The essence of teacher learning and professional development in the era of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) across the subject curriculum

The application of ICT in teaching and learning is rapidly shifting from experimentations to full-scale implementations of ICT across the curriculum. Success of integrating ICT into the teachers' personal practices is a crucial factor affecting teaching effectiveness. Because teachers have different pathways to successful integration, there is a need for an ICT development framework that incorporates these pathways for teacher professional development. This paper proposes such a framework, which addresses professional development through interactions with people inside and outside the classroom. The research addressed four aspects of the proposed framework: the existence of tripartite relationships represented by the paths described in it, its feasibility, the effectiveness of its collaborative component' and ways of using it to build connections between learning communities. The feasibility of the framework was evaluated by a case study using portable computers for developing mental calculation skills of 30 Year 4 primary school children in England. The results indicated that the framework is feasible and highly effective in terms of value-added pupil measures and conceptual change in teaching approaches. The implication of the results is that ICT development work should not be restricted to the ICT-related pedagogical practice of a local classroom and, as such, function as a 'closed' system. Instead, teachers have to be 'open' to listen to innovative ideas and to share their own experience with an external supporter and others in the network. The framework manifests the pathways of training and professional development for teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary education.