Professional development support
What should we focus on when supporting teachers using technology?edT 20a
'For teachers, we need to become cognisant (aware), we need to develop competence (to use), and we need to feel confident (to enact in practice). These are three distinct aspects to professional development.'
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith (Founder of PedTech) P
What is the difference between technology focused on learners and technology focused on teachers?
'In any classroom, the teaching and learning will be framed either around the teacher or around the learner. (Aubrey-Smith, 2021) It's really important that we think quite critically about what what kinds of learning opportunities we're providing with that in mind. So tools such as hand in features exemplify this brilliant because we're asking children to carry out an activity, carry out a task, and then hand it in to us. We hear it when we talk to children, when we're using those kinds of features. Have you finished your work for me yet?
"Who's the work for? Is it for the teacher or is it for the child - so that the child themselves can self assess and self reflect on their own learning, and build those metacognitive skills that we want children to have? If we were going to spin the framing around the other way, we might ask children to carry out a piece of work, and then say to them, have a look at what you've done. Where would you take it next? What would you do with that thinking now? Make the purpose for the learning centre around the child not the teacher.'
Dr Fiona Aubrey-Smith (Founder of PedTech) PPedT 9a
Technology and transition
'We have digital leaders within each form group who support not only at form group level, but throughout the curriculum and the academic subjects for those young people and even teachers who are feeling less confident in certain aspects of the use of technology.'
Paul Edge (Deputy Headteacher, Ribblesdale School) PedTech Rib 6
Research papers/presentations linked to quotes above:
Festival of Education download "The 3 Cs: Making teacher professional learning more effective"
Aubrey-Smith, F., (2022) The Three Cs - developing teachers' digital and edtech skills