TPACK model to support competence development part 2
I think the greatest insight of the TPACK model is that none of the knowledge domains alone will make you better. No matter how much of a technical guru you are, your knowledge is in many ways wasted without content and pedagogical knowledge. So a functional stool requires all three legs to be sturdy. In addition, the model places a strong emphasis on the context of competence. Certain skills have a completely different weight when the context changes. If you are not familiar with TPACK, I recommend you read the first part of this blog series “Diversity is an advantage for the whole organisation”. In it I go through the idea and basic concepts of the model.
Author Simon Sinekin The central point of the Golden Circle theory is to ask the why-question. Why do we do what we do? Why are skills being developed in an organisation? Why should knowledge be diversified and focus on finding knowledge areas that fit the TPACK model? According to Sinek’s theory, knowledge development and change in general often starts with the “what” question. What do we do? But then the motivation for change can remain superficial. You develop competences because you have to, rather than stopping to think about why you are doing it at the level of the whole organisation. I can see that this would be particularly important when embarking on the development of an organisation’s digital environments. These are often associated with a fear of change and doubts about one’s own ability to adapt and adopt new skills. In my experience, digital transformation is also often perceived as a waste of time and money. At least in the world of education.
During my career I have worked on skills development in educational institutions and I am currently working on the same theme in a government agency. Unfortunately, in many organisations there have been many shortcomings in staff development. And I’m talking here specifically about digital skills development, the kind of digital literacy. Based on my own experience, here are the most common reasons, in completely random order:
- The organisation’s management does not see the need to invest in staff skills.
- No money – or unwilling/unable to prioritise it for skills development.
- The management of the organisation has no idea about the skills of the staff and the areas for development. Potential investments are misdirected.
- The need for change cannot be justified and staff are therefore not motivated to develop, which would lead to additional work.
- Whatever the field, professionals generally want to develop skills that support their core work and passion. If this is not the case, the motivation to spend time on some peripheral knowledge is often low.
Practical examples
Let’s take some practical examples of how to develop staff skills The TPACK model ideas. Since I am an educator and I am told that a good educator can be identified by the ability to ask good questions, I will also put the examples in question form.
- Does your organisation genuinely offer the opportunity to develop skills in a broad range of ways, using different learning methods and independent of time and place?
- What opportunities do you have for e-learning, sharing knowledge internally through the learning environment and, for example, watching training recordings afterwards?
- Have you considered introducing competence labels?
- How does your organisation monitor skills development?
- Have you mapped and analysed the skills of your staff in terms of training and recruitment?
- What are your digital skills priorities for the coming year?
- Are staff encouraged to train and is their proactivity really reflected in their pay and career opportunities?
Now that you have answered the questions either yes, no or you don’t know the answer, ask the important question. why-question: Why have you or have you not considered and implemented the introduction of competency labels in your organisation? Why have you decided to focus on specific digital skills priorities in the coming year? Why do you want to develop these and how do they serve your business for the future?
Lots of questions. I will try to answer them, at least in part, in the next, final part of the TPACK series. The point of this text is to encourage you to ask the why questions as you consider the development of digital, and indeed non-digital, skills in your organisation.
Author’s introduction:
Simo Marttinen, a former classroom teacher, current civil servant and a fairly long-standing digital educator. Lives in Jyväskylä, enjoys cooking and knows and thinks he knows about many things.
