Sustainability and Evolution of ICT-Supported Classroom Practice

Is practitioners’ integration of ICT use into subject teaching motivated by a concern to "tick the right boxes" or a belief that it promotes "genuine useful learning"? This study took place in a climate of significant government investment in ICT resources and an intensified focus on approaches to whole school improvement through embedding technology in teaching, learning and management. Research indicates that integrating ICT is a gradual, reflective process for most teachers and one that is influenced by a complex mix of factors. In particular, effective practice involves developing new forms of pedagogy. However, little is known about the influence of teachers who have already established ways of working with ICT in stimulating wider implementation of such practices within the context of their subject departments or schools. This project thus examined the evolution over time of ICT-supported classroom practice. It comprised a follow-up interview survey of 16 teachers, and 11 of their colleagues, in five English secondary schools. Three years earlier the 16 teachers had participated in a collaborative programme of 10 small-scale research projects in which they developed a range of technology-integrated pedagogical strategies (TiPS) within six curriculum areas: English, Classics, Geography, History, Science and Technology. Additionally, one project involved an after-school support group for pupils with English as an additional language. The present study investigated the mechanisms underlying development and dissemination of these practices over time and identified factors that supported or constrained these processes for both the project teachers and their colleagues.