ICT and workforce development
Findings from qualitative research
More flexible use of support staff and increased efficiency of record-keeping
Under the national workforce agreement between the Government and some teachers' unions, drawn up during 2003-04, there is an expectation that support staff will take over some of the administrative tasks formerly carried out by teachers. There are also possibilities for support staff to work more flexibly, as part of a teaching team, using ICT to assist the teacher with a wide range of learner-support and record-keeping activities.
Giving technicians a wider role
In all three clusters, the ICT Test Bed project requires a high level of technical support. To explore the possibilities for flexible use of staff, one of the LEAs built into a Service Level Agreement with the Council's IT Support Service the expectation that technicians would contribute an element of learning support in schools as appropriate. ICT Test Bed technicians were provided with hardware and software training including the installation and maintenance of new packages. There was also a short Classroom Assistant Training course to enable technicians to develop the capacity to provide assistance with learning as well as ICT skills. The training provided for the ICT Test Bed technicians was also made available to existing technicians in the ICT Test Bed schools. Some of the specialist technical training was identified by the existing experienced technicians as especially valuable for career development.
An interview study was conducted after the first year to monitor progress in diversifying the role of technicians.
The classroom assistant training was not in itself valued by the technicians as the course was not ICT-oriented and did not make recognisable links with ICT developments. The two technicians attending (non ICT Test Bed technicians elected not to attend) appreciated that it had attempted to show the importance of helping children to learn rather than be instructed. However, neither believed that they had drawn on this course in their work so far. It also became clear that the heads of some schools did not regard this extension of the role of technicians as important in the early stages of ICT Test Bed. The ideal of technicians displaying flexible learning support skills remained a long-term intention, but the heads' immediate priority was for technicians to facilitate teachers' use of ICT. In relation to learning support, at this current stage of ICT implementation, the heads' prime requirement was for technicians to ensure that learners could access the ICT rather than becoming directly involved in supervising their use of the equipment.
Nevertheless, the demands of ICT Test Bed itself and the excellent working relationships that developed between technicians and teachers led to some clear successes in widening the role of technicians.
All technicians were very conscious of the importance of ICT functioning correctly to ensure teachers could use it confidently in the classroom. They recognised that it was important for them to familiarise themselves with new software as teachers often relied upon them to troubleshoot. One technician explained that, in his view, teachers sometimes felt overloaded with information received during training, and welcomed initial classroom support to explore how the equipment could best be used in their particular teaching situation. He gave the example of a supplier of interactive whiteboards who had provided very good technical help lines but in technical language. The supplier provided good demonstrations which anticipated teachers' needs, but the technicians were important to respond to problems that arose in the classroom. For example, in one school when a whiteboard screen display was unintentionally inverted, the technician was able to show the teacher how to return it to normal. Teachers were keen to master the interactive whiteboard software themselves; one technician explained that he saw his role as initially providing support and then reducing the level of support as teachers became increasingly proficient.
All technicians explained how they supported learning in the classroom. This support covered a range of informal and responsive activities including helping teachers to log learners on and off in ICT lessons; helping individual learners navigate menus etc. when problems arose; and providing problem-solving technical advice (how to un-jam printers etc.) in After School Clubs.
Some technicians were also involved in more organised learning support activities, such as supervising small groups of children taking reading assessments at 20-minute intervals, supervising children with internet proficiency, and helping groups of pupils to learn how to use the Apple animation equipment.
The introduction of a 'classroom assistant' aspect to the technician role created a degree of tension in some technicians. Whilst all technicians were keen to share their technical knowledge, and engage in problem-solving activities to get software and equipment operating either for individuals or for whole classes, several explained that their scheduling into managing groups of pupils engaged in activities would interfere with their responsive technician role. One pointed out that he did provide support and assistance in an after-school club, and enjoyed helping a particular learner with difficulties, but he was uncomfortable with the idea of having responsibility for a group of learners. However, those who had been given responsibility for management of small groups of pupils found they actually coped quite well. Another enjoyed the responsibility of managing pupils engaged in animation activities and took pride in praising the children's work he had assisted.
All the technicians indicated that over time, as the equipment was in frequent use and the level of need for technical assistance reduced, they were likely to spend more time providing the children with support as directed by the classroom teacher. This would be in line with the role suggested in the classroom assistant training course they had attended.
General points emerging from this study of technicians' working practices in one cluster include the following:
- If technicians are given additional classroom assistants' training it is important to make the links explicit between this wider role and their role as technicians, since otherwise they may underrate its importance.
- Technicians are proud of their expertise and value specialist technical training highly. This tends to make them want to retain their 'separateness' from other support teachers. During the initial stages of installing new technology infrastructure they are also anxious not to increase their workload which is already heavy.
- All technicians are very conscious of the importance of ICT functioning correctly so that lessons are not disrupted; this is their first priority.
- Some technicians in our study took particular pleasure in assisting teachers in their use of new software and equipment following initial training.
- All technicians in our study were involved in supporting learners in ways ranging from helping them to log on to or off the network to supervising small groups using the internet or learning to use new equipment.