Inquiry Blog Post 3: Supporting Teachers Learning with ICT

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What is the best way  to support fellow teachers in their ICT learning journey? This is a question I  struggled with for 13 years. While I don't have a definitive answer, I have worked with enough teachers to have some ideas on what works and what doesn't (or is less effective for the people I worked with). The thing is, helping teachers grow as technology users is super rewarding.

Some Lessons Learned in Supporting Teachers

#1 - Most teachers feel they have very little time to spare, so they want the time they do apply to learning ICT to be "meaningful".

#2 - What works for one teacher may or may not work for another. We are all unique, and like our own students, our learning styles differ.

#3 - Teachers would prefer small groups or individual instruction over large group instruction. Many teachers still feel the need to be the "expert", so a general "here is how tool X works" is not necessarily satisfying.

Options for Teaching Teachers to use ICT

There are any number of ways to support teachers in learning and using ICT. I have found some to be more impactful than others. Here are some of the ways I could support teacher ICT growth and why/when I might choose to use them. I am breaking these into Conferences, Direct Instruction, and self-directed resources.

Conferences

Off-site/Out of country - One way to help teachers grow as ICT users is to find and encourage participation in appropriate conferences. Conferences are a great way for teachers to create interest and excitement around different ICT tools. While conferences in the US like FETC or ISTE are great, they actually have to be approached with some caution.

It has been my experience that while these conferences are great at getting you excited, they do not always match the reality back home in Canada. Some of the tools promoted can't actually be used in our context for students under a certain age. Often the tools promoted are not initially intended for schools, but the larger public. When you go to use them in a class you actually run up against age restrictions and the like. One of these I came across in the past is ThingLink.

Off-site/In province - There are number of great local conferences in Manitoba that relate to ICT. The best things about these conferences are they are run by educators and the presenters are - in the main - active teachers sharing their successes in the use of ICT in the classroom. Examples in Manitoba include SAGE, BYTE, and Riding the Wave. These are great opportunities to connect with the local teaching community and people to follow/ connect with on-line. BYTE and Riding the Wave are put on by a collection of groups, and usually feature guest speakers like John Spencer and Nora Young (host of CBC Spark). I really like these conferences given their local flavour and opportunity to connect with local peers.

Source: http://byteconference.weebly.com/

At school - One of the best conference I have participated in as a presenter was a modified unconference held at the last school I taught at.

"Finding popularity in the Tech sector in the mid-nineties, Unconferences represented a move away from formal conferences with attendees given the freedom to create the event they wanted. There is no pre-planned agenda – instead participants convene sessions on whatever topic they like on the morning of the Unconference, claiming a time slot and location." (20 Bedford Way)

Because the unconference focuses on the topics of interest to the attendees, rather than the topics organizers think attendees want, engagement is high. And because the presenters are drawn from the teaching staff, the information they share about the tool and its use in the classroom holds greaterr weight for the attendees.

Direct Instruction

Lunch and Learn - The "lunch and learn" model is a well known concept. Provide PD or information sessions while teachers (or anyone for that matter) eat lunch. The main convenience here is timing. Teachers do not have to attend training outside of regular school hours. In my experience, most teachers dislike the lunch and learn model. I tried it a couple of times and the turn out was not inspiring. In my second school I didn't bother to try these. When a new colleague joined the school he did try lunch and learns, with very little uptake/success.

Teachers are busy, and lunch is often their main break in the hustle and bustle of the day. Unless they are very motivate, or mandated, they are very unlikely to give up their lunch to learn something - anything - new. In my view there are more effective ways to work with teachers.

Staff meetings - At my last school I was asked from time-to-time to provide small tech related updates or tool information. Looking back I think this is something I should have pursued more. Teachers at staff meetings are open / ready to receive information. The only caveat is that whatever I would share would have to be "bite sized" as time is limited. I would end with an invitation to come see me for additional help if they wanted to learn more.

Common preps - The two schools I worked at as the ICT specialist mandated common prep time between myself and teachers. This time was spent discussing and planning how to incorporate ICT into their curriculum. Because we were working with and talking about technology that the teacher was interested in, they were very open to learning more about the technology. It also gave them the opportunity to ask questions and get more personalized instruction in it's use. I would also co-teach with the teachers when it came time to introduce the technology, so I could model the use of the technology and its instruction for the teacher(s).

Small groups - It is much easier to learn a new technology when you can use it while learning it. While large PD sessions on the use of an ICT tool were helpful in building awareness, smaller group work was often more effective in building skill in using the technology. For example, at my last school teachers had to learn to use MS Teams to provide hybrid classes (some students in class and some at home). The classrooms had recently been altered to allow for this new reality, and it was up to my peers and I to in-service the staff on making this work. As there were three ICT teachers and roughly 100 staff, this meant a blitz of largish group instruction.

Following one of these session a teacher asked if I could stay and run her through the process where she did all the work (the absolute best way to learn ICT in my view). Three or four other teachers asked to stay and watch. I was more than happy to comply. In the end all 4 or 5 teachers got to try starting a session while peppering me with questions. By the end one of the participants commented that "this was the best session they had every been at, and it was so much more effective!"

As with our students the smaller the group the more impactful the learning.

Self-directed Learning

Some individuals are happy to learn on their own using a variety of tools. These can include YouTube videos, books, websites, blogs, tool FAQ pages, pod casts, TikTok and the like. These are your self directed / internally motivated learners. These teachers don't need you to walk them through learning the tool, but they do look to you for help getting started. This is where you can act as a guide to useful resources.

The particular resource you provide will depend on your client, so knowing what kind of learner they are is important so you can point them to the best starting YouTube site, professional blog, or guide book. The learning tool presented will also depend on the topic of interest.

As shared in the past, a great Microsoft resource is Mike Tholfsen when it comes to education. You can find him on YouTube, if you are into TikTok, you can find him there too!

Final Thoughts

There is no one way to assist the teachers in your school along their ICT learning journey. It all comes down to who they are as a learner. What you can do is help them use their time effectively, guide them to the learning that works best for them, and where possible make the learning as personal as possible.

When the opportunity presents itself, work with small groups (1-4 teachers) of learners is ideal. Especially if the individuals can support each other in their growth with the ICT tool they are interested in.

Sources:

20 Bedford Way. (2016, January 25). How to run an unconference. 20 Bedford Way. https://20bedfordway.com/news/how-to-run-an-unconference/

(N.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.tiktok.com/@mtholfsen/video/7155616024967007531?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7157849324188730886