Integration of ICT to science education through professional development of teachers

1
Integration of ICT to science education through
professional development of teachers

• Jari Lavonen, Kalle Juuti, and Veijo Meisalo
• Department of Applied Sciences of Education,
  University of Helsinki, Finland

2
Partners of the project

• Department of Teacher Education at the University
  of Helsinki
• two teacher training colleges
• seven lower and eight upper secondary schools
  distributed all over the country

3
Goals for 3-year project

• Developing new approaches for science education
  where ICT can be utilised in a versatile manner.
• Helping science teachers to adopt and develop
  pedagogical models for utilising ICT in science
  education (in-service training).
• Developing digital learning material for science
  education.
• Giving information to all science teachers.

4
Practical backgroundNational strategy and
teachers

• National Strategy for Education, Training and
  Research in the Information Society by the
  Ministry of Education.
• Schools have computers and access to the Internet
  but the active use of this media for learning is
  low
• Adequate in-service training of teachers is
  missing
• Researchers earlier experience in related RD
  work and possibility continue it

5
Theoretical backgroundAdoption of an innovation

• Diffusion and adoption of innovations (Rogers,
  1995)
• S-shape diffusion process
• different levels of individuals in adaptation
• Factors affecting to adoption (Fullan, 1991)
• properties of innovation (ICT use in science)
• local characteristics (teachers, classroom)
• external factors (e.g., national strategy)
• ICT use should be developed based on science
  curriculum

6
Working models

• Two-day contact meetings twice a semester
  collaboration, reflection, contextuality
• Computer conferences between the meetings.
• Development of new teaching methods, applying in
  classroom, and evaluating them.
• Reporting in real and virtual meetings of the
  project action research approach.

7
WebCT use in students and teachers project
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Producing web based learning environments
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Developing teaching methods and ICT use within
them

• Teaching method is used as a synonym for a -
  learning or instructional method/model/strategy,
  - student activity or classroom practice.
• Use of a teaching method helps students to
  acquire - concepts, ways of thinking, - skills
  (e.g., computer use), and - values.
• Teaching methods are - goal-oriented and -
  emphasise social interaction among students and
  between students and the teacher.

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Sources of information used within developed
teaching methods
Source of information
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Developing MBL use in science education
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Developing teaching methods where reading and
writing and ICT use are essential

• The aim was to foster the ability of students to
• utilise different information sources (such as
  the Internet) and not copy the information
  directly from its source,
• outline, plan, draft, revise, and edit writing
• express their own ideas, criticise, ,
• improve students reasoning ability,
• enhance their knowledge and interest in science
• In practice, 21 different teaching methods were
  developed with the teachers, e.g.,
• different techniques of note-taking (e.g.,
  concept maps),
• co-operative or reciprocal reading,
• process writing,

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Developing teaching methods where working in
small group and ICT use are essential

• We applied ideas introduced by Sharan (1994) in
  his Handbook of Cooperative Learning Methods and
  developed with the teachers e.g.,
• learning together (group discussion, process
  writing, and e.g. writing poems in a group),
• the jigsaw method,
• the think-pair-share method,
• group investigation in the co-operative
  classroom,
• shared experience, and

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Research question

• How ICT use in science education changed during
  the three-year active period of the project?
• How teachers ICT competencies changed during the
  three-year active period of the project?

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Method

• Data was collected at the beginning of the
  project, and at the end of each year by a
  questionnaire
• self evaluation of teachers ICT competence
• evaluation, how often a certain category of ICT
  in science education was used
• The purpose of the research, and terms such as
  LMS, MBL, applet, were explained to the
  teachers.

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Teachers

• 31 teachers, with an average of 10 years of
  teaching experience.
• 68 were upper secondary school teachers, and
  the rest lower secondary school teachers.
• 30 of the teachers taught chemistry 50
  physics as a main subject (chemistry, mathematics
  or physics other subjects).

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Self-Evaluation of the ICT Competence, Scale

• 1 cannot use ICT
• 2 weak can use word processor and e-mail to some
  extent
• 3 satisfactory can use a word processor, e-mail
  and an Internet browser satisfactorily
• 4 good can use the previous tools well, make Web
  pages and know the pedagogical principles of
  using ICT
• 5 excellent in addition, could be a trainer or
  researcher in the use of ICT

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Self-Evaluation of the teachers ICT Competence
Autumn 2000 n 25
1 cannot use
2 weak
3 satisfactory
4 good
5 excellent
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(A) Tool applications Word processing in learning
100
5 daily (several times a day)
80
4 often (3-6 times a week)
60
3 occasionally(1-2 times a week)
40
2 seldom (1-3 times a month)
20
1 never
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
20
(A) Tool applications Spreadsheets in data
processing
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
21
(B2) Computer-assisted research Search on the
Internet
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
22
(B2) Computer-assisted research MBL in research
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
23
(B3) Distance learning Newsgroup, learning
management system
100
80
60
40
20
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
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Conclusions

• Permanent, positive changes occurred in schools
  participating in the activities
• Teachers increased ICT use in science education,
  (developed together, tested in practice and
  evaluated)
• Once the teachers had adopted a certain ICT use
  they did not drop it
• ICT use in science education is appropriate to
  develop based on objectives or goals set for
  science education selection of content, context
  and teaching or learning method(s) suitable for
  reaching these goals.

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Implications for professional development of
teachers 1. Empowerment aspects

• Co-planning, shared purpose and internalisation
  of goals.
• Teachers' beliefs and practices should be
  identified and discussed.
• Meetings should be planned co-operatively.
• Shared expertise and dissemination.
• Teachers should be guided in their planning,
  realising and evaluation of small teaching
  experiments
• Teachers should take (and should be given) the
  responsibility for preparing presentations and
  for publishing reports.
• Appropriate resources.
• Resources for new equipment and software as well
  as travelling expenses and development work
  should be available
• Authentic evaluation.
• Evaluation data should be continually collected
  (discussions in small and big groups,
  questionnaires, ) in order to follow how
  teachers have adopted ICT

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Implications for professional development of
teachers 2. Communication aspects

• Ensure versatile communication.
• Opportunities to use different types of
  communication - face-to-face communication
  (plenary , small-group activities), - mediated
  communication (newsgroup , e-mail, LMS),-
  mediated quasi-interaction (WWW-based materials)
• Ensure reflection in small groups.
• Teachers sholuld believe that they can learn from
  each other
• Optimal pace.
• Facilitators should be sensitive to the progress
  of the project
• Optimal combination for lectures and small-group
  activities.
• Optimal diversity.
• 2 4 four teachers from a school, altogether
  about 15 25
• Teachers with different backgrounds
• Uncertainty as a resource for creativity room
  for free ideas.

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Implications for professional development of
teachers 3. Aspects of context

• The importance of context
• Integration of ICT in different - teaching
  methods, - context- contents and subjects.
• Cumulative development of teachers ICT
  competencies starting where they are.
• Teacher in ICT competence should be evaluated in
  the beginning and meanwile
• The development of teacher competence should be
  a regular topic of discussion.