Chapter 7.6
Online Professional Development for Teachers
Márta Turcsányi-Szabó,
Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Informatics,
Budapest, Hungary
Abstract: The most effective way of spreading and updating professional development for teachers can be done with the use of virtual learning environments. They provide ease of delivery, flexibility for usage of resources, technology to support collaborative work and emergence of learning/teaching communities that can further help each other in their common tasks. Technology use is a basic feature of online professional development, since it provides the technology of delivery as well as effective means of learning. Therefore, professional development has to consider the use of information and communication technologies as its main priorities when transforming teacher education into an effective process. Education also has to take into consideration the change in the forms of learning, turning away from more formalised school settings into various forms of informal modes of learning, thus the design of learning objects have to satisfy a more flexible use of materials within different contexts.
Keywords: Continuous professional development, Europe, Hungary, initial teacher education, learning objects, School networks, virtual learning environments
1. Introduction
The world is facing an acute and growing shortage of teachers. Besides, many teachers work in overcrowded classrooms where frontal teaching and rote learning makes it difficult to motivate children to learn in school, thus new teaching methods and strategies are needed to change teacher practices. Technology can create virtual learning environments, which on the one hand provides motivating learning situations as well as allows to quickly reach remote areas in need and provide a flexible training environment for all participants (UNESCO - Teacher Education Web site, n.d.).
Online education originated from Distance Education as technology penetrated deeper into the method of delivery and communication. Distance Education refers to the delivery of education to students who are not physically at the training institution itself. Delivery of learning materials are provided through printed or electronic media or e-learning/online-learning technology and communication between teachers and students can be managed through technology that allows asynchronous or synchronous communication. In case any amount of on-site presence is required, then the learning mode is rather described as blended learning, and in case more of the subjects and objects of learning are connected through technology, then the learning mode is described to be facilitated through virtual learning environment. In terms of prefix use, one can trace the path of development and be able to distinguish between D-learning (Distance Education), E-learning (Technology Enhanced Learning), M-learning (Mobile Learning) where students do not need to keep location and use mobile or portable technology (Wikipedia – Distance Education Web site, n.d.).
However, e-learning is not a synonym of online learning. While e-learning requires the fluent use of enhanced technology in itself as it is performed through emerging technologies, delivering knowledge and information through multimedia content and internet resources, it is not necessarily performed online, but can well be utilised in a face-to-face classroom situation as well. The essence of online learning – in addition – is in its collaborative nature, that simulates face-to-face classroom activities by providing virtual learning environment (e.g. Moodle, BSCW, Blackboard, WebCT), collaborative teaching/learning environments to share and communicate online (by using e-mail, mailing lists, chats, forums or videoconferences), use virtual laboratories to perform experiments and facilitate assessment by application of automatic assessment tools, portfolios and web-logs.
It is evident from the above, how technology plays a deterministic role in mode of education in exactly the same way as technology penetrates the everyday lives of business and leisure activities. Even though, the call of time has urged technology to make an immediate penetration into business, a delayed impact on the leisure market is observed, and a far more retarded emergence within education can be experienced. Technology, as it is, seems to be an unproved obstacle for schools rather than an enhanced facilitator for learning. Therefore, teacher education of our present days has to exert distinct efforts to show and prove good practices and integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the everyday teaching processes. The main problem might originate from the fact that the majority of teachers practicing today have learned the teaching profession through books and in face-to-face, frontal teaching situations and have little chance within their own learning experiences in using technology to provide self-proof. Technology progresses rapidly, so Initial Teacher Training (ITE) cannot prove to be enough, but Continuous Professional Development (CPD) has to deal with new emerging technology, context and methods, in which the use of ICT must have an outstanding role. Therefore, this chapter deals not only with online professional development of teachers in general, but specifically concentrates on the issue of using ICT tools and e-learning materials on the road as it both facilitates the learning process of teachers as well as provides resources for enhanced learning in schools.
Besides official training programs, the case of providing online curriculum materials is highly important. Research in the UK claims that the nature of ICT is fundamentally antipathetic to the culture of the school and highlights the dissatisfaction towards the educational system, which is leading increasing numbers of parents in the USA and the UK to remove their children from school and educate them at home, using the services of Internet-based providers of educational materials (Somekh, 2004). Of course one can only understand the problems fully by examining the pedagogy related to ICT usage – this chapter cannot deal with this rather extensive and very important issue – but one should be guided on with the evidence that new affordances provided by virtual learning environments require teachers to undertake more complex pedagogical reasoning than before in their planning and teaching (Webb & Cox, 2004). There is also evidence that online projects make great impact on teachers and thus act as professional development side-effect, especially in relation to the use of new technologies (Turcsányi-Szabó 2006; also see 6.7 of this Chapter). The assertion claims, that classroom activities are the catalyst for professional growth as classroom behaviours are determined directly by teacher beliefs on which the experiences can make impact after reflections on evaluations of success of new practices (Fisher, 2003). Moreover, classroom observations suggest that technology integration is governed by six key elements (relevance, recognition, resources, reflection, readiness and risk), which changes pedagogic practices and allows teachers to take ownership of their professional development (Rodrigues, 2006). Whereas the design of virtual learning environments and activities also require the implementation of an integrated approach to pedagogy and technology which recognizes how these activities, communities and environments represent, transform and encourage a virtual extension of a face-to-face classroom (Richards, 2006).
This chapter first examines Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) within Europe and beyond, discusses virtual and distance learning possibilities offered for teachers and highlights case-studies from all over the world. Then it elaborates on trends of knowledge delivery and revisits lessons learned in Teacher Education (TE) within the region of Asia and the Pacific. Finally, the issues are specifically examined within the example of Hungary.
2. Teacher Training in Europe and Beyond
The governments of all European countries share the awareness that teachers’ professional development in ICT for education is a key factor in school innovation. However, they have adopted different approaches to the question, ranging from very decentralised and autonomous initiatives to very structured systems (Midoro, 2005).
2.1. Basic Skills in the Use of ICT Within ITE
An increasing number of students already acquire ICT skills before entering higher education, which has been mastered either at school (primary or secondary) or autonomously, independent of their education path. Thus, in some institutions basic ICT skills are already considered as a prerequisite in higher education. But, since the situation is often quite heterogeneous, most institutions also offer (mandatory or optional) courses for developing basic ICT skills on different levels. In some countries like Iceland and the UK, institutions offer their ICT courses online, so trainees acquire a certain implicit knowledge concerning both the used technology (CMC systems, virtual learning environments, etc.) and the processes of online communication and collaboration. Unfortunately this does not mean that future teachers are also able to use ICT effectively in the classroom. Thus, institutions in Europe are following two main kinds of approaches in order to develop the specific competencies needed: to use new technologies for supporting learning processes within specific subject areas, and to master methods and tools for designing and using virtual learning environments (Midoro, 2005).
2.2. Approaches of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
In some countries, teachers’ professional development is a natural continuation of ITE and in other countries, there seems to be no continuity between ITE and CPD. For example in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden, public or certified private bodies autonomously propose courses in ICT for education addressed to in-service teachers, while in Greece CPD is completely organized and managed at a national level by a single central body. In some approaches centralised and decentralised aspects are merged together and this can occur with different levels of intensity (Midoro, 2005). Often, courses are delivered blended, allowing face-to-face lessons as well as online lessons with collaborative activities (see also National Reports of Italy, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greece, Portugal, Germany, and Spain (@Teacher - National Reports Web site).
In many countries qualities of teachers are more often measured through competencies within their professional functionality (Resta, 2002; Midoro, 2005) which of course depends on local principles and strategies employed in planning as well as the surrounding community (Majumdar, 2005).
3. Virtual and Distance Learning for Teachers
Evidence shows that distance education in its various forms can work and if well-designed can be educationally legitimate. It has been applied to the education of teachers and has been shown to be effective on a number of measures, for example the number of students enrolled, outcome, cost, etc. (Perraton, Creed, & Robinson, 2002).
3.1. How to Build Virtual and Distance Learning for Teachers
In terms of cost per student, distance-education programmes have often shown advantages over conventional programmes (Perraton, Creed, & Robinson, 2002). UNESCO is very actively publishing experiences in TE all over the world and provides guidelines especially for developing countries to gain knowledge on building effective institutions (UNESCO – Teacher Education Web site, n.d.). Regional and country overviews, projects, online resources, and more valuable information can also be accessed for use. (UNESCO Bangkok – ICT in Education Web site, n.d.)
3.2. Models for Online Professional Development
Based on Tinker’s taxonomy, four models of online professional development can be identified (Haddad & Draxler, 2002): the course supplement model, complements traditional face-to-face teacher training; the online lecture model, uses primarily one-way delivery of high-quality content and some orientation from instructor; the online correspondence model, uses fewer resources, but offers increased personal contact; and the online collaborative model, emphasizes on collaboration activities among participants through high technology and expert facilitation.
Besides normal universities all sorts of formal and informal form of education exists, which often require high levels of online presence.
3.3. Types of Institutions
Open Universities: A substantial portion of open university students are seeking regular university degrees, and another significant portion are engaged in lifelong learning, advancing their knowledge and skills for occupational, family, and personal purposes (Haddad & Draxler, 2002). Examples: The Open University Web site (http://www.open.ac.uk/), China TV University Web site (http://www.crtvu.edu.cn), Indira Gandhi National Open University Web site (http://www.ignou.org/index.htm).
Virtual Universities: Incorporates a variety of institutions that may be classified as mega-universities, open universities, and dual-mode universities, and whose primary programs are at a distance, as well as those that may be referred to commonly as virtual universities (Haddad & Draxler, 2002). Examples: Peru’s Higher Technological Institute Web site (http://www.tecsup.edu.pe), and African Virtual University Web site (http://www.avu.org).
Community tele-centres: In developing countries on every continent, public ICT access centres are springing up and bringing information from around the world to communities, generally referred to as tele-centres. They vary in the clientele they serve and the services they provide. All models are useful. But so far, the version designed specifically to achieve education and development goals – including affordable access and training for students, teachers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and other social development agents – is the most likely to ensure access for targeted, low-income populations (Haddad & Draxler, 2002). Their publication mentions examples from Benin, Ghana, Asunción, and Bulgaria.
Thus, learning can take place in various types of formal and informal institutions of learning, where the essential element can be viewed as the access to motivating learning materials that allow flexible use in a lifelong learning scheme. The design of such learning materials is crucial, as flexibility also means the use of the same learning elements in different contexts. This will be dealt with in the next section.
4. Trends in Knowledge Delivery
4.1. Trends in Content Development – Learning Objects and Repositories
There is a need for standardised systems that can catalogue, store and retrieve content in ways that enable users to access and organize it for their particular purposes as well as sharing it institutionally, nationally, and internationally. There is a great deal of effort being expended around the world on the development of such systems – ones that will standardize the development of resources Learning Objects (LOs), catalogue them (metadata) and store them in repositories (Glen & Farrel, 2003; see also McKenney, Nieveen & Strijker, 2008). Examples: The eduSource project Web site (www.edusource.ca/english/what_eng.html) and Merlot Web site (www.merlot.org/Home.po).
The use of LOs in education – especially elementary and secondary education – is still in a starting stage and thus a lot of lessons still need to be learned in order to make them have an innovative impact on the learning process. McCormick and Li (2006) evaluated the use of European LOs. Their findings indicated that teachers were generally unhappy about the fit of LOs to the curriculum, though they are able to superimpose their own pedagogy on any LO and found their granularity and interoperability characteristic to be the most significant in their usefulness. LOs themselves do not guarantee high-quality learning performance and meaningful learning activities, but they require carefully designed learning environments and instructional arrangements (Nurmi & Jaakkola, 2006a). The teachers’ role in organising, structuring and guiding the whole process is crucial, whereas the design of LOs have to take into consideration a pedagogical context which is less task-centred, but more idea-centred (Ilomaki, Lakkala, & Paavola, 2006). In fact, the promises of LOs can only be fulfilled when they are used according to the principles of contemporary learning theories - viz. engaging students in active knowledge construction and meaning making (Nurmi & Jaakkola, 2006b). Thus, frameworks for knowledge management and appropriate environments need to be put in place to activate LOs to their full potential and allow emergence of online communities of users.