Technology and Pedagogy in other countries

The second part of our activities this week introduced us to a couple of papers about the adoption of technology in other countries. Robin Mason, the resource author asks us " if the only resource is the teacher, a teacher centric pedagogy is quite understandable".  Actually there is more than just a lack of resource behind this statement. This is about lack of resource for teacher development and understanding as well as lack of physical resource like books and technology.

The papers explore universities in Nepal and Bhutan, with similarities and differences. Here the teacher is the 'revered' expert and learning is about knowledge transmission (going back to our Cartesian viewpoint). One Bhutanese man talks about the different ways of teaching that he experienced while studying in the UK, but then on his return to Bhutan, having to adopt the old ways. This made me think about a recent experience of mine. Having been asked to provide some training workshop, I got my brief. It stated that the style of the workshop was not to be too interactive - as participants had expressed that they wanted more from the 'expert' at the front, rather than activities where they share their own knowledge. Oh dear - this goes against JSB discussions from last week.

I did a lot of further reading around this subject as I found it immensely interesting. Views of education across the world vary, and it's interesting that often discussions are focused on the western idea that education has to fit with the pressures of economic development. Basically the world economy is changing, technology drives this, and therefore we have to stay up to date and educated to keep up with it. I guess this becomes much harder in a global world. One of the studies I looked at, Weismann, Why do students in some countries do better, there is a suggestion that it is the difference in educational institutions that play a bigger role than the differences in resources devoted to education. More money doesn't mean better education.

The crux of the article was that by improving the institutional environment, ensuring that all those in it felt involved, then they would have the incentive to make it better. Weisman talked about some key components that were important:

·         centralised exams

·         distribution of decision making

·         level of teacher influence

·         government involvement in decisions

·         private sector competition.

But wait a minute - aren't these some of the things that we have issue with in this country?

In ICT or I see tea, Shield (2011) discussed the use of ICT in developing countries and picks up some of the previous discussions about education. She talks about how the 'reasons ' behind needing ICT has changed over the years. This includes

·         human capital and economic growth- path to modernisation and global competitiveness

·         inclusivity - getting equity, social inclusion and access to basic education and thus expanding educational access and quality

Currently:

"Its proponents arguing that ICT improves educational quality, develops critical thinking skills, expands access, increases economic competitiveness and facilitates inclusion in a rapidly expanding global information society." (Shields, 2011)

"..they further claim that ICT supports project-based, collaborative approaches to learning, instilling critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will prepare students to compete in the global knowledge economy." (Shields, 2011)

In Shields view, often the arguments for ICT are based on no evidence.

"....elaborates at length the benefits of ICT in education; concentrating on the presupposed potential or theoretical benefits of ICT rather than presenting evidence that supports its claims. This lack of empirical justification is common in work on ICT in education; "(Shields, 2011)

" extensive study of technology in Californian schools, Cuban (2001, 133) found ‘no clear and substantial evidence of students increasing their academic achievement as a result of using information technologies’, and his ultimate conclusion that ‘the investment of billions of dollars over the last decade has yet to produce worthy outcomes’ (197) should serve as a poignant warning for future work. "(Shields, 2011)

There is an interesting point about NGO's and private schools - both of which  are funded based externally, and are often based on performance. Therefore the introduction of the latest technology is a good selling point - although what they actually do with the technology can be very little.

"While government policies on education consistently stress the need for ICT, there is an inconsistency and incoherence in their rationales for doing so. Instead of an authentic, self-identified justification, ideas such as economic competitiveness, ‘computer literacy’ and social equity are borrowed from the continually changing global discourse on ICT and development."(Shields, 2011)

So what does this mean for us? Should we think about resources and pedagogy when considering the approach to take? For me it is interesting that some of the arguments and discussions being had about the use of technology in developing countries, are still the arguments and discussions we currently have. Are we truly student-centred in our approach in the west yet? What is the role of learning? Pursuit of knowledge? Self Development? Career training? Should pedagogy be culturally sensitive, as much as it might be age sensitive?

The development of distributed learning techniques in Bhutan and Nepal

Shields, R. (2011) ‘ICT or I see tea? Modernity, technology and education in Nepal’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, vol. 9, no. 1, pp.85–97; also available online at http://web.ebscohost.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/ ehost/ detail?vid=3&hid=10&sid=c763fe6d-a484-4a34-b84b-bf47a1748f97%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=57749333 (last accessed 16th February 2012).