Developing Teachers Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) Through Design Thinking and Community of Practice

Abstract

Current professional development programs have been ineffective in developing teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPaCK). Development of teachers’ TPaCK is fundamental for 21st-century student-learning. After a series of professional development workshops with the design thinking process, this study examined whether and how the self-selected K-5 teachers in a suburban elementary school in California demonstrated TPaCK in the integration of instructional technologies when they engage in a community of practice (CoP) structured around design thinking. Data was collected by online TPaCK surveys, exit slips after the CoP, audio recordings and field notes from the CoP and focus group interview. This study examined evidence of growth in teachers’ TPaCK and the teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of the process and outcomes of going through the design thinking method and a CoP.