I believe my perspectives on teaching play a large role in the way I utilize technology in the classroom. Research by Deng et al. (2014) supports this belief: “teachers’ personal pedagogical beliefs play a key role in their pedagogical decisions regarding whether and how to integrate technology within their classroom practices (Tondeur et al., 2014, p. 556). My results from the TPI show I scored highest in Nurturing, Apprenticeship, and Transmission. I was not at all surprised to see Nurturing as one of my highest scores because I feel it is important to create a safe learning environment; one where students feel supported and cared for. I do not think this particular perspective has as big of an influence on the use of technology like Apprenticeship and Transmission. Pratt and Collins (2000) state instructors holding an Apprenticeship perspective believe that “teaching and learning are most effective when people are working on authentic tasks in real settings of application or practice” (Pratt and Collins, 2000, p. 4). For instance, instead of having traditional pen pals that you would only get to have a few exchanges within the course of a year, my students use technology to interact with dozens of students from all around the world every week. Furthermore, they are discussing real-world challenges like global warming, pollution, and waste disposal. Because the students are not simply learning from a textbook and are collaborating with other students they have never met before, their quality of work and effort levels are very high. They are thinking critically and taking pride in their contributions instead of just racing through an assignment for the sake of completing it.

From a Transmission Perspective, Pratt and Collins (2000) assert “The instructional process is shaped and guided by the content. It is the teacher’s primary responsibility to present the content accurately and efficiently to learners” (Pratt and Collins, 2000, p. 4). I share this belief and look for technologies that help my students understand concepts and processes easier. For example, there are many topics in science that make more sense to students after they have had a chance to manipulate some variables on an online simulation website.

I have always been mesmerized by technology, even as a young student, when we were excited to be using incredibly basic educational software! That feeling of fascination is easily remembered along with my level of engagement with the course content and my peers. After reading the Tondeur et al. (2016) article, I realized my teaching perspectives align most with constructivist beliefs. Tondeur et al. (2016) maintain “teachers with constructivist beliefs have been observed to use technology as an information tool (e.g., to retrieve and select information) and as a means to help students develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills (Tondeur et al., 2016, p. 558). Likewise, Bates (2015) posits that for constructivists, “learning is seen as essentially a social process, requiring communication between learner, teacher and others. This social process cannot effectively be replaced by technology, although technology may facilitate it” (Bates, 2015, p. 59). In my classes, I am always looking to create engaging lessons and technology has helped in this regard; what’s more, it is rewarding to observe students working in small groups as they come up with different technological ways to demonstrate their learning.

References

Bates, T. (2015). Teaching in a digital age. SFU Document Solutions, Simon Fraser University.

Pratt, Daniel D. and Collins, John B. (2000). “The Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI),” Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2000/papers/68

Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2016). Understanding the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(3), 555–575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9481-2