Summary of a Journal Related to TPACK #9

Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) in Action:

A Descriptive Study of Secondary Teachers’ Curriculum-Based, Technology-Related Instructional Planning

Judith B. Harris and Mark J. Hofer College of William & Mary

2011

This study studied about how teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) informs their instructional planning, and how can the knowledge be enhanced. In an interpretative study of experienced secondary social studies teachers’ planning, the writer sought to discover clues to the nature and development of these teachers’ TPACK-in-action as it was expressed in their planning processes. Comparisons of interview data and planning products before and after engaging in professional development that addressed content-focused, TPACK based learning activity types revealed three primary findings, each supported by participating teachers’ oral and written reflections upon their learning. The participating teachers’(a) selection and use of learning activities and technologies became more conscious, strategic, and varied; (b) instructional planning became more student-centered, focusing primarily upon students’ intellectual, rather than affective, engagement; and (c) quality standards for technology integration were raised, resulting in deliberate decisions for more judicious educational technology use.