Envisioning equity in teacher professional learning: opportunities for using digital tools and technology in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

• In Event: Complexities and challenges facing teachers in Georgia, Pakistan, and Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Proposal

The paper acknowledges the rapid growth in connectivity and the widespread use of devices and digital applications in the past decade. These technologies have the potential to transform and enhance teachers’ professional learning. Through technology, teachers – as learners – can connect with peers, access professional learning and further qualifications, and increase their exposure to a wide range of educational resources.

However, the optimism of teachers in Southeast Asia and the Pacific towards technology is tempered by substantial barriers such as inadequate infrastructure, limited access to reliable internet, and insufficient professional learning opportunities (Johnson et al, 2021). These challenges are especially pronounced in remote and rural areas, where resources are scarce and technological support is minimal. This digital divide can lead to greater inequity for teachers (and learners). In this paper, we will examine the findings on teacher engagement from our 5-year year mixed-methods research on teacher professional learning across 3 countries – Timor-Leste, Lao PDR and Vanuatu. Each of these countries was involved in the design and implementation of teacher professional learning programs to accompany the rollout of new primary curriculum. Each program took a different approach. Within these programs the integration of technology for teacher learning was varied – the level of integration can be viewed as a continuum, spanning no integration to substantial integration.

In Vanuatu, there was no formal integration of technology to support teacher professional learning. In Lao PDR, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of online platforms and resources. In Timor-Leste, use of technology through tablets was a core pillar of the investment in teachers. Notably, teachers in Timor-Leste found peer support groups as an important network to support each other, share information, and trade experiences on how to manage difficulties in teaching during challenging times. It was also one avenue where mentors and principals were able to connect with teachers. In other words, technology provided important connection for teacher learning. In Lao PDR, findings confirmed during the pandemic that online teaching was not a common mode of curriculum delivery and teachers’ use of online resources was mixed. Access to internet or mobile phone reception was limited, and teachers reported they needed additional training to understand how to navigate online resources and participate in online peer learning opportunities.

Research suggests that technology provides teachers with opportunities to have access to a range of learning materials that support previous training, including quality video demonstrations (McAleavy et al., 2018; Shohel & Power, 2010; Wolfenden et al., 2017; Woodward et al., 2014); learning platforms that enable self-directed learning; and communication platforms which encourage discussion amongst professional learning groups (The British Council, 2015). In fact, an enabling factor identified for effective teacher professional learning is the provision of support from teachers’ peers (Allier-Gagneur et al., 2020; Haßler et al., 2018; Popova et al., 2021; Sims et al., 2021; Westbrook et al., 2013).

At the core of this issue is equity. The countries in our study face numerous challenges in enabling schools and teachers to access and use digital resources. Connectivity is a key issue in the digital divide, as is digital literacy. COVID-19 magnified these issues for the study countries, and the digital divide became more apparent. The divide will continue to widen in an accelerated digital world.

In responding to the conference theme ‘Envisioning Education in a Digital Society’, this paper examines the evidence generated from the multi-country study and explores opportunities for a preferable future for teacher professional learning. Drawing on a conceptual framework developed for the study, we examine strategies for future thinking in teacher professional learning. Importantly, through a digital technology lens, we explore the questions, ‘How can we move away from accepted or current ways of doing things, towards a more equitable and quality system for teacher professional learning?’, ‘What is needed?’ and ‘What is sustainable?’. We examine these strategies within the countries of the study to look at how opportunities for the use and application of digital technology for teacher learning can be optimized and made more equitable within these different educational, political, social and economic contexts.

Emerging from the case study data for the multi-country study are opportunities to enhance equity. Approaching teacher professional learning with systems thinking encourages consideration of how teacher professional learning, system and contextual factors can work together, rather than constrain each other. For example, teachers may adapt the new curriculum and pedagogical approaches in ways that are more familiar and require less effort to implement (King and Gove, 2023). This observation certainly aligns with the evidence that emerged from the multi-country study. How to ensure these adaptions are effective and beneficial – especially as related to digital technology and access – needs to be considered.

One of the key lessons learned from the multi-country study is that complex problems require local engagement, and sensitivity to local context is critical for interventions to have a chance of being successful (Faul and Savage, p. 10, 2023). The multi-country study concluded with a conceptualization that depicts a state of ‘moving away from’ the accepted or current way of doing things to a state of ‘moving toward’ change that might impact system coherence, motivation and a mindset that considers the local and specific experiences of teachers, leaders and their schools.

This paper concludes with conceptualizing future thinking about professional learning equity for teachers in a digital society. An example of this concept is ‘moving away from’ simply rolling out technology as part of a program to ‘moving toward’ investing in technology as part of a broader strategy that: gives access to technology (hardware and software); complements curriculum, resources, training and peer learning initiatives; and provides appropriate and sustained support for teachers to develop confidence and skills in using technology.

Authors

• Elizabeth Anne Cassity, Australian Council for Educational Research

• Hilary Hollingsworth, ACER

• Debbie Wong, Australian Council for Educational Research