Conditions for Success: The neglected key to the ICT puzzle?

The last decade has seen a vast array of initiatives promoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in primary school classrooms. Countless professional development days have been facilitated, grants provided and numerous government strategies rolled out. Despite this proliferation of opportunities, the majority of teachers in the primary years of schooling are still not effectively or sustainably utilising ICT in the classroom. ICT continues to be perceived as an add-on rather than a powerful tool that can be authentically integrated into teaching and learning experiences. If this situation continues, schools run the risk of becoming increasingly irrelevant in the connected lives of today’s students. The solution to this problem is not simple. To achieve the effective and sustained use of ICTs requires an interconnected array of conditions at both classroom and school level.

Catholic schools in Western Australia are encouraged to develop key teachers in ICT integration. This initiative builds onsite capacity by providing models of effective practice within the school community. Models of effective practice are one part of the Collaborative Professional Learning Model which forms the foundation for whole school improvement. This model looks at the interaction of six key areas: leadership, models of effective practice, shoulder to shoulder learning, action learning, professional learning communities and professional learning events. This initiative is facilitated through a balance of professional development and onsite mentoring.

Join us as we share how Catholic schools in Western Australia are meeting the challenge of addressing the conditions of success required for the effective and sustained use of ICT in the primary classroom.

This is how you cite this paper: