Whose Learning Is It Anyway? A Case Study Exploring the Impact of an Information Technology Module within a Teacher Tutor/Mentor Training Programme

Students' perceptions of ICT‐related support in teaching placements

“…Also, there is a great deal of material to be covered during the school‐based practice by both student‐teachers and their mentor teachers and it seems that ICT does not appear to be a high priority item. What is perhaps most worrying, is that there were cases where neither the student nor the teacher – nor indeed the university tutor — were ICT orientated and a ‘conspiracy of silence’ took place where they all left ICT out of the picture (see also Bell & Coultas, 1995; Bell & Biott, 1997; for examples in the literature).…”

“…In consequence they are not able to support student‐teachers in applying ICT in the classroom. Research has shown that student expertise in ICT is valued by teachers who ‘ are grateful to let students take over ’ (Bell & Coultas, 1995) and as it has been reported in this study by student‐teachers and school staff alike, schoolteachers on most occasions do depend on the student‐teachers when it comes to the use of ICT in teaching.…”

“…Most importantly, for those interested in teacher education, is this a good environment for student-teachers to cultivate and expand their own experience in using educational technology? Research has shown that for a teachers to adopt an innovation successfully they need to feel a sense of ownership (see, Somekh (1997); also Bell & Coultas (1995) on how teacher ownership of the innovation can be achieved through participation and involvement in the learning process). Another student found that the negative attitudes of the teachers and their unwillingness to use ICT gave her the opportunity to use computers a lot in her teaching:…”

“…Integrating ICT in teaching and learning involves the use of equipment and active involvement of pupils, therefore it is essential that students have the opportunity to practise using computers in their teaching during school placement, where guidance and support are normally at hand. However it has been shown that teachers who act as mentors for students in school placements may not have the necessary competence or experience to offer practical support regarding ICT (Dunn & Ridgway, 1994; Easdown, 1994; Bell & Coultas, 1995; Summers & Easdown, 1996; Bell & Biott, 1997). In an effort to investigate and remedy this, research has been conducted into the issue of teachers' attitudes and use of ICT, either through schemes like the ‘Multimedia Portables for Teachers’ pilot project (Phillips et al ., 1999) or in the context of training teachers how to use management information systems for administration (North et al ., 2000), or finally, like the study reported here, as a survey of current practice and attitudes (Williams et al ., 2000).…”