The dynamics of offering ICT training to pre‐service and in‐service teachers in a South African context

Abstract

This paper reflects on the dynamics in offering Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training to in‐service teachers and pre‐service teachers. The training was presented at six disadvantaged Government schools and two South African Universities. This paper argues that the context in which ICT training happens is the first process which can inhibit or support the integration of ICT in teacher development and information‐rich pedagogical practices. This paper is a reflection on the dynamics in establishing such a course and running it in the South African in‐service and pre‐service context. The data from the study consisted of video clips captured during the sessions, trainers’ reflections and evaluation after each training session. The reflection on the training process and context showed that offering an ICT course at an institution of higher learning had a number of advantages over offering the course to in‐service teachers. The study also noted that the traditional group dynamics affected the learning experience. Also the support and involvement of the institutional management in both settings have a substantial impact on the motivation of the sample groups approach to the ICT training The findings of this study have numerous practical implications for higher education institutions wanting to introduce ICT training for in‐ and pre‐student teachers. Amongst others, the role of facilitator is still crucial despite opportunities and affordances of ICT in education. The findings may also inform policy makers deliberating on how to introduce the ICT skills for teachers in an education system. Especially when the technology‐ and teaching settings is not conducive to learn ‘about’ ICT in education, the ‘use’ of ICT in the classroom will not grasp the possibilities it holds. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: The first section provides an overview of the project.