs of teachers in the use of technology in this way:

• Personal ICT skills, the pre-requisite skills to use the technology

• Skills and knowledge related to the use of technology in a subject area, which includes keeping abreast of technological developments in the vocational sector

• Skills related to using technology for teaching and learning.

Futures

• Much of the use of ICT for formal learning is locked into web 1.0-type applications and processes whereby learners use the web to research information. There is less evidence of the use of web 2.0 applications whereby learners create exchange and publish content. However, these are expanding are there some excellent and innovative examples.

Futures cont.

• There are multiple futures to consider and teachers and e-learning developers need to be anticipating the roll out of web 3.0 technologies and the use of portable devices.

Teacher dispositions

• Teachers have different “prior experiences of education, life and work, begin teaching at different ages and stages in their careers, and hold differing beliefs about education and training, so bring differing dispositions to participation in their course and workplace.”

• It is pedagogic skills and confidence, particularly in their own subject area, which is the more important factor, regardless of ICT skills.

Teacher dispositions cont.

• One aspect of such confidence is being unafraid not to know; being confident in working with others with higher levels of ICT skills, be it students or colleagues. The availability of technical support may help gain such confidence. Even more critical may be not just the time and space to experiment but also a supportive institutional or departmental management.

Teacher dispositions cont.

• Teacher training can help in shaping the creativity, openness and confidence to use and experiment with new pedagogic approaches.

Continuing professional development

• There has been a move to learning on the job, in small groups and in the work place rather than attending courses.

• There is evidence that groups of teachers working collaboratively on common themes or in subject groups within institutions have had a high success rate and these small, bottom up ‘organic growth’ models work better than top down determination of a ‘curriculum’ to be followed. Informal use of mentors is also popular.

• There is a growing use of e-portfolios for reflection and a substantial take up of the IfL REfLECT tool.

What works?

“…evidence shows that the CPD most likely to lead to the desired impact is based on learning from others – from shared resources, from peer support and working together and through formal and informal networks.”

- IfL Supporting the workforce report, 2010

What works?

“Informal conversations are vital, as is dedicated time to allow teachers to talk together and plan for new approaches in terms of their use of ICT in learning and

teaching”. - Daly, Pachler and Pelletier, 2009

Work place & Work Based Learning

• There is clear evidence that people use ICT for informal learning in the workplace but whilst these activities are recognised as important, employers often discount them as ‘e-learning’.

• Work based learning providers identify lack of development time as the most crucial factor in introducing or increasing the use of e-learning and also lack of trainer expertise.

What can Lifelong Learning UK do in response?

Recommendations

Recommendations for LLUK

• Consider the pedagogic use of technology for teaching and learning as a distinct part of the lifelong learning sector learning delivery qualifications and professional standards

• Consider making initial teacher training qualifications more flexible to allow for divergent practices and teaching contexts

Recommendations for LLUK

• Make a distinction between personal ICT skills, the use of ICT for teaching and learning and, in vocational education and training, the use of technologies related to the occupational sector

• Develop the present notion of ICT skills into a broader idea of digital literacy

How can learning providers respond?

Recommendations

Promote the pedagogic use of technology for teachers and trainers in initial teacher training (ITT) and continuing professional development

How?

• Embed e-learning tools throughout the ITT curriculum and in CPD as well as teaching it as a stand-alone module

• Teach by example and continuously monitor the use of e-learning by teacher trainers regularly to ensure it is used appropriately and imaginatively as well as competently

• Use technology to enable closer contact between trainee teachers, mentors, teacher training institutions and work practice providers

Provide training for teacher trainers and mentors in the pedagogic use of technology for teaching and learning

How?

• Provide train-the-trainer programmes in the use of e-learning for existing staff

• Include in mentor training the use of technology for mentoring and also address the issue of supporting trainee teachers in using technology for teaching and learning

• Make more of those expert teachers in the field, irrespective of sector, subject or qualifications to act as role models

Provide a greater focus on organisational development as well as individual development

How?

• Develop the whole organisation as well as the skills of the individual - organisational development is one of the major variables in determining how technology is used for learning within institutions

• Ensure there are effective change management strategies at the institutional, departmental and course level

Develop effective models of continuing professional development (CPD)

How?

• Use multiple approaches to allow for different teacher dispositions

• Improve channels for dissemination beyond traditional project reports or journal articles. Encourage the use of multi media for disseminating good practice, for instance through sharing videos or audio recordings

• Encourage staff to join on line communities of practice and recognise time spent on those as CPD.

How?

• Foster practitioner-driven CPD. Provide more time and spaces for models such as TeachMeet which has been particularly successful in sharing and spreading good practice in the use of technology for

learning.

• Encourage the recording of CPD using the IfL REfLECT e-portfolio or another, relevant, e-portfolio system.

How?

• Introduce skill-sharing programmes, such as informal mentoring or buddy systems

• Set up small groups around subject areas to develop e-learning activities in context and give them time and space. This is a popular and cost effective means of CPD focused on practice.

Some practical ideas to try

Effective CPD in technology for learning

Simple idea

• Simple CPD idea: ‘Non-smoking breaks’. Staff sharing a new tool they like over a tea break with a colleague.

• Be playful!

Image from: http://www.paintings2enjoy.com/assets/Paintings/CupOfTea.jpg

‘Non-smoking’ breaks!

‘Viral training’ 30 min sessions

• Stage 1: 10 minute presentation on technology tool/pedagogical approach

• Stage 2: groups of staff discuss how they could use it in their own context & put ideas on post-it notes

• Stage 3: Staff look at each other’s ideas and choose the best

• Stage 4: Staff try out the ideas and share the results – then cycle begins again.

System as used at the University of East London, cited by M Vogel in a 2010 report.

Find out more

• Visit the Lifelong Learning UK website to read the full Literature Review upon which this information is based

• Get more inspiration for helping your staff get up to speed with technology for learning