Digital Strategy for Schools

2. THEME 1: TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT USING ICT
to date in terms of ICT integration and to provide an indication of areas that need to be addressed
over the lifetime of the Strategy. It can be used by schools to measure ICT integration at the school
level and by professional development providers to ensure there is a range of professional learning
opportunities for teachers. The framework will also provide clear standards for teachers in relation
to how they can enhance the connections between innovative ICT practices and effective teaching
and learning approaches.
However, it must be stressed that each element of the framework is just one element of an interrelated
and interdependent system. For change to occur within schools to allow for ICT integration, there
must be movement across and between all the components of the framework.
Used in this way, the ICT Competency Framework can assist the education system, including
teachers and principals, to reflect on their existing practice, to inform decision-making and to
support continuous improvement and system change.
ICT Competency Framework in the Irish Context
There is a need to review and adapt the ICT Competency Framework in its current form, in order
to make it more directly relevant to the Irish context. The development of a competency-based
framework that is localised for Ireland will provide clarity for teachers in terms of how they can
effectively integrate ICT into their practice. Furthermore, the creation of such a framework has the
capacity to inform teacher professional learning activities at all stages of teachers’ careers. This
idea is further explored in the section on Teacher Professional Learning.
PEDAGOGICAL ORIENTATION
The consultation conducted in the development of the Strategy confirmed that schools are seeking
a clear understanding and examples of what ICT integration looks like across the system. Teachers
and school leaders will require support to develop their pedagogical orientation and their ICT
competencies.
ICT and constructivist teaching approaches
Research studies (for example Butler et al., 2014 and OECD 2015) indicate that a teacher’s
pedagogical orientation is a principal factor in how he/she uses digital technology in the classroom.
Effective use of digital technology is associated primarily with constructivist approaches to teaching.
Where constructivist teaching approaches are used, learning experiences often include the following
features:
• Engagement with the learner’s prior understanding.
• Active involvement of the learner in the learning process.
• Opportunities for the learner to make decisions that affect the subsequent course of the learning
activity.
• A high level of interaction and exchange of ideas between learners.
Constructivist teaching approaches are advocated in the curricula and syllabi used in primary and
post-primary schools in Ireland. This is reflected in the Education and Training Sector Integrated
Reform and Delivery Plan (Department of Education and Skills, 2014a; p.3)
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