It used to be an abbreviation, but now it’s more than that!

During my pre-master study of last year, we’ve had some lesson about the professionalization of teachers. During one of the courses, the definition TPACK passed. For me, it was like the thousandth abbreviation that I’ve heard in one year at the University. During that year I’ve never deepened this subject because I didn’t know what it was all about. When the introduction courses of ‘Themes and Approaches’ took place, I heard the abbreviation TPACK for the second time. I was interested in the framework and would like to know more about it. That’s why I choose this course and after a couple of weeks I’ve learned a lot already.

For me, the course name ‘Pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology’ consists of three main subjects:

- Pedagogies

- Flexible learning

- Technology

In the first lecture we’ve learned a lot about flexible learning styles and what consequences they have for the teachers, organizations and other involved people. Flexible learning gives students a choice in which they get more independence, but there needs to be also more self-direction and self-motivation. The degree in which flexibility is offered can be distinguished in four main categories:

- Back to the basics

- The global campus

- Stretching the mold

- The new economy

Nowadays the students can choose their degree of flexibility. They often say that they like more freedom in cases of time, content, requirements, instructional approach and logistics. But in practice, it often shows up that the students need some kind of guidance, face-to-face meetings etc. The way in which flexibility can be offered, is described in one of my first posts: click here.

During the second lecture we’ve discussed the main pedagogical approaches that are used by teachers. Most of the time, teachers use the same kind of pedagogical approach because of organizational benefits and fear to fail in unorganized situations. The teacher can teach their subject-matter in different ways that fit to the pupils, to his/her own teaching style and to the external context factors. The different kinds of pedagogical approaches are described in one of my posts on this blog: click here.

The last main word is ‘technology’. This is an element that is very important nowadays. We’ve learned a lot about different kinds of technology. At first I thought of computers, interactive whiteboards etc. But I realized, during this lectures, that a book and a pencil are also kinds of technologies that are used in the classroom. Technology often supports the teaching style and the subject-matter in a course. 

These elements are all part of the TPACK model that is discussed during the last lecture. The TPACK framework is teacher-centered and has three main components: technology, content and pedagogy. According to Harris, Mishra and Koehler (2009) approaches that teach skills only, are insufficient. But when teachers only learn how to use some kind of technology, you don’t know if the teachers are able to work with it themselves. That’s where the TPACK model comes in. It integrates the knowledge, skills and competence to reach TPACK: how to use technology in the right way to teach more effectively? Every teacher can have his/her own way of using TPACK. One teacher will integrate technology by letting students use the internet to find information about a subject, while another teacher will let students develop their own websites about topics concerning the content. Some teachers will decide that they want to use the interactive whiteboard, and then decide which content and pedagogical approach fits best with this technology. Other teachers want to teach content which can be supported by technology, for example with the interactive whiteboard. This concerns the starting point of the teacher. I’ve posted my vision about this ‘starting point’ on my weblog: click here.

TPACK is most helpful when the attention is payed to the interaction between technological, pedagogical and content knowledge. Those aspects have to interact and should not be used isolated. Teachers should have the knowledge how to combine these aspects and interactions within a lesson to gain optimal results.

The added value

Most of the teachers have a very common pattern in which they teach their lessons. The TPACK model opens their eyes and let them experience what it’s like to use a different pedagogical approach, within a different subject-matter that is supported by a kind of technology. Of course it can be the other way around. Nowadays teachers are forced to use some kind of technology that fits within the school system. Teachers are often afraid to fail and won’t use that kind of technology because they’re not used to it. TPACK gives these teachers new insights and let them experience what it’s like to start from another perspective, like the use of technology.

Another important aspect of the TPACK framework is the teacher-centered approach. In most of the educational settings, the pupils/students are the most important factor for success. But now it’s the other way around. TPACK offers a framework for teachers how they can optimalize their lesson with the integration of technology. When the lesson is well constructed, the learning results will increase.
This is a whole new experience for teachers because most of the time the students, books or other materials are the key for success.

TPACK let teachers think about their decisions. Most of the time the teacher uses an old-fashioned way of decision making because they think: Well, it worked 20 years ago so it still works nowadays. That’s a mistake that often shows up in practice. It’s important that teachers are aware of their decision-making processes when they prepare, perform or evaluate a lesson.

So, a lot of awareness is created by teachers because of the TPACK model. Hopefully the teachers will not only be aware of their skills, knowledge and decisions. But also put the knowledge into practice. The current TPACK model doesn’t describe how this knowledge can be implemented in a very practical way. In my opinion, teachers DO need some kind of practical suggestions for putting it into practice. It’s difficult for them to translate the knowledge into their own classroom. That’s why I would like to design a suggestion for a professional development plan for teachers in order to complete the final assignment. I think it would be a challenge to put a theoretical framework into practice!

References:

Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), 393-416.

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.