Developing computer use during a primary post-graduate certificate of education course

Abstract

A group of 42 students was followed through their Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (P.G.C.E.) course and their first year of teaching. They were assessed on their skills and confidence prior to the course, the course they received (constrained by lack of resources including staffing), the way they used computers on two teaching practices. They assessed their own confidence and needs at the end of their course, and their use of computers during their first term of teaching. Initially, only 10% had never used computers but 29% reported no confidence in personal computer use and 60% no confidence in using them as a teacher. There was a marked lack of practical skills. 29% could not load a program, 29% could not use a program that had been loaded and only 12% could connect hardware together. The use of computers varied over both teaching practices but the overwhelming use in both was of wordprocessing packages with the use of databases increasing during the second practice. 37% of respondents did not use computers on the first practice and 26% on the second. 47% reported an increase of confidence after the second practice. During the first term of teaching 87% of respondents used computers more often than on teaching practice. 94% reported that the college course had helped them with 44% mentioning (unsolicited) a gain in confidence. The paper concludes with a discussion of the practicalities of delivering the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (C.A.T.E.) criteria to P.G.C.E. students training to teach in the primary phase.