Investigation of knowledge needed by teacher mentors to support pre-service teachers to use information and communication technologies (ICT) during teaching practicums
Creators: name: COMPTON, Leanne
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 390306
subject: Secondary education
classificationCode: 390307
subject: Teacher education and professional development of educators

description: Using information and communication technologies (ICT) in teaching is not straightforward as it requires teachers (both in-service and pre-service) to negotiate a range of complex factors. This research study focused specifically on gaining an understanding of the complexity of knowledge needed by teacher mentors to develop ICT capacity in pre-service teachers during teaching practicums. Both initial teacher education providers and schools play a role in developing ICT capacity in pre-service teachers in Australia. Yet, it is claimed that pre-service teachers are not prepared to teach using ICT; so too, teacher mentors who support pre-service teachers to use ICT during teaching practicums. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) highlights that teacher mentors can play a significant role in assisting pre-service teachers to develop their capacity to teach, including how to integrate ICT into their teaching practicum. Nevertheless, specifically what knowledge is needed to integrate ICT into teaching practice is subject to much consideration. <br><br>

The Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, developed by Mishra and Koehler (2006), was used to frame the research. This research study used a mixed methods approach guided by a pragmatic paradigm framework, with a sequential explanatory design. A case study methodology was added to a sequential explanatory design, which used data from a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and analysis of artefacts, to generate cases of four teacher mentors from schools in the North Western Metropolitan region of Melbourne, Australia.<br><br>

The main findings of this research study highlighted the beliefs of teacher mentors that pre-service teachers would bring technological knowledge into the teaching practicum was problematic, and needed to be addressed. In addition, it suggested that contextual knowledge was an important knowledge to consider when teacher mentors are supporting pre-service teachers to use ICT in teaching practicums. It also reinforced that the importance of mentoring knowledge of teacher mentors needs more attention. The findings suggested that the use of ICT in the classroom was neither easy nor straightforward. Correspondingly, it suggested that the use of ICT by teacher mentors and, consequently by pre-service teachers, was limited and constrained by numerous barriers. In essence, it concluded that the domains of knowledge needed to support ICT uptake was problematic and challenging. <br><br>

Based on these main findings, a number of implications have been suggested in relation to ICT policy development, training for teacher mentors, design of initial teacher education programs and ICT-related professional learning for teachers as well as for future research. In particular, my conclusions indicated implications for enabling school leadership teams to make local decisions for local school needs, as well as emphasising that supporting teachers, and subsequently teacher mentors, to experience a range of different types of professional learning to accommodate their different needs was paramount in regard to ICT uptake. The implications also reinforced the importance of the teacher in the mentoring relationship by stipulating that in addition to a teaching degree, they need to have some formal training or further qualifications to undertake mentoring in order to enhance the practicum experiences of pre-service teachers. Specifically, it accentuated that the accreditation for teacher mentors needs to be mandated to ensure standards for mentoring are aligned with theoretical underpinnings and empirical evidence.