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a model for pedagogical and curricula transformation with technology david r wetzel ph.d assistant professor of education muskingum college 163 stormont street new concord oh 43762 740-826-8027 dwetzel@muskingum.edu key words staff development contextual barriers instructional technology pedagogy introduction the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influenced five middle teachers as they implemented and integrated instructional technology in their curricula along with determining the effects implementation and integration of instructional technology had on their pedagogy and curricula the study involved empirical research with both qualitative and quantitative data data analysis included a cross-case analysis of multiple case studies data were gathered august 1999 through december 1999 this time period was selected because it provided the opportunity to test the st3airs model in a school setting from the beginning process of implementation and integration of a new technology why is it difficult to implement technology in schools the availability of instructional technology for teachers is increasing in middle school science to meet societal demands and goals society s goals include the use of instructional technology as part of everyday instruction in school to prepare children to meet the needs of an increasing technological dependent culture iste 1998 these goals include the implementation and integration of instructional technology to facilitate the teaching and learning process through curricula transformation however teachers have not rushed to change their classroom instructional strategies or shift their pedagogical practices to include instructional technology this transpires in spite of increased accessibility to better hardware and software along with an increase in staff development opportunities u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 teacher resistance to change is primarily due to their concerns regarding the influence of instructional technology integration on their preparation beliefs and values these concerns include teacher technical ability and proficiency with instructional technology along with organizational culture and climate influences that are beyond the control of the teachers dexter anderson baker 1999 these concerns include the influence of their school climate and culture facilitating or presenting barriers u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 becker 1991 becker and riel s 1999 research found that the work of integrating instructional technology strategies into practice is a complex process and that teachers encounter either a bureaucratic culture or a professional culture in their school bureaucratic cultures tend to give teachers autonomy in their classrooms but restrict their participation in curricular and organizational decisions the bureaucratic culture hinders innovative practice and collaboration among teachers in contrast professional cultures support innovation and collaboration among teachers in this culture decisions are based on a guiding philosophy about teaching and learning and sensitivity to the learning needs of students in previous research becker 1991 found that only 5 of technology implementation programs succeed beyond a three-to-five-year period in schools national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 1

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background while national education technology standards for teachers iste 2000 provide goals for teachers that are not all-inclusive instructional technology has strongly influenced the education is taught in the united states the use of technology in education has grown out of the personal experiences of teachers and students along with the need for instructional technology to support national standards in science math social studies and language arts contextual barriers to change a major challenge to educational innovation is assisting teachers in unlearning the beliefs values assumptions and culture that underlie their school s standard operating procedures and practices dede 1999 to be successful beyond initial implementation school systems need to assist teachers in learning but also aiding them in unlearning their standard organization s operating procedures the goals of the innovation implementation must include organizational changes as teachers learn a shift in organizational change will sustain change that can only be achieved when owned by teachers and not imposed or mandated dede 1999 figure 1 illustrates common barriers to the use of instructional technology these barriers include time funding rationale for use training and support apathy teacher involvement vision access to hardware and software and adequate assessment practices of those illustrated research by the u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 indicated that time is the greatest barrier to teacher s implementation and integration of instructional technology the time barrier is supported by the many demands on a teacher during the course of a school day with little or no time allotted to explore instructional technology collaborate with other teachers about applications of this technology and integration of the technology into their teaching strategies and techniques teachers need time funding assessment practices barriers to rationale access technology teacher involvement training and support vision of goals teacher apathy figure 1 common barriers to teachers using instructional technology note from the u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 overcoming these contextual barriers the challenge of integrating instructional technology is not only providing assistance to teachers to learn how to operate a technological tool it is helping them to learn to integrate the technology tool in their curriculum to effectively integrate the use of this technology several approaches will ease the concerns of teachers increase the level of use and provide examples of best practices for changes in teaching strategies these approaches include training master teachers providing expert national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 2

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resource assistance providing adequate staff development for teachers providing staff development for administrators and establishing technology training centers within the school districts ravitz wong becker 1999 although the problem of instructional technology integration has many solutions the best appear to be in making time for staff development and providing support for teachers instructional technology takes time to master hardware and software no matter how user-friendly require time to master as in any profession time must be invested in learning how to use an instructional technology tool before real integration in curricula can occur figure 2 adapted from u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 illustrates the requirements for effective use of technology inservice training technical support time to learn effective use of technology administrative support vision and rationale access figure 2 requirements for effective use of instructional technology note adapted from the u.s congress office of technology assessment 1995 literature review the literature regarding implementation integration and transformation is broad-based with respect to instructional technology the broad-based literature does not adequately represent the specific underlying concerns and changes teachers make in the integration and the ultimate transformation of their pedagogy the findings of this study provide supporting research in this area with an in-depth analysis of factors that influenced five middle school science teachers standards and instructional technology the integration of instructional technology in schools is a fact of life in american education along with integration the ability of students to use instructional technology is recognized as an essential skill by society recognizing the responsibility to prepare students to work and live in a technological society national education standards recommend integration of instructional technology in teaching these standards include the national education technology standards for students iste 1998 national education technology standards for teachers iste 2000 national standards for social studies teachers ncss 2000 national science education standards nrc 1996 and principles and standards for school mathematics 2000 position statements by the nation association for education of young children 2000 and national council of teachers of english 2000 provide guidelines for the use of instructional technology in teaching these standards and position statements advocate the use of instructional technology by teachers to encourage students to become active participants in the learning process national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 3

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teachers beliefs and change regarding instructional technology although teachers have the advantage of an unprecedented amount of instructional technology for use in their classrooms and schools little evidence indicates that teachers systematically integrate technology in their classroom curriculum several factors erode efforts by school districts or schools as they make an effort to sustain an effective technology program factors that influence their efforts include a focus on hardware rather than on implementation processes a weak implementation planning process that fails to meet the needs of teachers and little or no professional staff development to be successful with technology implementation teachers need to change their pedagogy this teacher change is a process that requires a shift in a teacher s paradigm as he or she implements a new innovation that has an influence on their pedagogy dexter anderson becker 1999 change is a process that may span a period of years and the recognition of this process by those concerned during the implementation of a new instructional strategy or technological tool is important individual teachers can accomplish change but only when these teachers take ownership in a new instructional strategy or technological tool will sustained change take place this change may take two to three years for a new technology tool to be fully implemented and integrated within a curriculum teacher change change is a personal human experience that needs to be considered by school systems and change facilitators when implementing a new program to successfully implement the integration of a new technological tool consideration of what the implementation will mean to teachers personal beliefs and values is of great concern how will it affect their current classroom practices preparation time beliefs regarding technology and values what factors directly and indirectly influence teachers integration of instructional technology dexter anderson becker 1999 teachers beliefs and values regarding change that are incompatible with the implementation and integration of a new instructional technology tool are a major obstacle for these teachers to accept change in their pedagogy to adapt a new technological innovation they must first experience conflict within their expectations for teachers to conceptually change their teaching strategies and techniques they need to posner strike hewson gertzog 1982 become dissatisfied with their existing conditions view change as intelligible view change as plausible and find change useful in a variety of new situations through time teachers have developed resilient teaching practices due to ever shifting goals and policies that influence their pedagogy to accommodate this process teachers look for and use reliable teaching strategies effective with large groups of students in small places they must be convinced that new strategies are efficient and effective to effectively understand the process of teacher change one must adhere to the premise that a teacher becomes a learner teachers who want to change are teachers who want to grow and do not believe in the status quo teachers who are reflective are continually trying to do what is best for their students schubert and ayers 1992 contended that only reflective teachers continuously grow in their research involving 608 teachers buck and horton 1996 found that teachers believed their teaching had been transformed by the integration of instructional technology in their curricula these teachers perceived changes in their pedagogy resulted in more complex material and concepts for their students that their students needs were met and that they had shifted from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 4

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teacher beliefs and values a teacher s epistemology is a product of his/her own prior knowledge development and experience as teacher each teacher s teaching style is influenced by personal factors including his/her personality and belief system but all teachers styles are influenced by the context of the organizational structure in which they teach for instructional technology to be successfully implemented teacher beliefs and values need to shift if not the desired implementation and integration of instructional technology in education will not occur on a broad scale from a vygotskian perspective humans develop and change as they interact with others and learn to make use of a culture s tools both physical and psychological so the constructions that humans make in their minds originate in interchanges with people and influence their beliefs and values the transformation from the inter-psychological to intra-psychological takes place within a person s zone of proximal development zpd vygotsky 1978 because the teacher is a learner when implementing and integrating an innovation the teacher who is an expert becomes a novice in learning new teaching strategies a teacher s zpd is concentrated learn new things that may conflict or support their beliefs and values since much of teacher change is revolutionary teachers need time to reinforce and deter resistance to change martin 1993 p 84 argued that without time and support for constructive interaction there is no chance that the teacher will appropriate the new information theoretical framework the framework for this study was the st3airs model figure 3 through this framework pedagogical support and technical assistance was provided during the study period st3airs model consists of eight steps developed to overcome contextual barriers to teachers as they integrated technology these eight steps are staff development time to learn trainer that was qualified transition time to implement technology access to hardware and software involvement by teachers in the process recognition of teachers and support for teachers the st3airs model focused on strategies for the implementation and integration of the teachers involved in the study to influence changes in their pedagogy along with curricula changes related to the implementation and integration of this technology research by dexter anderson and becker 1999 found that contextual barriers influence instructional practices teaching strategies classroom management technical expertise curriculum directives and organizational support for teachers support for the teachers involved in the study included staff development sessions technical assistance support for modifications of laboratory lessons and techniques to improve student learning and problem solving strategies and techniques to support integration methodology the study was an empirical multiple-case design that used the dominant-less dominant qualitativequantitative approach to eliminate misleading associations creswell 1994 as part of this approach descriptive numeric methods were used to analyze quantitative data cross-case analysis of the five teachers in this study allow conclusions that are drawn from the findings in relation to the research questions and are constructed into a rich understanding of influences on these teachers from a personal perspective using larger numbers of teachers may replicate previous findings and add little beyond existing literature additionally a larger number of teachers would limit the study s ability to conduct an in-depth analysis of influences that these teachers encountered as they integrated instructional technology also a larger group could limit the study s ability to obtain the teacher trust and confidence national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 5

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pedagogical and curricula transformation with technology support recognition involvement access transition trainers time staff development figure 3 st3airs model overview of the site and sample the teachers in the study were all in a middle school located in a suburban community of virginia the school was in a predominately middle to low socioeconomic setting the school system was small having four elementary schools one middle school and one high school the middle school s population was approximately 750 students ranging in from grades six through eight ethnic make up of the school was 70 european american 20 african american 5 hispanic and 5 other minorities approximately 30 of students enrolled in the school were eligible for the free or reduced lunch program and less than 10 percent of the school s student population was considered transient all students were enrolled in science which was one of the core content requirements for each respective grade level in the school teachers the teachers involved in the study were science teachers either full or part-time and only one was a science major mathematics was the second content subject taught by the teachers who were parttime science teachers science content consisted of sixth-grade general science seventh-grade life science introductory biology and eighth-grade physical science introductory physics and chemistry five of the nine science teachers in the school participated in the study two were sixth-grade science and teachers one was a seventh-grade science teacher and two teachers were eighth-grade science teachers table 1 provides selected demographics of the participants national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 6

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table 1 selected demographics of study participants teacher years 1 teaching grade level years in2 leadership level 3 of technical proficiency ii ii i iii i technology4 college credits 8 9 9 6 6 ms5 ethnic origin 1 2 3 4 5 11 26 21 23 33 8 6 8 6 7 0 10 2 1 0 no no yes no yes european american european american european american african american european american 1 years of teaching experience 2 leadership as a science department head state organizations or team leader 3 current level of virginia teacher technology competency certification 4 instructional technology credits completed in higher education 5 master s degree research questions the following questions provided the focus regarding implementation integration and curricula transformation of cbl probeware by the teachers involved in the study 1 what were the middle school science teachers concerns regarding implementation and integration of technology 2 what changes in teaching strategies and techniques did these middle school science teachers make when implementing and integrating technology 3 what were the strengths and weaknesses of the st3airs model data collection three interviews of each teacher were conducted to collect qualitative data in relation to technology implementation and integration these three interviews were the initial teacher interview levels of use interview and final teacher interview quantitative data were collected using three instruments from the cbam model hall 1974 these three instruments were used to collect data regarding the integration of technology and included the stages of concern questionnaire socq regarding the use of an innovation the levels of use lou of an innovation and innovation configuration ic regarding the actual implementation and integration of an innovation loucks hall 1979 figure 4 provides a timeline for data collection during the study national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 7

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august september october november december staff development researcher assistance and anecdotal data collection initial interviews socq scor scor/ic scor/ic lou interviews final interviews socq figure 4 data collection timeline august­december 1999 data analysis data analysis was an ongoing process beginning with the first interview initial data analysis was through the use of individual case studies of the five teachers using interviews questionnaires and observations after analysis of each case study a cross-case analysis was conducted on the case studies looking for common patterns triangulation of data used multiple sources of data to reduce researcher bias and provide a better assessment generality of the findings and conclusions creswell 1994 these multiple sources of data included interviews questionnaires and observations as part of the triangulation approach interviews provided insight into the teachers personal experiences during the technology implementation and integration process findings general conclusions can be drawn from the evidence of this study through case study findings and cross-case analysis of the data the following general conclusions are presented through the framework of the research questions research question 1 what were the teachers concerns regarding the implementation and integration of technology · four of the five teachers had a meaningful decrease in their concerns in relation to their awareness and information regarding their integration of this technology · all five teachers were concerned with limited hardware resources that restricted the collaborative efforts of the teachers to integrate this technology in their curricula · four of the five teacher s concerns with the implementation and integration of this technology were substantially reduced by giving them ownership of the process research question 2 what changes in teaching strategies and techniques did these middle school science teachers make when implementing and integrating technology · four of the five teachers had a shift in their teaching strategies and techniques in relation to this technology integration which provided evidence of short-term transformation in their pedagogical practices and curricula national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 8

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· four of the five teachers used a student-centered approach when using this technology with their students which was a shift in pedagogy for three of these four teachers · four of the five teachers views and beliefs regarding their concern with the appropriate use of this instructional technology in middle school science shifted from nonsupport to support research question 3 what were the strengths and weaknesses of the st3airs model · collaboration among the teachers in the study and a sense of partnership with the researcher were instrumental in the successful short-term transformation of pedagogy and curricula by four of the five teachers · staff development sessions that allowed the teachers to explore the technical aspects of cbl probeware and how it fit within their curriculum before implementation · support before during and after classroom implementation of technology by the teachers · teachers were allowed to select the time and curriculum integration point without a sense of pressure to integrate this technology before they were ready · involvement of the teachers in all phases of the implementation and integration process · there were no weaknesses noted by participants in the study limitations and considerations as with all studies there are limitations in the research design one limitation of this study was the small number of teachers which was five teachers even though there were only five teachers their number provided in-depth findings and conclusions of the data this limitation of five teachers does not allow the findings of this research to be generalized and are confined to the conclusions within the context of this study however with consideration of the contributing to the body of literature regarding this research the findings of this study can be generalized within a similar context while caution must be used in generalizing the experiences of these teachers to all middle school science teachers the study indicates that within this context there was an 80 success i.e four of five teachers for short-term pedagogical and curricula transformation this 80 success rate exceeds the findings of research completed by becker 1991 who found that only 36 of teachers were willing to transform their pedagogy and curriculum to include instructional technology references becker h j 1991 when powerful tools meet conventional beliefs and institutional constraints the computing teacher 188 6-9 becker h j riel m m 1999 teacher role orientation classroom focus versus collaborative professional practice [online available http www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings snapshot3/html/left_defaultmasterborder.htm buck h j horton p b 1996 who s using what and how often an assessment of the use of instructional technology in the classroom florida journal of educational research 361 121 creswell j w 1994 research design qualitative quantitative approaches thousand oaks ca sage publications dede c 1999 the role of emerging technologies for knowledge mobilization dissemination and use in education unpublished manuscript george mason university dexter s l anderson r e becker h j 1999 teachers views of computers as catalysts for changes in their teaching practice journal of research in computing education 313 221-239 national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 9

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hall g e 1974 the concerns-based adoption model a developmental conceptualization of the adoption process within educational institutions austin tx university of texas research and development center for teacher education eric document reproduction service no ed 111 791 international society for technology in education iste 1998 national education technology standards for students eugene or author international society for technology in education iste 2000 national education technology standards for teachers eugene or author martin l m w 1993 understanding teacher change from a vygotskian perspective in p kahaney l a m perry j janangelo eds theoretical and critical perspectives on teacher change pp 71-86 norwood nh ablex national association for education of young children 2000 position statement regarding technology [online available http www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements positions_intro.htm national council of teachers of english 2000 position statement on technology [online available http www.ncte.org/positions national council of teachers of mathematics 2000 principles and standards for school mathematics [online available http www.nctm.org/document/index.htm national council for the social studies 2000 national standards for social studies teachers [online available http www.ncss.org/standards/teachers.home.html national research council 1996 national science education standards washington dc national research council posner g j strike k a hewson p w gertzog w a 1982 accommodation of a scientific conception toward a theory of conceptual change science education 66 211-227 ravitz j l wong y t becker h j 1999 teaching learning and computing 1998 [online available http www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/findings/special_report/participants_rev.htm schubert w h ayers w c eds 1992 teacher lore learning from our own experience white plains ny longman u s congress office of technology assessment 1995 teachers technology making the connection ota-her-616 washington dc u s government printing office vygotsky l s 1978 mind in society the development of higher psychological process cambridge ma harvard university press national educational computing conference building on the future july 25-27 2001 chicago il 10

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