• Education sector professionals note the need to bring teachers up-to-date to teach ICT

An inevitable gap related to information and communication technology (ICT) advancements has gradually been created between students and teachers. While the student population is largely made up of Generation Z (born between 1998 and 2010) and Generation Alpha (born between 2011 and 2024), who grew up using new technology, the present teacher population is mainly made up of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and Generation Y (born between 1981 and 1997), who grew up with extremely limited to no use of technology.

According to IT and education experts, this gap needs to be filled in order to ensure the progressive growth of Sri Lanka’s education sector, both in terms of the teachers’ ability to effectively teach students who grew up with technology, and the overall and timely evolution of the sector. Speaking at an online discussion titled “How can technology help teachers sustain school education?” and organised by HCLTech Sri Lanka, findmydegree.lk founder Tharaka Dissanayake and St. Benedict’s College ICT Teacher Prasanna Silva further said that those are necessary changes that have to be made sooner or later.

Generational gap and tech knowledge

According to Silva, the above-mentioned knowledge gap has a direct impact on the quality of education that teachers could provide, and on the extent to which students find what they are taught interesting, which in turn has an impact on students’ education. 

He explained the generational gap between the two parties, saying: “We (teachers) are facing difficulties in understanding our students who belong to Generation Z and Generation Alpha. We were not born into technology; instead, we just adopted it. There was a time where we did not have social media and other internet related distractions, but the kids we teach in our classrooms are born into them. They have not known a time without the internet, the mobile phone, or social media platforms. So, this poses a threat of being irrelevant, and kids tend to question the traditional methods of teaching and learning”. 

“We are easily distracted, and social media and other attention-stealing ventures are constantly distracting,” he said, explaining that research has found that the human attention span has markedly decreased in just 15 years, from an average attention span measured in 2000 being 12 seconds to the average attention span measured in 2015 being 8.25 seconds. In this context, Silva noted that even though technological advancements make things convenient, it could cause distractions as well.

Dissanayake, meanwhile, explained the reasons as to why adopting more technology in education is essential. According to him, while the main objective is to prevent distance-related challenges from affecting education, making education available to everyone is also a primary goal. In addition, using technology in education is also beneficial to continue educational activities during difficult times such as social and economic crises, when school education gets disrupted. 

Adding that delivering content in an interesting way is another goal, he said that one of the hardest parts of providing education to the new generation, who are familiar with technology, is keeping their attention on the lesson, with which technology can help. 

He observed: “Previously, only the privileged would get to go to schools and education had a price tag; but now, Sri Lanka has universal education. However, when it comes to higher education, there are a limited number of seats, and therefore, not everyone gets a chance to enter into university and study. But with technology, educational content is now available everywhere be it on YouTube or even Facebook. You can get the required knowledge for free if you have an internet connection”. 

He further said that technology could help improve the provision of education through making that process interactive and attractive, rather than relying on traditional printed material which do not have those same qualities. Even though there are teachers and schools that use more modern technology to teach, Dissanayake said, overall, this practice is not widespread. 

Introducing technology to schools 

The two experts spoke extensively about how Sri Lanka could adopt more technology in education and what the country’s priorities in this process should be. 

Silva explained that the first step should be bridging the aforesaid generational gap, which is based on knowledge on technology, through empowering teachers via trainings that involve smart classroom concepts and the use of multimedia. 

Adding that Sri Lanka has to opt for a hybrid teaching method, which involves not just traditional methods of education but also technology-based teaching and learning methods. He further said that adopting learning management systems and electronic learning platforms would be beneficial. One of the advantages of using modern technology in education is that it increases student engagement, as students have easy access to learning materials even when they are at home. 

He added that when it comes to increasing the attention span of the students, inculcating the practice of reading through modern and innovative applications, being able to actively listen and respond to students through them, and adopting other kinds of software intended for education are beneficial. 

To support teachers to grow accustomed to these processes, Silva proposed to make it mandatory for teachers to participate in a training on IT and to gain IT literacy in order for them to be able to use digital devices and technology that are necessary in education to fulfil the basic requirements when teaching students who are familiar with technology. 

He further noted that the gap between teachers and technology is not just a matter of age, but a willingness to study. According to him, there is, however, a lack of motivation among teachers to learn new things once they pass a certain age, and that it could be a challenge.  

Using modern technology in education, Silva said, could also help teachers, as it reduces the need for paperwork: “We spend time on very redundant documentation work. If you can automate these processes and have them made available through systems that are available and accessible within and out of the school, it would make lives a lot easier. A nationwide school management system can help share teaching materials in a more effective manner.”

Meanwhile, agreeing with Silva on improving teachers’ IT knowledge, Dissanayake proposed to introduce a certificate course in IT for teachers. In addition, he explained the importance of Sri Lanka looking into the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge model, a framework that describes different types of knowledge required by teachers to effectively integrate technology into teaching. The framework involves combinations of technological knowledge, technological content knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical knowledge. 

“Pedagogical knowledge refers to the knowhow of teaching, while content knowledge is the knowledge of the subject that the teachers teach. Previously, if teachers had just the pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge, that was enough because there was no technology during that time. But now, we have technology, and therefore, we can intersect pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge with technological knowledge. I think that students would benefit a lot from it”. 

In addition, describing Blooms’ Digital Taxonomy, which aims to inform instructors on how to use technology and digital tools to facilitate students’ learning experiences and outcomes, he said that the different aspects of it, i.e. remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating, could all be done with today's technological advancements, and that that too is an advantage. 

With regard to what steps Sri Lanka could take, Dissanayake added: “The first thing that we should do to sustain school education in Sri Lanka is properly cover the whole island with proper connectivity. Next, we should improve facilities in schools through providing smart boards and smart devices in order to sustain school education through technology. As was said, we also need to improve IT literacy among teachers. 

“If we could provide all these connectivity facilities and other necessary facilities, I think that teachers would be in a place where they can conduct dedicated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. The highest demand out there is for these technologies, even in Sri Lanka. The provision of facilities would enable teachers to conduct such lessons and the engagement of students will improve. In addition, one problem in Sri Lankan schools at the moment is less attendance and the students’ tendency to attend private tuition rather than going to school. That is because they feel that it is boring to go to school to learn only from textbooks”.

According to Dissanayake, there are also potential risks in modern technology in education regarding which education teachers have to be cautious. 

“As we use technology for teaching, teachers get another responsibility. They need to make sure that these students are not being subjected to cyberbullying. There are also privacy concerns, for which teachers should use tools to protect students’ privacy. The most important concern is health. 

“In a context where students are always in front of a screen and use phones for all their tasks, if we conduct lectures all the time and force them to keep looking at a screen all the time, it is not going to do any good, and instead it will be harmful for the students’ health. Therefore, teachers need to be mindful of this”. 

In order to take that responsibility, he said that it is important that teachers have good technological knowledge.