An evaluation of professional development methods and their effects on teachers' technological pedogogical content knowledge and technology use

Abstract

Although technology is becoming more common in schools, effectively integrating technology into the classroom can be a challenge for teachers. Teachers must understand how technology interacts with their content and pedagogical strategies to enhance student learning outcomes. Various theory-based training methods have been proposed to increase the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of teachers (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). In-service teachers have an established teaching style, or preference for specific pedagogical activities, which may influence how they respond to trainings either congruent or dissimilar to their own teaching practices. This study uses MANCOVA to investigate how middle school math teachers’ teaching styles preferences influence their technology integration in a lesson plan following three different types of training. The implications for the proposed study suggested future evaluation of a fourth professional development method to integrate teachers’ teaching styles and offer more prolonged support and reflection during the training process. This fourth method, lesson study, allows teachers to reflex on different ways of teaching as a group and may lead to change in teaching style beyond that possible in the first three methods. The final chapter of this report includes an evaluation plan for the proposed lesson study professional development.