A perspective on ICT Portuguese teacher’s lifelong training

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study conducted on an interactive whiteboards lifelong training program. A questionnaire evaluating ICT literacy, as well as the level of satisfaction of teachers regarding the type of training program they had attended was driven at the end of the training program. After nine months of its implementation, twenty Mathematics teachers were contacted again to conduct another survey on the applicability of the training program they had attended in order to know/understand the possible changes in their teaching practices. The goal of the study was to investigate the influence of ICT training in changing the teachers' practices in primary and secondary education, analyzing the effectiveness of the program in the integration of technologies as learning tools in the classroom. This study aims at an improvement of the practices adopted by trainers and the search for effective training models implemented in the lifelong education of teachers. We conclude that most teachers without specific training according TPACK's model only used interactive whiteboard as supported didactic, replicating the more traditional education. As main reasons reported for not using ICT in the classroom relate to inadequate training in the use of technology, lack of technical knowledge and lack of time to plan activities which integrate ICT. Teachers pointed very high theoretical component and after-work schedule as the most significant disadvantages for lifelong training. After this experience, teachers reported as useful or very useful the training, an increase in their self-esteem to use educational technologies and it was reported a small increase in the number of teachers who always use ICT in the classroom.