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Executive summary
This report presents the findings of a recent survey and
a series of in-depth discussions with teachers, senior
managers, and education authorities (EA) across Scotland. It
presents teachers' perceptions of the current stage of
development in their schools, their needs and priorities for
further development, and their views of the factors which
help or hinder them from making effective use of ICT.
The study was
commissioned by SOEID between October 1997 and April 1998.
The aims were
1. to investigate teachers' needs for knowledge and
skills in relation to the effective use of ICT;
2. to suggest ways of enhancing future design and
delivery of self- and staff-development in order to increase
and improve the level of ICT use in Scottish schools.
The study was in two parts - a survey of primary
and secondary teachers to provide basic data on the current
levels of ICT use in schools, teachers' experience of ICT
training to date, and their perceptions of their ICT
knowledge and skills needs. This was followed by a number of
scenario interviews to provide a more in-depth understanding
of these issues and the contextual factors which influence
teachers' responses to ICT and ICT training. Interviews were
also held with technicians and librarians in secondary
schools in order to gain a view of teachers' ICT needs from
those who are often seen as the source of ICT advice and
support in school. (See Section 2)
Use of ICT (Section 3)
The study shows that currently in Scotland
- Use of ICT is relatively low and is focused on a
fairly narrow range of ICT. Word processing is the
predominant use made of ICT in primary and secondary
schools. There is some use of externally produced
educational software in both sectors and secondary teachers
tend to use a broader range of generic packages such as
spreadsheets and DTP than do primary teachers. There is very
little use of the Internet and WWW or e-mail by either
primary or secondary teachers, despite the fact that the
majority of secondary schools have access to the Internet.
Resources such as video conferencing and network computer
conferencing are rarely used. (3.1)
- primary teachers use ICT primarily to support
classroom practice; secondary teachers use it as much or
more for professional development and personal use as in
the classroom (3.1)
- teachers are using ICT throughout the curriculum but
use and attitude varies in secondary schools between
subject areas. Mathematics and science teachers use ICT
relatively little while, amongst non-computing teachers,
ICT is used most by teachers of business management
subjects (3.1)
- those who use computers at home tend to use ICT more
in school (3.1)
- teachers recognise a range of benefits for pupils and
for themselves; although secondary teachers are slightly
less convinced of the benefits to pupils than are primary
teachers, the overall perception of the value of ICT is
positive (3.2)
- ICT is still seen as an extra or add-on rather than
an integrated resource within teaching; many teachers are
still concerned with "teaching ICT" rather than "teaching
with ICT", although there are some signs of a more
critical, reflective and more integrative approach
beginning to emerge amongst secondary teachers who tend
to have had greater access to ICT for some time
(3.3)
Problems and challenges (Section
4)
The study shows that...
- teachers identify a range of issues which they regard
as inhibitors to effective use of ICT, particularly
(4.1)
- lack of access/availability of hardware/software
- lack of familiarity, skills and knowledge
- classroom management issues are the focus of much
concern in relation to ICT; providing fair and equal
access for all pupils when hardware is limited is seen as
a major challenge (4.2)
- the perceived expense of ICT, relative to more
traditional resources, creates tensions in terms of
prioritising budgets for hardware, software; the problem
of hardware becoming obsolete raises concerns in relation
to long-term planning, training and budgetig
(4.3)
- teachers of lower primary levels feel that upper
primary levels have greater priority when it comes to the
allocation of ICT resources (4.3)
- more appropriate information and ICT management
strategies can offer solutions to problems in evaluation
of ICT resources and organisation and access to ICT
resources; primary schools appear to be better equipped
in terms of resource sharing across the school than are
secondary schools (4.4)
- technical support and advice on selecting ICT
resources is badly needed; teachers value support which
is provided by other teachers but worry about informal
'goodwill' arrangements which they see as placing
additional burdens on colleagues (4.5)
- lack of ICT support is seen as a particular problem
in primary schools and rural schools (4.5)
Attitudes, skills and training
(Section 5)
The study shows that...
- attitudes towards ICT are mixed, and vary between
secondary subjects; overall, however, teachers are
generally positive and the vast majority want to develop
their ICT skills and knowledge (5.1)
- teachers (non-computing) have basic ICT competence
but do not feel competent enough to rely on ICT as a core
teaching medium (5.2)
- teachers feel they need training which
is relevant to(5.3)
- the stage or curriculum they are teaching;
- their own stage of ICT development;
- the technology which they have available to
them
- teachers want good quality training, with hands-on
experience, plenty of help and guidance, and
opportunities to work with, and share ideas with, other
colleagues (5.3)
- teachers feel they need opportunities, time and
ongoing support if they are to gain maximum benefit from
training (5.3)
- teachers rely heavily on their colleagues, including
librarians and technicians, to help them keep up-to-date
with ICT (5.4)
- teachers need to be aware of a broader range of ICT
than they are at present using: without this awareness,
many feel they cannot assess their own ICT development
needs (5.5)
- teachers need technical skills and knowledge in using
the ICT resources they have available to them; but they
also want to know more about how to apply that knowledge
within the curriculum (5.5)
Organisational culture (Section
6)
The study shows
that...
- teachers recognise the importance of a positive
environment and the value of key enthusiasts in helping
to promote ICT (6)
- the attitude and support of senior management,
particularly head teachers, is seen by teachers and
education authorities as a key to the development of
teachers' ICT skills and knowledge; however, they are
still some way from providing the kind of supportive
environment which is likely to promote effective use of
ICT (6.1)
- head teachers and education authorities consider ICT
to be important and ICT training for teachers to be a
priority (6.1; 6.2)
- some head teachers and education authorities have
mixed feelings about the value of whole school policies
on ICT but many schools and authorities have policies or
are developing them: education authorities see it as
important to have clear plans prior to the availability
of lottery funded training (6.1; 6.2)
- education authorities and head teachers appear to be
generally in tune with teachers in terms of identifying
skills and knowledge needs: they identify a need for
teachers to develop more technical skills and knowledge
though they also consider the most effective training to
be curriculum based (6.1; 6.2)
- there are some imaginative developments within
schools and education authorities but both are also aware
of many challenges related to the financial commitment
needed to maintain hardware and software (6.1;
6.2)
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