Technology knowledge in teaching

2006). Integrating ICT in teaching, however, is challenging for most teachers. Success in integrating ICT in mathematics lessons is not only dependent upon knowledge of the existing software that is used by mathematics teachers but also on sound pedagogical knowledge of how to integrate its use in teaching (Chee et al., 2005).

Various studies (e.g., Drent & Meelissen, 2008b; Pelgrum & Voogt, 2009) have been conducted on the knowledge requirements of teachers to use ICT in teaching. Most of them emphasise three aspects. These are: ICT technical knowledge, ICT supported pedagogical knowledge, and ICT supported subject content knowledge. Table 3.2 shows some of the studies that have argued for various basic requirements in integrating ICT in teaching. The studies shown in Table 3.2 were selected based on the emphasis they provided on the knowledge needed to integrate ICT in teaching and covered a range of skills particularly in science and

For instance, Drent and Meelissen (2008) indicated that ICT should not just be regarded as a tool, which can be added to or used as a replacement of existing teaching methods, rather, teachers and students should have the knowledge to use ICT as an important instrument to support new ways of teaching and learning. Liu (2011) emphasised teacher’s pedagogical skill is important for proper integration of technology teaching. Teachers should have sound

pedagogical skills to realise the potential advantage of ICT in helping students to learn more effectively.

Table 3. 2

Knowledge Requirements to Use Technology in Teaching

Skills Studies D rent and M eelis se n (2008) Pelgrum an d V oogt (2 009 ) U N E S C O (2008) Liu (20 11) Kalo gian nak is (201 0) Mishra an d Ko eh ler (2 006 ) Stein, Ginns, an d M cD onald (2 007 )

Basic ICT technical knowledge/Skill 9 9 9 9 9 9

ICT supported pedagogical knowledge 9 9 9 9 9

ICT supported content knowledge 9 9 9

Knowledge/skills for ICT integration 9 9 9

UNESCO (2008) created ICT competency standards for teachers with six components: policy, curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, ICT, organisation, and teacher training. They also identified three approaches for using technology in teaching (technology literacy, knowledge deepening, and knowledge creation). For instance, the technology literacy approach includes basic digital literacy skills along with the ability to select and use appropriate technologies.

In addition, many studies have advocated the importance of technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge for successful use of technology for effective teaching (e.g., Harris, Mishra, & Koehler, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Niess, 2005; Polly, 2011). In this regard, Loughran and Berry (2005) indicated that teacher educators need to be competent in terms of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge in order to model this knowledge for their students in their teaching. In addition, teacher educators’ should be supported through PD to acquire such knowledge so that they can effectively integrate ICT in their teaching (e.g., Harris, Mishra, & Koehler, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Niess, 2005). As a result, most ICT teachers’ PD program initiatives are advised to focus on pedagogical, content and technological aspects (Chee et al., 2005; Jimoyiannis, 2010) and their interplay (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).

The importance of content, pedagogy and technology knowledge to integrate technology in teaching is an extension of the idea of PCK by Shulman (1986) resulting in the “Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge” (TPACK) framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The following section provides a description of the TPACK framework.

3.2.2.1. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. As discussed in Section

3.2.1, the idea of integrated knowledge for teachers started with Shulman’s (1986) notion of PCK, which focused on the importance of treating the amalgam of pedagogical and content knowledge as a distinct knowledge type that could be considered a basic requirement for effective teaching. Shulman (1986) argued that when pedagogy is ignored and attention is paid only to the content, effective teaching is impossible as pedagogy is held accountable for the transfer of subject content. The idea of PCK has been used as a basis for considering the knowledge needed by teachers to facilitate learning. However, ICT has become increasingly

prominent in students’ learning and lives (ten Brummelhuis & Kuiper, 2008) which led to the addition of technology component to the PCK framework (Niess, 2005).

Following the introduction of the TPACK framework, studies indicated that while teaching with technology a teacher should consider the interplay of technology, pedagogy and content in a particular context (e.g., Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Niess, 2005).

According to Koehler and Mishra (2009), context shown in Figure 3.3 includes students’ prior knowledge and classroom situations.

Koehler and Mishra (2009) advocated that meaningful teaching with technology occurs when technology, pedagogy and content knowledge are connected in a classroom practice and when teachers are involved in PD program practices.

Figure 3. 3. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework (Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org).

The combination of the three components of knowledge (technological, pedagogical and content) should reinforce each other to realise the advantages of technology in the teaching and learning process. The interplay of the three components (technological, pedagogical and content

knowledge) results in a range of different combinations (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). These are presented in Table 3.3 along with a brief explanation of each category.

Table 3. 3

Description of TPACK Framework

Component Description

Technological Knowledge (TK)

Includes skills of teachers to properly use a particular technology. This could be using a particular software program and installing or removing it Pedagogical

Knowledge (PK)

Knowledge about process and practices of teaching. This knowledge, for example, includes students’ learning styles, classroom management, students’ evaluations and lesson planning.

Content Knowledge (CK)

Knowledge of a subject matter to be taught. This knowledge demands understanding core principles, facts, theories, procedures and concepts of a particular subject matter.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)

Knowledge of how particular pedagogical approaches are suited to teaching particular content and vice versa.

Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)

Knowledge of how technology and content interact in effective teaching. It includes teachers’ understanding of how the subject matter can be changed by the use of technology.

Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK)

Knowledge of how the use of various technologies with different pedagogical approaches. It involves recognising and making use of the affordances of technologies and choosing pedagogical approaches that fit particular technologies and vice versa.

Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Knowledge that is more than the sum of its three components (content, pedagogy, and technology). It is the knowledge of the basis for effective teaching with the application of technology and requires an understanding of pedagogical techniques that use technologies in constructive ways to assist students to overcome difficulties and to learn content effectively

According to Koehler, Mishra and Yahya (2007) good teaching with technology requires understanding the mutually reinforcing relationships between all three elements taken together to develop appropriate and context specific approaches. The TPACK framework can, therefore, be used to determine the pedagogy required to teach specific content using technologies effectively (Jimoyiannis, 2010). Moreover, the TPACK framework could be used to diagnose teachers’ difficulties with integration of technology in teaching and identify areas in target for PD for successful integration (Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Niess et al., 2009; Niess, van Zee, & Gillow- Wiles, 2011).

The TPACK framework and the underpinning assumption that teaching with technology requires a special kind of knowledge is of worth, but it is a generic framework. Specifying the nature of the content and pedagogical knowledge needed to integrate technology in teaching for a particular subject has the important advantage of allowing the TPACK framework to be used with greater precision. The following section describes how the mathematical knowledge for teaching of Ball and colleagues, and Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK framework can be combined to produce a new framework for technology integrated mathematics teaching. The resulting framework underpinned the current study.