Learning from teachers: Teachers' perspectives of relevant courseware and training provision

Abstract

The development of the use of the microcomputer in classrooms depends on many factors but perhaps the most important of these is the initial acceptance of its educational worth. There are a variety of ways to generate this acceptance including the provision of appropriate teacher education, the promotion of IT-related curricular initiatives, the development of quality materials and the spread of perceived good practice. Evidence from recent research in Northern Ireland schools is presented to highlight successes and weaknesses in current strategies of software design, courseware development and teacher education. The overall aim of the paper is to aid the process of software/courseware development by detailing for the designer the main issues as teachers perceive them.