Teachers’ Views of Computers as Catalysts for Changes in Their Teaching Practice

It is extremely important that teachers reflect on their teaching methods and respond by implementing new techniques and technology to improve their teaching. The teachers in this article mostly made changes not because of the technology, but rather other factors that influenced their thinking. For many of the teachers, they made changes because their school implemented new curriculum. Their action was changed through the requirement to change. Other teachers in many cases had already been thinking about constructivist teaching and were given the technology for new teaching strategies. Some teachers consciously chose not to become constructivist teachers.

The fact is teachers use self-reflection to make decisions about their teaching methods and make the changes only when they feel it necessary. It is important for teachers to receive the proper training with technology and its use for making these changes. Then there must be thoughtful reasoning to conclude the changes are necessary. The local influences teachers receive are the main catalyst why teachers change their thinking and teaching methods. As more schools implement new curriculum for teaching methods, many more teachers will use technology to help them with constructivist teaching. This will engage students to take part in their own learning, teachers will become facilitators, and the process of learning will become more individualized to the students they teach.