TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR TEACHING STYLE DEVELOPMENT IN ONE-TO-ONE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Open Access
- Author:
- Sockman, Beth Rajan
- Graduate Program:
- Instructional Systems
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 27, 2007
- Committee Members:
- Kyle Leonard Peck, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Priya Sharma, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
James F Nolan Jr., Committee Member
Jack Vincent Matson, Committee Member - Keywords:
- teacher change
one to one
teachers and technology
teacher beliefs
teacher character
teacher values
qualitative disseration
laptop education
computers in education - Abstract:
- One of the current trends in education is one-to-one computing or “ubiquitous computing”. In order for a teacher to use technology to its fullest, researchers and practitioners believe that teachers engage in a facilitative teaching style. However, the majority of teachers have not experienced the kind of teaching that they are expected to employ. As a result, this study explored seven teachers’ perceptions of their development toward facilitation in one-to-one computing environments. Administrators recommended teachers who were making good progress toward facilitation, created project based learning environments, and were inventive toward their curriculum. Using a comparative case study method, six teacher themes were developed, and insights into administrators’ views were parsed. The themes were: external forces influenced teachers’ perception of classroom needs; beginning small trials reinforced beliefs about teaching and learning; student observations and structural constraints modified instruction; moving toward project based approaches; overcoming hurdles for project implementation; and, teachers developed their identity but were enhanced with professional support. Throughout all themes, teachers had a disposition, which encouraged experimentation. In addition, teachers felt safe to experiment within their schools and benefited from collaboration. From this study, I have gained a better understanding of how teachers transitioned, and what is needed to become a teacher facilitator with technology.