Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Although Shulman’s notion of pedagogical content knowledge is still valid and widely used in educational research, since 1980s, technology has come to the primacy of educational practice due to the availability of new technology and the need of teachers to know how to take advantages of this new technology and its affordances to successfully integrate it into practice. This has demanded a need for models that pay more attention to technology in particular and its integration into teaching and learning processes. These kinds of models are needed because technology knowledge seems to be considered separately from the other forms of knowledge when studying its implementation in education (Koehler, 2011).

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) is a framework that was introduced by Mishra and Koehler (2006) based on Shulman’s idea of PCK to explicitly consider technological aspects in education and the complexity of ICT integration into educational practice. It identifies “the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge” (Koehler, 2011, np). Diagrammatically, their model of TPACK is represented as in Figure (3.1) below. This representation highlights the

connections and interactions between these three forms of knowledge; technology, pedagogy and content in which the integration of technology into practice is shaped by the affordance that is provided by their interaction.

Figure 3.1: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Koehler, 2011)

This representation of TPACK goes beyond considering these forms of knowledge separately. It considers pedagogy and content together to get Shulman’s idea of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Also, it considers technology and content together to get Technological Content Knowledge (TCK). In addition, considering technology and pedagogy together gives the Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK). At the intersection of technology, pedagogy, and content, is the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Koehler, 2011). From this perspective, successful integration of technology into educational practice requires deep understanding and careful consideration of the relationships, interactions, affordances and constraints between technology, pedagogy, and content forms of knowledge (Koehler,

I may argue that TPACK framework can be a useful lens to understand the pre- service teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, and their interaction, and how this shapes and influence their ICT integration strategies in the classroom. TPACK framework has recently been adopted in research to discover aspects such as the nature of the relationships between these three forms of knowledge, the interaction between them, and issues that emerge from the integration of ICT (Angeli & Valanides, 2009; Cox, 2008; Archambault & Barnett, 2010; Graham, 201 cited in Pamuk, 2012). However, there seems to be only limited literature investigating the science and mathematics pre-service teachers’ perceptions and practices of the integration of ICT in the classroom with the consideration of the TPACK notion. For example, Pamuk (2012) investigated how pre-service teachers with limited knowledge in any form of knowledge (technological, pedagogical, or content) use technology and how this influences the overall use of technology in the classroom. Studies (e.g. Koh, Chai & Tsai, 2013) which investigated these forms of knowledge and their relationships among pre-service teachers have provided quantitative results concerning their knowledge and their use of technology according to the TPACK framework.

Although TPACK is a useful framework in studying the pre-service teachers’ use of technology by considering the interaction of their different forms of knowledge and can provide valuable insights into their ICT integration, it seems that many other aspects need to be considered if their adoption of ICT is to be better understood. I believe that the pre-service teachers’ personal beliefs and values, in addition to their knowledge focused on by TPACK, should be taken into consideration as they play a major role in shaping their use of ICT in the classroom.

Shulman (1987) argues that pedagogical reasoning can be taught as it focuses on teaching processes that include the transformation of knowledge to learners. In his model of pedagogical reasoning, Shulman focused on knowledge and eliminated the role of personal beliefs and values about the process (Webb & Cox, 2004). However, research shows that the pre-service teachers’ beliefs about ICT in education play a major role in shaping their adoption of ICT (e.g. Sime & Priestley, 2005). Webb and Cox (2004) expanded Shulman’s model of pedagogical reasoning to include beliefs and values about the use of ICT in education. They introduced ‘affordance’ that ICT offers to the expanded version of the model which refers here to what ICT can offer people who are engaged in a learning environment. They identified “knowledge of affordances of ICT and decisions about their use as an addition to the pedagogical reasoning process” (Webb & Cox, 2004, p.238) when teachers and pre-service teachers engage in a learning environment that involves ICT use.

From the above discussion, it can be argued that pre-service teachers’ thinking and beliefs about the role that ICT plays in education are strongly linked to their practice and the way they adopt technology in the classroom. Researchers, (Lavonen et al. 2006; Sadaf et al., 2012; Webb & Cox, 2004), among others, indicate that beliefs and values about the importance of ICT in education and the affordances it provides are major factors that influence the pedagogical practice relating to ICT use among pre-service teachers. It is also argued by Lavonen et al. (2006) that several aspects can shape and influence the pre- service teachers’ use of ICT in education such as “educational policy, curriculum design, professional development and the development of pedagogical study materials” (p.161). These aspects emphasise the importance of the learning environment components in shaping the integration of ICT into

classroom activities among pre-service teachers. It is also argued, from the sociocultural point of view, that the learning context is an essential aspect that needs to be considered when studying the pre-service teachers’ adoption of ICT in the classroom and the focus should include the interacting systems of university and school where individuals develop relationships with others in an environment (Engeström, 2009). The focus on these social interactions and relationships within the teaching practice settings could draw the attention to the role of these aspects in shaping the pre-service teachers’ identity and their understanding of the nature of their roles at schools as science and mathematics teachers.