The added value of TPACK

During this course, I have posted several items on this weblog. There were some posts about flexbility and some posts about pedagogy. And the post below this post is about TPACK. But what is the added value of TPACK? And are there also some weak points?

During the first lecture from the course ‘Pedagogies for flexible learning supported by technology’ we talked about flexibility. About flexibility I have learned that there are many different kinds of flexibility, such as flexibility related to the content or flexibility related to time. Maybe a student may choose what he wants to learn or when to hand in the assignment. Now let’s combine flexibility with the TPACK-model. Is the TPACK-model flexible and can this model support flexibility? To anwer the first question, yes I think the TPACK-model is flexible. There is no one right way to use the model. The teacher can choose if he wants to start with the content, the pedagogies or the technology. Also the teacher may choose which kind of technology he will use, which pedagogical approach and which content is learned, as long as it fits together. That means that every teacher, no matter what subject he teaches, can use the TPACK-model. The TPACK-model is also very flexible related to time. The model can be used to create one lesson, but also for a whole course. One thing that is very important when you talk about flexibility and TPACK is the context. The teacher should always consider the audience and the situation. Not every pedagogical approach is appropriate for each student and not every school has enough computers to use computer-based learning as a pedagogical approach. So it is not only flexibility... In the model the context is represented by the blue circle.

Also on the second question I think the anwer is yes. The TPACK-model can support flexibility. When the teacher becomes familiar with the TPACK-model, perhaps he become more flexible in the way he teaches. For example, the teacher can use Blackboard on a different way, not only for posting slides or articles, but also as a communication tool by using a discussion board. On this way he integrate technological knowledge (Blackboard) with content knowledge (the course) and pedagogical knowledge (discussion board).

Then I described different kinds of pedagogical approaches and how we can support those by the use of technology. Again, when a teacher is familiar with the TPACK-model maybe he can think of new or other pedagogical approaches, for example a inquiry learning environment on the computer. On this way TPACK ensures an effective learning environment.

So far I have described the added value of TPACK. And probably I can give more positive points about TPACK, but what about the weak points of TPACK? I think the TPACK-model is more appropriate for secundary school than for primary education. The content knowledge is an important aspect of TPACK. At a secundary school the teachers are more specialized in their subject matter than teachers of a primary school. They have more general knowledge. So, I can imagine that it is more difficult for teachers of a primary school. Also it still seems very difficult to integrate technology in lessons for young children, because they can not use technology, such as a camera or computer, on their own. Then you must ask parents for help.

I think it is very important that TPACK becomes a part of the curriculum of teacher training college, so that new teachers can use it from the beginning and maybe other teachers will be enthousiastic if they see what the advantages are.

Another doubtful point is to convince teachers to use this model, especially the older teachers. Through their experience, they think that they do everything very well and they will not change their teaching. It is very important that those people see the usefulness of the model, and that can be a hard thing.

But I like to conclude with something positive. I like TPACK because you can use it as a framework. You can use it as a reflection for your lesson but you can also create a lesson based on the model. The model does not tell you what you MUST do, but it SUPPORTS you as a teacher.