In recent years, there is an increasing trend in using technology for assessment. TPACK serves as a useful framework to guide teachers to integrate technological affordances with pedagogical approaches for specific subject matter to be taught and assessed. Most technology-enabled assessments typically provide more than one assessment function and thus, they make it easier and quicker for teachers to gauge students’ understanding in their lessons. However, there is a lack of clarity on the role technology plays in assessment and how it adds value to the assessment process. This presentation features the unpacking of TPACK to help teachers design ICT-enabled lessons and reframe the use of technology in assessment.
The school designed a year-long stepwise structured training programme to level up teachers’ competencies in assessment design and how they can leverage technology to support AfL in their lessons. The first stage of the training programme involved the unpacking of the discursive meaning of AfL and teachers were taught strategies to improve, enrich and promote the enjoyment of learning in students. A customised AfL lesson plan template was designed to guide teachers. The teachers then designed within their department level possible AfL lesson packages.
With the increasing use of TPACK to strengthen ICT practices in schools, it is essential to understand the relationship between TPACK, technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and content knowledge (CK). The next stage helps teachers develop connections between TK, PK and CK. The school adopts a simple integrative approach where TPACK is viewed as a simple combination of TK, PK and CK and the interaction of the three fundamental forms of knowledge bring about pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), technological content knowledge (TCK) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK).
The training programme focussed on TCK, TPK and TPACK where teachers were tasked to design lessons infused with ICT in groups and then identify which integrated forms of knowledge their lesson belonged to. With a better understanding on how technology can be infused into their pedagogical approach and content delivery, the teachers were then introduced ICT tools to facilitate AfL in the classroom. At the last stage of the training programme, ICT tools such as Nearpod, Rubistar and Edpuzzle were introduced to support AfL strategies like providing effective feedback and sharing of learning outcomes. In conclusion, the TPACK framework is a generative model with many possible future applications in assessment.
