Concept for skills development within ICT and digital media

Purpose and goal

In order to meet a substantial need for on-the-job training, we´ve arrived at a concept comprising workshops in practical ICT skills, continual mentoring under the duration of the course and a series of lectures to promote a deeper understanding of ICT´s role in education. We´ve carried out both a general and a more in-depth questionnaire to obtain an overview of teachers´ skills training needs. We´ve created workshops, led by competent teachers from within Malmö, to meet these needs. A lecture programme has been planned which addresses workshop content from a theoretical perspective.

Results and expected effects

Through the use of reference schools, we see that the general concept works well. There are details which need to be looked over, but the basic structure, comprising workshops, mentoring and lectures is a valid one. An ongoing series of questionnaires coupled to each component give overwhelmingly positive feedback. Reference teachers confirm that content covers key areas and is relevant for concrete teaching situations. The structure we´ve adopted, a holistic approach, peer learning and a basis in research, is seen as relevant by the reference schools.

Approach and implementation

The concept has been tested in collaboration with six reference schools, of which three are high schools. Teachers have taken part in two workshops, decided by the level of skills indicated by their questionnaire responses. At each school, we´ve had two meetings with administrators, librarians and teachers, discussing the broader needs of the school and goals specific to ICT training. That school administrators have taken an active part has been crucial in deciding the project´s format and for its meaningfulness. This is a factor which we see has contributed to the project´s success.