Just the pedagogy, please --

The key to authentic technology implementation

Lynne Schrum lschrum@gmu.edu

Why a new model?• Content in high school social studies or algebra is very different

from the content computer science or art history.• Teachers must know /understand subjects they teach,

including: • knowledge of central facts, concepts, theories & procedures; • knowledge of explanatory frameworks that organize/connect

ideas; • knowledge of the rules of evidence and proof (Shulman,

1986).• Teachers must understand the nature of knowledge and

inquiry in different fields. • How is a proof in mathematics different from a historical

explanation or a literary interpretation?

What is the problem?

• Study by National Center for Educational Statistics in 2000: teachers have plenty of access to technology- 99% had access in schools, most have access at home- teachers are using tech frequently in personal lives, and frequently in schools for planning and productivity- when it comes to INSTRUCTIONAL uses of tech, it gets interesting

• Only computer business teachers are using tech frequently for instruction in their classes- used most: MS Office suite

• Teachers have access, see its value, use it for personal reasons, but don’t use it instructionally – Why?

What is a ‘wicked problem’?

Wicked problems1. Requirements are incomplete, contradictory, & changing2. Unique and contextual (dynamically bound factors to the context, no 2 problems are the same)3. Complex interdependencies4. Nonlinear5. Solutions are hard to recognize

(Rittel & Weber, 1978)

Why teaching is a ‘wicked’ problem?

• What is “effective teaching?”

• How do you define that, how do you measure that?

• Contextual factors make each teaching situation different: school boards, parents, students

• Factors are also intertwined with each other• No sequence of steps that teachers can follow in

every situation• Are you ever “done” trying to teach effectively?• Solutions are never right or wrong; they are more or

less effective

An introduction to TPCK

• Shulman introduced us to PCK some time ago (1986).

• TPCK is important – combination of technology, pedagogy, and content.

• Avoids technocentric focus of professional development

• Meets teachers where they really live!

What we are talking about

Consider: TPCK• Identifies distinctive bodies of knowledge• Blends content and pedagogy• Questions how topics, problems, issues are

organized & represented • Takes what teachers do every day & helps

them think differently about it • Works in grade level, subject level, & during

the planning stage

Rationale• Rapid rate of technology change –imperative teachers

use technology to support pedagogical outcomes, not to use technology

• Inappropriate design of software – most software designed for business/industry, not educational purposes; constraints & affordances challenges the most dedicated teacher

• Situated nature of learning – all learning situated in context of learners, goals, & previous learning. Technology workshops do not address this.

• An emphasis on what, not how – checklists of technology skills may meet a standard, but ignore pedagogical content, purpose of lesson, & real integration model we hold so dear.

A few examples• Think about learning about rocks. What is the

value added with technology? Classification without a database is not only challenging, it is almost impossible

• Boston Massacre – primary documents from multiple perspectives; investigation and reporting on the “story”

• Teaching complex mathematics concepts – can we show rather than tell?

An example

• Digital Video offers possibilities.

• consider classic science demonstration: egg pushed into milk bottle by burning a paper inside bottle.

Why digital video?• Common misconception that egg is forced into

the bottle due to drop in pressure by depletion of oxygen as the paper burns.

• We know real story: • heat of flame causes air inside bottle to expand,• initially increasing air pressure inside bottle. • forces air out of bottle, past egg • remaining air inside bottle then cools, a drop in the

air pressure occurs, causing the egg to be pushed into the bottle by the external air pressure.

Now blend video, graph, data:

Digital Video & Social Studies• Digital history centers & institutions (Smithsonian,

Library of Congress) offer digital copies of historical documents (photographs, artwork, & maps) available online.

• Students can create digital documentaries with images, text, or video, plus student narration.

• Offer a platform for inquiry —to interact and engage with content.

• Good results, but barriers exist: • Resource intensive and time consuming• Adequate teacher prep & support are crucial

Digital Video & Mathematics

Graphical representation of a sine function in Geometer’s Sketchpad

Math, continued• The plot of a sine function generates a series of

numbers between +1 and -1. • Students may have difficulty seeing relationship

between triangle & characteristic shape of sine wave. • Difficult to see in static image in text book. • With tool such as Geometer’s Sketchpad used to

create digital animation over time, relationship is easier to understand.

• The potential is further enhanced when the possibility of interactivity is considered — that is, students manipulating the variables and seeing changes to the animation or video in real-time.

What else is possible?I. Discipline: Science

Content: Physics

Technology: Digital Video

Pedagogical Goals: Rectifying Naïve Conceptions

II. Discipline: Social Studies

Content: History

Technology: Digital Video

Pedagogical Goals: Historical Inquiry

And more…III. Discipline: Language Arts

Content: Reading

Technology: Digital Video

Pedagogical Goals: Reinforcing Visual Imagery

IV. Discipline: Mathematics

Content: Trigonometry

Technology: Digital Video

Pedagogical Goals: Connecting Representations

Questions? Ideas?