Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Enhancing teachers’ technological pedagogical knowledge and practices: a professional development model for technology teachers in Malawi

  • Published:
International Journal of Technology and Design Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper reports on a professional development that was designed and implemented in an attempt to broaden teachers’ knowledge of the nature of technology and also enhance their technological pedagogical practices. The professional development was organised in four phases with each phase providing themes for reflection and teacher learning in subsequent phases. On-going support, reflection and feedback underpinned the professional development processes to enhance teachers’ prospects of putting aside old traditions and culture to implement new practices in their classrooms. The teachers collaboratively explored new concepts through readings of selected scholarly papers, making presentations of their views generated from the readings and engaging with peers in discussing learning, curriculum issues and concepts related to the nature of technology and technology education. A qualitative analysis of the teachers’ journey through the phases of the professional development showed the teachers’ enhanced knowledge of technology and technology education. However, their classroom practices showed technological pedagogical techniques that reflected their traditional strategies for teaching technical subjects. It is argued that although the teachers’ conceptualisation of learning in technology was still fragile at this point, attempts to shift teachers’ beliefs and practices require deep theoretical grounding and transferring that into technological practices. A professional development built on existing ideas and context helps expand the teachers’ views about the nature of technology and technology education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Daami, K. K., & Wallace, G. (2007). Curriculum reform in a global context: A study of teachers in Jordan. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 39(3), 339–360. doi:10.1080/00220270601057790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ankiewicz, P. (1995). The planning of technology education for South African schools. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 5(3), 245–254. doi:10.1007/BF00769906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Appleton, H., & Ilkkaracan, I. (1994). The technological capabilities of women and girls in developing countries. In D. Layton (Ed.), Innovations in science and technology education (Vol. 4, pp. 145–157). Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basalla, G. (1988). The evolution of technology. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, B., & Gilbert, J. (1994). Teacher development as professional, personal and social development. Teaching and Teacher Education, 10(5), 483–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennell, P. (1996). General versus vocational secondary education in developing countries: A review of the rates of. Journal of Development Studies, 33(2), 230–247. doi:10.1080/00220389608422464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, R. (1997). Interviewing as collaborative storying. Educational Research and Perspectives, 24(1), 28–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borich, G. D., & Martin, D. B. (2008). Observation skills for effective teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15. doi:10.3102/0013189X033008003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42. doi:10.3102/0013189X018001032.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bybee, R. W., & Loucks-Horsley, S. (2000). Advancing technology education: The role of professional development. Technology Teacher, 60(2), 31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Compton, V., & Jones, A. (1998). Reflecting on teacher development in technology education: Implications for future programmes. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 8(2), 151–166. doi:10.1023/A:1008808327436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dakers, J. R. (2006). Technology education in Scotland: An investigation of the past twenty years. In M. J. de Vries & I. Mottier (Eds.), International handbook of technology education: Reviewing the past twenty years (pp. 331–346). Rotterdam: Sense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dakers, J. R., & de Vries, M. J. (2009). Perceptions of technology and technology education. In A. T. Jones & M. J. de Vries (Eds.), International handbook of research and development in technology education (pp. 201–210). Rotterdam: Sense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300–315. doi:10.1177/0022487105285962.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daugherty, J., & Custer, R. (2012). Secondary level engineering professional development: Content, pedagogy, and challenges. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 22(1), 51–64. doi:10.1007/s10798-010-9136-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries, M. J., & Tamir, A. (1997). Shaping concepts of technology: What concepts and how to shape them. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 7(1), 3–10. doi:10.1023/A:1008869205370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desimone, L. M., Porter, A. C., Garet, M. S., Yoon, K. S., & Birman, B. F. (2002). Effects of professional development on teachers’ instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 24(2), 81–112. doi:10.3102/01623737024002081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dow, W. (2006a). Implicit theories: Their impact on technology education. In J. R. Dakers (Ed.), Defining technological literacy: Towards an epistemological framework (pp. 239–250). New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dow, W. (2006b). The need to change pedagogies in science and technology subjects: A European perspective. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 16(3), 307–321. doi:10.1007/s10798-006-0009-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eijkelhof, H., Franssen, H., & Houtveen, T. (1998). The changing relation between science and technology in Dutch secondary education. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 30(6).

  • Faure, E., Herrera, F., Kaddoura, A.-R., Lopes, H., Petrovcky, A. V., Rahnema, M., et al. (1972). Learning to be: The world of education today and tomorrow. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, T., Ritchie, G., & Barker, M. (2008). A sociocultural analysis of mandated curriculum change: The implementation of a new senior physics curriculum in New Zealand schools. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(2), 187–213. doi:10.1080/00220270701313978.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, R. (1989). Literacy for a technological age. Science Education, 73(4), 391–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915–945. doi:10.3102/00028312038004915.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginns, I., Norton, S., McRobbie, C., & Davis, R. (2007). Can twenty years of technology education assist ‘grass roots’ syllabus implementation? International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 17(2), 197–215. doi:10.1007/s10798-006-7505-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glazer, E. M., & Hannafin, M. J. (2006). The collaborative apprenticeship model: Situated professional development within school settings. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 179–193. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2005.09.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, M. (1994). Science and technology: Partnership or divorce. In F. Banks (Ed.), Teaching technology (pp. 238–245). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hennessy, S. (1993). Situated cognition and cognitive apprenticeship: Implications for classroom learning. Studies in Science Education, 22, 1–41. doi:10.1080/03057269308560019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, D. (2002). A teachers’ guide to classroom observation. Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • International Technology Association. (2000). Standards for technological literacy: Content for the study of technology. Reston, Virginia: International Technology Education Association (ITEA) & Technology for All Americans Project.

  • Jones, A. (1999). Teachers’ subject subcultures and curriculum innovation: The example of technology education. In J. J. Loughran (Ed.), Researching teaching: Methodologies and practices for understanding pedagogy (pp. 155–171). London: Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. (2003). The development of a national curriculum in technology for New Zealand. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 13(1), 83–99. doi:10.1023/A:1022355410425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. (2006). The developing field of technology education in New Zealand: The last twenty years. In M. J. de Vries & I. Mottier (Eds.), International handbook of technology education: Reviewing the past twenty years (pp. 197–211). Rotterdam: Sense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A. T. (2009). The development of technology education internationally. In A. T. Jones & M. J. de Vries (Eds.), International handbook of research and development in technology education. Rotterdam: Sense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A., & Carr, M. (1993). Teachers’ perceptions of technology education Towards technology education: Working papers from the first phase of the learning in technology education project, vol. 1 (pp. 49–83). Hamilton, New Zealand: Centre for Science and Mathematics Education Research, University of Waikato.

  • Jones, A., & Moreland, J. (2001). Frameworks and cognitive tools for enhancing practicing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge SAMEpapers 2001 (pp. 238–264): University of Waikato, Centre for Science and Technology Education.

  • Jones, A., & Moreland, J. (2004). Enhancing practicing primary school teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in technology. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 14(2), 121–140. doi:10.1023/B:ITDE.0000026513.48316.39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerre, B. W. (1994). Technology education in Africa. In D. Layton (Ed.), Innovations in science and technology education (pp. 103–117). Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, K., & Martin, C. (2002). The vocational school fallacy revisited: Education, aspiration and work in Ghana 1959–2000. International Journal of Educational Development, 22(2), 5–26. doi:10.1016/S0738-0593(00)00083-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunje, D., & Stuart, J. (1999). Supporting untrained teachers in Malawi. International Journal of Educational Development, 19(2), 157–166. doi:10.1016/S0738-0593(98)00006-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labaree, D. (2003). The peculiar problems of preparing educational researchers. Educational Researcher, 32(4), 11–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lave, J. (1991). Situating learning in communities of practice. In L. Resnick, J. Levine, & S. Teasley (Eds.), Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 63–82). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Layton, D. (1993). Understanding technology-the seamless web. In D. Layton (Ed.), Technology’s challenge to science education (pp. 23–30). Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lotter, C., Harwood, W., & Bonner, J. (2006). Overcoming a learning bottleneck: Inquiry professional development for secondary science teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 17(3), 185–216. doi:10.1007/s10972-005-9002-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macdonald, D. (2003). Curriculum change and the post-modern world: Is the school curriculum-reform movement an anachronism? Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35(2), 139. doi:10.1080/00220270210157605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, R. (2004). Issues of learning and knowledge in technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 14(1), 21–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Economic Planning and Development. (1998). Vision 2020: The national long term development perspective for Malawi. Lilongwe, Malawi: Author.

  • Ministry of Education. (1997). Towards teaching technology [kit]: Know how 2. Wellington: Learning Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education Science and Technology. (2008). National education sector plan 2008–2017. Lilongwe: Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. (1973). Education plan of Malawi 1973–1980. Lilongwe: Ministry of Education and Culture.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. (1985). Education development plan 1985–1995. Lilongwe: Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreland, J., & Jones, A. (2000). Emerging assessment practices in an emergent curriculum: Implications for technology. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 10(3), 283–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Msiska, F. G. W. (1994). Some practical limits of curriculum vocationalization as a remedy to school leavers’ unemployment: Focus on Malawi. International Review of Education, 40(2), 135–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council of Malawi. (2002). Science and technology policy for Malawi (vol. (2006). Lilongwe: Office of the President and Cabinet.

    Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, J. (1994). What is technology? In F. Banks (Ed.), Teaching technology (pp. 7–12). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyirenda, D. M. C. (2005, 29th March to 1st April). Malawi secondary school curriculum reform: Issues and challenges. Paper presented at the Malawi National Education Conference, Lilongwe, Malawi.

  • Pacey, A. (2001). Meaning in technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paechter, C. (1995). Subcultural retreat: Negotiating the design and technology curriculum. British Educational Research Journal, 21(1), 75–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlova, M. (2005). Social change: How should technology education respond? International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 15(3), 199–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penuel, W. R., Fishman, B. J., Yamaguchi, R., & Gallagher, L. P. (2007). What makes professional development effective? Strategies that foster curriculum implementation. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 921–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Psacharopoulos, G. (1987). To vocationalize or not to vocationalize? That is the curriculum question. International Review of Education, 33(2), 187–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogoff, B. (1995). Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: Participatory appropriation, guided participation and apprenticeship. In J. V. Wertsch, P. del Río, & A. Alvarez (Eds.), Sociocultural studies of mind (pp. 139–164). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rohaan, E., Taconis, R., & Jochems, W. (2010). Analysing teacher knowledge for technology education in primary schools. International Journal of Technology and Design Education. doi:10.1007/s10798-010-9147-z.

  • Sherman, T., Sanders, M., & Kwon, H. (2010). Teaching in middle school technology education: A review of recent practices. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 20(4), 367–379. doi:10.1007/s10798-009-9090-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staudenmaier, J. M. (1989). Technology’s storytellers: Reviewing the human fabric. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, S. J., Ginns, I., & McDonald, C. (2007). Teachers learning about technology and technology education: Insights from a professional development experience. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 17(2), 179–195. doi:10.1007/s10798-006-0008-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, S. J., Ginns, I. S., & McRobbie, C. J. (2003). Grappling with teaching design and technology: A beginning teacher’s experiences. Research in Science & Technological Education, 21(2), 141–157. doi:10.1080/0263514032000127202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Timperley, H., Wilson, A., Barrar, H., & Fund, I. (2007). Teacher professional learning and development: Best evidence synthesis (BES). Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Education.

  • Treagust, D. F., & Rennie, L. J. (1993). Implementing technology in the school curriculum: A case study involving six schools. Journal of Technology Education, 5(1), 38–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trotter, Y. D. (2006). Adult learning theories: Impacting professional development programs. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 72(2), 8–13. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20357005&site=ehost-live.

  • Wenger, E. (1999). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wertsch, J. V., del Río, P., & Alvarez, A. (1995). Sociocultural studies: History, action and mediation. In J. V. Wertsch, P. del Río, & A. Alvarez (Eds.), Sociocultural studies of mind (pp. 1–34). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, P. J. (2000). Design: The only methodology of technology. Journal of Technology Education, 11(2), 48–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, P. J. (2008). Using DEPTH as a framework for the determination of teacher professional development. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 18(3), 275–284. doi:10.1007/s10798-007-9047-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wragg, E. C. (1999). An introduction to classroom observation. New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical Education Department, University of Malawi, P/Bag 303, Blantyre 3, Malawi

    Vanwyk Khobidi Mbubzi Chikasanda

  2. Centre for Science and Technology Education Research, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Kathrin Otrel-Cass & John Williams

  3. DVC Office, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Alister Jones

Authors
  1. Vanwyk Khobidi Mbubzi Chikasanda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kathrin Otrel-Cass
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alister Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanwyk Khobidi Mbubzi Chikasanda.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chikasanda, V.K.M., Otrel-Cass, K., Williams, J. et al. Enhancing teachers’ technological pedagogical knowledge and practices: a professional development model for technology teachers in Malawi. Int J Technol Des Educ 23, 597–622 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-012-9206-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-012-9206-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation