Mostteachers need a lot more support when it comes to
IT, according to participants in the
latestBCS Thought Leadership
debate.
The event, organised by the BCS Education Forum and attended by
IT leaders and career development experts from the education
sector, was entitled "Feeding the pipeline: what can we do in
schools?".
It was felt that many teachers have had very little
contextualised professional development. Although there are IT
courses for teachers, most who go on them already know how to use
computers and only go on the courses to "tick boxes" and prove
their skills.
Other teachers, who do not know as much about IT, want
motivational courses that have relevance to their work, the debate
heard. Teachers say they go on IT courses because they want to pass
on methods of independent learning to their pupils. However, only
when teachers are confident can they pass on what they know.
The courses that educational computer advisers advocate are
centred on research strategies, not basic skills. Tutors help the
teachers to design a project using computers that will make changes
in their institutional practice. The teachers learn how to reflect
on their findings and decide which strategies work best in raising
achievement.
When teachers on courses share these experiences they get to
feel part of a professional community. This sense of membership is
important in endorsing the implementation of change, the debate
heard. In this active learning context, the core question is not
what needs to be learnt, but what will help teachers change their
practices?
One of the biggest issues for teachers is that the systems used
in schools often are not as up to date as those pupils have at
home. And students are often more familiar with the software than
the teachers.
Teachers need to have personalised, contextualised support that
is integrated into their daily teaching and learning, the debate
heard. Some say traditional professional development is doomed, as
it has little impact and the cost is too high. Teachers learn best
when they become a "researcher".
Just as pupils thrive when they have inspirational teachers, so
teachers also need to be inspired by their peers. Perhaps to
achieve this teachers should have the opportunity to go out in to
other industries and see how things are done in other
environments.