UNESCO
ICT COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
FOR TEACHERS
UNESCO’s Framework emphasizes
that it is not enough for teachers
to have ICT competencies and be
able to teach them to their
students.
ASPECTS OF WORK
ASPECTS OF WORK
UNDERSTANDING ICT
ORGANIZATION AND
IN EDUCATION
PEDAGOGY ADMINISTRATION
encourages teachers to be
encourages teachers to creating an environment to
aware of how ICT might be
facilitate collaborative
aligned to national education acquire ICT skills to support
learning, turning the school
priorities as expressed effective teaching and
within the policy into a learning organization,
learning methods.
environment.
CURRICULUM AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL
ASSESSMENT LEARNING
APPLICATION OF DIGITAL
explores how ICT might SKILLS suggest ways that ICT can
support the specific empower teachers to embark
objectives as identified in Application of knowledge
on lifelong professional
the curriculum, and play a about Technology
development.
role in supporting
assessment.
The use of new technologies in education implies new teacher roles, new pedagogies and
new approaches to teacher education6. The successful integration of ICT into the
classroom will depend on the ability of teachers to structure the learning environment in
new ways, to merge new technology with a new pedagogy, to develop socially active
classrooms, encouraging co-operative interaction, collaborative learning and group work.
This requires a diff erent set of classroom management skills. The teaching skills of the
future will include the ability to develop innovative ways of using technology to enhance
the learning environment, and to encourage technology literacy, knowledge deepening and
knowledge creation. Teacher professional learning will be a crucial component of this
educational improvement. However, professional learning has an impact only if it is
focused on specifi c changes in teaching. The Framework therefore specifi es the
competencies which teachers need in all aspects of their work.
3 APPROACHES
KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE KNOWLEDGE
ACQUISITION DEEPENING DEEPENING
incorporating technology Applying knowledge to solve innovate, produce knowledge
skills into the school complex, real-world problems and benefit from this new
curriculum knowledge
KNOWLEDGE
ACQUISITION
Goal: to enable learners, citizens and the workforce to use ICT to support social KNOWLEDGE
ACQUISITION
development and improve economic productivity.
Teachers should be aware of these goals and be able to identify the components of
education reform programmes that correspond to these policy goals.
corresponding changes in the curriculum might include improving basic literacy skills
through technology and adding the development of ICT skills into relevant curriculum
contexts.
Changes in pedagogical practice involve the use of various ICT tools and digital
content
Changes in teacher practice involve knowing where and when (as well as when not) to
use technology for classroom activities and presentations, for management tasks,
and for acquisition of additional subject matter and pedagogical knowledge in
support of the teachers’ own professional learning.
EXAMPLES
A mother-tongue teacher understands the basic principles of using ICT in teaching, so he/she
considers how to make the best use of an interactive whiteboard recently installed in his/her
classroom.
The teacher realizes that using word processing on the interactive whiteboard would offer a new
approach to one of the basic skills in the curriculum - how to improve the wording of sentences.
Using the word processing application, the teacher displays on the interactive whiteboard
some examples of poor writing.
the teacher uses a word processing application on the interactive whiteboard while
conducting a discussion with the class.
For the second lesson, the teacher uses the school’s trolley of laptop computers so
that each student is able to carry out word processing on their own.
A mother-tongue teacher understands the basic principles of using ICT in teaching, so he/she7
considers how to make the best use of an interactive whiteboard recently installed in his/her
classroom.
KNOWLEDGE DEEPENING
to increase the ability of students, citizens, and the workforce to add value to society and to the
economy by applying the knowledge gained in school subjects KNOWLEDGE
ACQUISITION
teachers should understand policy goals and social priorities and be able to identify, design and
use specific classroom activities that address these goals and priorities
requires changes in the curriculum that emphasize depth of understanding over coverage of
content and assessments that emphasize the application of understanding to real-world
problems
Assessment focuses on complex problem-solving and incorporating assessments into learning
activities.
pedagogy associated collaborative problem- and project-based learning.
teachers will employ open-ended ICT tools that are specific to their subject area
manage information, structure problem tasks, and integrate open-ended software tools and
subject-specifi c applications with student-centred teaching methods and collaborative projects
in support of students’ in-depth understanding of key concepts
teachers should use networked and web-based resources to help students collaborate, access
information, and communicate with external experts to analyze and solve their selected
problems
EXAMPLES
A PE teacher thinks he can use ICT to catch his students' attention during discussion, so he
writes a letter to the school admin, explaining in details how the ICT would improve the PE
lessons and help students learn.
The PE teacher uses the ICT to focus on issues of health which he had not been able to make
vivid and engaging before.
He then organizes the students into collaborative groups so they can devise their own fi tness
assessments, such as seeing how quickly their heart rates return to normal after exercise. They analyze
their assessment and come up with recommendations.
The PE teacher uses loptop and projector so everyone can see the displayed video clips of their
lessons.
The teacher uses his laptop to monitor the students’ entries on their collaborative
spreadsheet.
The teacher regularly visits an Internet discussion forum hosted by the professional association
for PE teachers. The forum is a useful source of new ideas on how to get students more
interested in PE and exercise.
KNOWLEDGE CREATION
to increase productivity by creating students, citizens, and a workforce that is
continually engaged in, and benefi ts from, knowledge creation, innovation and life- KNOWLEDGE
ACQUISITION
long learning.
Teachers should not only be able to design classroom activities that advance these
policy goals but also participate in the development of programmes within their
school that advance these goals.
the curriculum goes beyond a focus on knowledge of school subjects to explicitly
include the knowledge society skills that are needed to create new knowledge.
These are skills such as problem solving, communication, collaboration,
experimentation, critical thinking and creative expression.
students to be able to create their own learning goals and plans—to establish what
they already know, assess their strengths and weaknesses, design a learning plan,
stay on-task, track their own progress, build on successes and adjust to failures.
The role for teachers is to overtly model these processes, structure situations in
which students apply these skills, and assist students in their skill acquisition.
Teachers build a learning community in the classroom in which students are
continuously engaged in developing their own and each others’ learning skills.
teachers play a leading role with colleagues in creating and implementing a vision
of their school as a community-based on innovation and continuous learning,
enriched by ICT.
EXAMPLES
A geography teacher takes a leading role in organizing an ICT-based project for students in collaboration with the history
teacher and the math teacher. The project is about the recent arrival in the local community of numerous immigrants from a
nearby country which is experiencing political and economic turmoil. this project involves investigating.
The project addresses parts of the curriculum in three subjects: in geography, history and math.
The teachers act as monitors and coaches to the students, ensuring the students have the skills
and knowledge they need, advising them of methods they could use, ensuring the students
stay focused on their tasks and meet the deadlines they have agreed.
The students use internet, spreadsheet, graphic applications, digital cameras, word processing
and presentation software
The teacher creates environments on the school’s learning management system which allow students to store,
share and develop their work collaboratively. This includes areas for shared fi les, wikis and a discussion forum.
The geography teacher regularly shows other teachers how the project uses ICT to enable students to generate
knowledge while studying their school subjects. She also explains to colleagues how the project, and her own role in it,
has developed and improved.
