EDUsummIT 2011 Report from TWG3: Teacher Professional Development

A summary of the discussion and recommendations from the International Summit on ICT in Education 2011 working group on professional development of teachers

TWG 3: Teacher professional development

This brief paper has been prepared for the researchers, practitioners and policy makers attending the EDUsummIT at UNESCO in Paris (8 – 10 June 2011). Its purpose is to inform discussion about how those responsible for the professional development of teachers may ensure that teachers are better prepared for the challenges of using ICT to promote 21st century learning. This EDUsummIT is intended to extend the work begun by EDUsummIT 2009 which emerged from work on the Handbook of IT in Primary and Secondary Education (Voogt & Knezek, 2008) and issued a Call to Action for IT in school education. The specific element from the Call to Action 2009 addressed in this brief paper is: To develop and use models for teacher professional development on technology use in schools and classrooms at the pre- and in-service levels

Report from TWG 3: Teacher professional development

Technical Working Group 3 considered teacher professional development for use of information technologies to promote 21st Century Learning in elementary and secondary schools, addressing the following element of the Call to Action from EdusummIT 2009: To develop and use models for teacher professional development on technology use in schools and classrooms at the pre- and in-service levels In the group discussions at EdusummIT 2011 it was agreed that the target for action should be refined to focus on teacher professional development for improved learning and teaching through effective use of IT. This refinement highlights the central importance of enhancing learning and teaching and clarifies the focus on the integration of new technologies within all disciplines, rather than being limited to IT/Computing as subjects