المستخلص: |
This qualitative research examined whether Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can enhance exploratory talk by teachers within a Saudi classroom. It used the idea of scaffolding taken from Vygotsky (1978) in which the teacher uses scaffolded learning to enable the learner to become independent. In this research, a computer’s role of “knowledgeable other” is as rather than a teacher acting as the sole facilitator. The research was undertaken in an intermediate school in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and investigated teacher perceptions of the use of Information and Communication Technology through conducting personal interviews. The research was interpretive and sought to address the tensions arising from the introduction of information and communication technology in classrooms. The findings showed that although teachers supported scaffolding learning, they did not always use computers for this purpose. Computers were used to varying degrees within teacher exposition to support lesson delivery (such as using film clips of a battle in a History lesson), and sometimes to provide quick feedback on lesson content using the interactive whiteboards and “voting buttons”. However, the keys finding were that the use of ICT in schools requires an integrated pedagogical model and proper staff training.
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