The Story of Innovation in Teacher Education:

Transforming EdTech into an ongoing learning experience

Last week I returned from The 7th International Conference on Teacher Education, which focused this year on The Story of Innovation in Teacher Education. Bringing together more than 550 participants, 100+ of them from outside Israel for various discussion panels, lectures, posters and "Hands-on" experiential workshops led by key members of the Israeli and global education community – Academia & entrepreneurs.

Teacher education throughout the world is currently at a crossroads, faced with many questions. Coping with national and global challenges calls for co-learning and co-working of all the communities of teacher educators. Education is not excluded from the digitalization process that is affecting all aspects of modern life. While Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming the practice of teaching, incorporation of these technologies into the classroom remains one of the major challenges currently facing education systems.

The OECD TALIS Teacher Survey for 2018 (see here) shows some interesting results in 3 indicators: (1) Inclusion in formal education (2) Need for professional development (3) Sense of preparedness.

Teachers around the world are faced with an overwhelming variety of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Digital products, which they feel unprepared to implement in the classroom.

So, what is the correct combination of theoretical and practical training? And how can Innovation in teacher's education overcome this increasing gap and enable teachers to match the pace of current pedagogical trends?

I believe that it is important to emphasize 5 principles in Teacher training regarding EdTech:

Quick-tip: Change the paradigm in teacher training.

Embrace a collaborative model based on experience.

1. Embrace a different model – Teacher training in the use of digital applications in education needs to change its paradigm. It has so far focused on equipping teachers with a variety of classroom tools. A collaborative model based on experience instead of learning is necessary.

2. Plant the seeds in the initial training process – Teachers don't need to learn everything there is to know, right from the start. Make them feel comfortable with EdTech tools for teaching and learning, and the rest will come later. A small amount of effective experiences can be beneficial but Leave the main Professional development to the field. Teachers learn best from their colleagues. Co-learning based on real life situations and needs, receive the best results.

3. There is always time for handcraft – Origami, drawing or painting can demonstrate very nicely how to impart any knowledge, even large quantities of knowledge, in a way that is not frontal and by means of technology. Use Video-based tutorial such as YouTube or PowerPoint Mix to create and share interactive online recordings of your presentations. Ask Teachers to build a task to fit the level of each child, individually, where they can progress at their own pace in the lesson. Study habits of Generation Z students show they prefer learning through Videos. Video learning outranks printed books and even Search engines such as Google.

Encourage immediate feedback

1. Encourage immediate feedback activities– Reflection on a learning unit or an activity is the best way to show teachers the benefits of integrating technology into teaching. It creates listening, relevance, and opens dialog. These are the most efficient skills teachers need. Useful feedback delivers clear, specific details about how to better move toward a goal. Use Polls, Quizzes, Collaborative boards in the teacher training stage. Endorse an atmosphere of constant communication between the content and the form.

2. Talk about Pedagogy and not Technology – Refine the needs that arise from Teachers as learners. There are at least four pedagogical principles that can be applied effectively and optimally through technology: (1) Visual teaching (2) Collaborative learning (3) Independent learning (4) Instant feedback. The most important thing to remember is the “Why”? behind using digital tools in the classroom. Reflect on that question and then, create an equivalent process for students. Mind Maps are a great way to provide and organize ideas for this purpose.

In summary:

Training teachers to effectively utilize digital education technology, requires enabling them to feel comfortable with a constantly developing medium and facilitating on-going co-learning environments.

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[Avigail Aravna is an in instructor at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a member of the prestigious “Alumot – Leaders in Academic Teacher Training" Program.]