Teachers, pedagogy and professional development - Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide - page 98

Table 5.1 model of technology-learner interaction (adapted from Webb 2010: 93)

Instructional paradigm Theoretical base - Skinnerian/behaviourist theory

Learning - drill and practice

Revelatory paradigm Theoretical base - Bruner/spiral curriculum

Learning - discovery/experiential: simulation, problem-solving

Conjectural paradigm Theoretical base - Piaget, Papert/constructivist

Learning - learner has control and computer used as tool (word
processing, data handling)

Emancipatory paradigm Theoretical base - efficiency, to reduce workload

Learning - occurs in tandem with one of the other three

understanding of phenomena. The phenomena in question are complex, because they
include teachers' pedagogy - that is, their classroom practice which, in turn, includes
teachers' pedagogical reasoning processes (planning, teaching, assessing and evalua-
tion and the knowledge needed for these processes) and the affordances that various
types of technology may provide for learning. However, Webb (2010) argues, recent
developments in cognition, meta-cognition and the way knowledge is co-constructed
in learning communities makes conceptions of pedagogy that more complex, as do
advancements in technology, which give rise to new affordances for learning.
Models of 'technology use' concern first, the 'technology-learner' interface, fol-
lowed by wider interactions including with the teacher and then quantitative meas-
urements of technology use. Among the early models to characterize learning with
technology were those that focused on the learning relationship between computer
and user. Initial models examined how technology could support the learning proc-
ess. Influential to this day is Kemmis et al.'s (1977) four paradigms for computer-
assisted learning outlined in Table 5.1.
However, while characterizing the role of technology in the learning process,
such early models ignored other salient features, most notably wider interactions in
the learning environment. By drawing attention to these, Webb (2010) highlights the
next set of models that do take account of the interactions between learners, teacher
and the technology (or designer, as embodied in the software). In particular, it is
Laurillard's (1993) 'conversational framework' that can be used to illuminate the
learning process with respect to these wider interactions. Thanks to the influential
work of Laurillard in this field, it is worth explaining the key ideas of this model in
detail.
The conversational model focuses on the learner-teacher interaction and proc-
ess of negotiation of the learner's views of the subject matter, which occur in light of
the teacher's representation of the subject matter and how the learner modifies their
views. The teacher and learner are engaged in a conversation exchanging their repre-
sentations of the subject matter, which involves the process of reflection (discussing
what you are doing) and adaptation (modification of what you are doing in light of the
discussion) (Atherton 2011). Atherton argues that the critical feature of the conversa-
tional model is the way Laurillard (1993) uses it to evaluate technologically supported
learning. When it comes to technology, specifically multimedia software, Laudrillard