The TPACK-model, why?

In my privious blog I wrote an explanation about the TPACK model and what it includes. In this one I continue on this and discribe why we need a TPACK-model, what the added vallue of  TPACK can be and how the TPACK-model can be used. This in relation with everything I have learned so far in the course "Pedagogies for Flexible Learning Supported by Technology" within my mastertrack.

The TPACK-model, why? Why do we need this model?
First, to explain why this model is useful and important I have to mention that this model is based on a previous model, the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), discribed by Shulman (1986). Their model consists of the Pedagogical Knowledge and the Content Knowledge, and the integration between. Luckely in our education their is already paid much attention to these areas. Teachers need to know what students have to learn (content) and how they can do that (pedagogy) and how they can match these two domains.

In my opinion, with the advent of technology, it is very important that also attention also is paid to this aspect. Technologies can not longer be avoided and we can not deny it anymore. The TPACK-model adds this technology domain and mentions that teachers beside knowledge about pedagogy and content, also need to have knowledge about technology. This is necessary because teachers need to know how to deal with technology which requires knew knowledge and skills, but also to assess the meaning of this technology and the potentials of it for education. Because this model mentions the importance of adding the technological knowledge within this model, curriculumdesigners, schools and teachers can take this model into their account to improve their education.

In addition, using technology can lead to changes in content or pedagogy. Because the upcoming tendens of using technology in education, more options and more pedagogical approaches apear. (See also my blog about pedagogical approaches) Because the TPACK-model notices the importance of integrating the three domains, teachers also have to consider their current padogical approach and if necessary, adjust their pedagogy. This is also linked with flexibility. (See also my blog about flexibility) The use of technology increases the opportunities (flexibility) for students and this asks more skills and knowledge of teachers. It is important that teachers recognize this, and according to the TPACK-model, integrate their content, pedagogy and technology and if necessary, adjust their education.

Another point I want to make about this topic is that the use of technology in education is still not the most favorite part of teaching for every teacher. Sometimes teachers are forced to use a technology, because the school obliged this. Schools are in a competitive position with each other and using new technologys is a way to differentiate. When teachers don't support this idea it doesn't work in an effective way. With this TPACK model, it is clear that with new technologies, also attaintion and support must be given to teachers to help them acquire the new skills and knowledge and not only to help them how to use the technology, but also how to combine the technology within their pedagogy and content with all the changes this entails. Schools and teachers must be supported in understanding this. If teachers will be supported in using the technology in combination with their own pedagogy and own content, hopefully they will be more motivated to contribute.

The perception of using technology in education should be changed because of TPACK. I think, because of this model, teachers can be made aware about the movement from a situation of "there is a technology and how can I use it" towards a situation of "how can we connect the technology with the content and pedagogy, and how does these areas change because of it?" or towards a situation of "which technology can we use in connection with our pedagogy and content to support our education?" This because all the three domains are integrated in the TPACK-model.

I tried to explain why TPACK is usefull and important, but how can TPACK be used in practice? I think a good start is using the TPACK-model in teacher-training. When prospective teachers will be educated about the TPACK-model, the teachers of the future will be less affraid of the use of technology. They can already be convinced about TPACK, practise and use it in "safe" settings while they are working on their competencies and see the usefulness of using technologies. 

But this is not enough. Current teachers also need to be conviced about TPACK, because they are already teaching and already using technologies. To improve education, teachers need to improve their knowledge and skills, in general, about technology and with TPACK also about how to integrate their knowledge and skills about technology, pedagogy and content. Schools or the managemant of schools should support their teachers with TPACK. They have to convince teachers about the importance of technologies by supporting them, let them work together, exchange ideas, participate in decisions about technologies, give them opportunities to try to work with technologies and to evaluate how this works. And they have to acknowledge that it takes time. With the right help and support, teachers can enhence their expertise. 

In conclusion, the TPACK-model can be important and usefull because it stresses the importance of technology knowledge. Not only about how to use it, but also about how to combine this with the pedagogy and the content. In a world were the use of technology is inevitible, technology in education can not remain. So this is why teachers also need to pay attention to this, and this model can help them.
TPACK, with the right support, can also convince or help teachers who are still anxious to use technology by stressing the importance of using technology in connection with the matching pedagogy and content. Hopefully the TPACK-model can cause a movement in teachers perceptions from using technology because of the technology toward using technology because it can be helpfull, efficient and effective in education if we match it with the right pedagogy and content. To do this, teachers must be supported in teacher training and in schools, in such a way that using TPACK become more and more beneficial for them, students and for schools.

An explanation of the TPACK-model

With the uprising use of technology in our society and world, the use of technology in education can not remain. This raises a lot of questions, one of which is how teachers can use technology in their education and what should they take into account by using this? Using technology into lessons, requires knowledge and skills about technology, in addition to all the other skills and knowledge that teachers already have to posses. Koehler and Mishra (2005) state that teachers who want to use technology in an effective way, need to be skilled in three domains: technology, pedagogy and content and theachers have to integrate these three domains. Their model is called TPACK, which stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. In this blog I will try to explain this model in my own words.

TPACK- model of Koehler and Mishra, source www.tpack.org

The model consist of three domains, Technological Knowledge (TK) stands for the knowledge about the techology and include how the technology can be used, which possibilities it offers and what it might mean for education. Content Knowledge (CK) stands for the knowlegde about the content. The teacher needs to possess knowledge and skills about the subject, like facts, concepts, backgrounds and theories. Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) includes the pedagogical knowledge about how students learn, which approach can be used to teach, how a lesson can be organised, prepared, be done and evaluated.

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Like the models shown, if just two of the domains will be integrated, we get also overlapping areas in the cirle. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is about how particular aspects of subject matter can be teached and how to make students understand this.  Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK) is about how technology can change pedagogies or how the pedagogy can be supported by it and Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) is about how a tecnology can be used to learn students the subject matter of how content can be changed by the technology.  

Like the name of the model already mentions and like the picture of the model already shows, the center of the model is the most important. It combines all three subdomains and this is where the TPACK arises. To teach with technology, the teacher always needs to have knowledge about those three domains, but most importly, the teacher has to integrate those domains, and has to know how they work together, because they are not distinguishable in a lesson but are interlinked.

Last should be added that all of this, should be seen within the the context. Every school and every teacher is different and every lesson is depending on the composition and level of the students, the schoolculture and organisation and the environment etc. This is why teachers not only need take just the three domains into their account, but also the the context.

I did my best to write an clear, objective explanation of this model. In my next blog I will go on about my ideas about TPACK and the possible added value of it.

Pedagogical approaches

'The art of science of teaching', that is how a pedagogy is called (Dunkin, 1987). With the upcoming tendens of using technology in education, more options and more pedagogy approaches appear. There is simply not one way or one best pedagogical approach in which a teacher teachs best and the learners learn best. It is depending on what kind of content knowledge or skills you want to learn to the learners, which approach fits the teacher and the schoolsetting. In this article I will discribe five different approaches. In addition I will give for each approach an example in which way an technical environment like Blackboard can be used in this pedagogy.

Traditional Learning
The first and most famous way of learning is traditional learning. If you think about traditional learning, you will think about the old-classroom setting with the teacher in front of the classroom and the learners sitting behind their desks sitting and listening. The teacher takes the leader-role and educate the same content to all the learners, doing this face to face in a classroom. The students mainly listening and there is not much space for differentiate, discussion or for example self-exploring of the content. The teachers provides the knowledge and the learners, if it is taught well, receive this knowledge. This pedagogical approach could be supported by an environment as Blackboard by providing the students the basic information about the course or lessons. For example the goals, the assignments, the grading, the structure, the time when and where the lessons take place. The teacher can also put information on Blackboard so the students can take a look and find (additional or background) information in line with the content of the course or the lesson. Blackboard can also be used to submit assignments and to give the students feedback or gradings after the submit an assignment.

Problem-based Learning
Another pedagocial approach is problem-based learning. The learners get a real-life-problem which is tailed to the learners level. The problem is the starting point and the learners need to solve the problem. To solve the problem the learners have to work together. They use their prior knowledge and through collaboration they obtain new knowledge.  By sharing knowlege the learners construct new mental models and developing self-directed skills. In this approach the teachers takes the role as a coach to help the students solve the problem. This pedagogical appraoch could be supported by Blackboard in different ways. The students can collaborate on a discussion board or a form, or by email to share possible solution or knowledge they need to solve the problem. The teacher can provide feedback bij Blackboard if the learners put some questions on Blackboard or when they submit (parts of the) solution. The teacher can also put background information on Blackboard or give the learners an general written explanation how and where to find background information.

Inquiry Learning
Inquiry learning is defined as "an approach to learning that involves a process of exploring the natural or material world, and that leads to asking questions, making discoveries, and rigorously testing those discoveries in the search for new understanding".
The teacher starts with a question and the learners need to find the answer by finding resources and collaborate. Blackboard can also used for inquiry learning by letting leaners collaborate in a discussion board and share information.

Collaborative Learning

In collaborative learning, like the name says, learners need to collaborate and learn through active participation. The learners have to work together to complete an problem-solving task designed to promote learning. All the learners share the responsibility to complete the task. This could be supported by blackboard to provide the learners the discription of the task and to let the learners collaborate in a forum or discussion board, virtual classroom or chat where they can exchange their ideas.

Workplace Learning
In a pedagocal approach with workplace learning, the learners learn in a real workplace-environment. The students can make an assignment in the workplace, doing research or just observate and particpate in the workplace to learn. Blackboard can be used in this approach to communicate with the teacher about the experiences in the workplace. The student can submit assignment, receive feedback from the teacher and students can.

In conclusion, different pedagogical approaches can be used for teaching and no matter which one is used, blackboard can be supporting in this, maybe in one approach more than in another.