Setting the stage for staff development : uniting constructivist  (Page 4/7)

Before we proceed with creating technology staff development programs, we must also agree to the importance of support and supervision during the implementation of new programs. Educators (Glatthorn, 1995; Rebore, 1998) point to the fact that a major reason why teachers perceive professional development activities as ineffective is because they receive little support for implementing newly acquired skills and ideas, and a lack of supervision during implementation.

Can technology support and encourage constructivist practices?

Considering our second question, first recall the basic principles of constructivist teaching and learning. Let’s begin to interconnect technology to the picture as we begin thinking about effective teacher development programs. Teachers can use technology to engage students in more meaningful learning than is presently occurring in many classrooms today. Technology can assist with providing meaning to students in a social context accompanied by interaction between the learner and other people. With careful planning of professional development programs, principals can successfully fulfill their significant and powerful role in improving teaching and learning.

To assist us in creating appropriate technology staff development programs for our schools, we will visit an American Association for Curriculum Development document (ASCD, 1993) entitled, In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Of particular interest is an article written by Grennon Brooks and Martin Brooks, entitled, Becoming a Constructivist Teacher, which outlines 12 descriptors of constructivist teachers. These descriptors can serve as a framework for the design of effective technology staff development programs.

Descriptor 1

Descriptor 2

Descriptor 3