What is Four in Balance? - PDST

5 - Expertise5ExpertiseComputers often assume some of a teacher’s instructional duties,but this does not make the teacher superfluous. On the contrary, ateacher who has mastered ICT skills plays a vital role in making ICTdriveneducation more effective. In their own estimation, six out often teachers have now mastered the necessary skills.As is the case in many other occupations, ICT has become inseparablybound up with professionalism in teaching. Although there is only aminimal indication of this in the formal educational requirements orprofessional competences prescribed for the teaching profession in theNetherlands, a growing number of teachers use ICT in the classroomwithout giving it a second thought. Although ICT is set to play anincreasingly important role in education, the teacher will remain veryimportant (Redecker, 2010) and the use of ICT is expected to vary theteacher’s duties and the role that he or she plays (Hoogeveen, 2010).Teachers’ professional expertise depends on:1. their familiarity with the options that ICT can offer (Section 5.1)2. the skill with which they use ICT in their teaching (Section 5.2)5.1 FamiliarityTeachers are constantly making choices when preparing and giving lessons.If they want to make responsible choices, then at the very least they needto know which professional tools they have at their disposal. Increasingly,one of these tools is ICT.The percentage of teachers who believe that they are sufficiently or morethan sufficiently familiar with the various options that ICT can offerthem has increased in the past few years to 66% (Figure 5.1). This seemslike an impressive number, but it also means that a third of teachers feelinadequately informed.49