Continuous Competence Development Model for Teacher Teams: The IT-Pedagogical Think Tank for Teacher Teams (ITP4T) in Global Classroom

This paper presents the development of the IT-Pedagogical Think Tank for Teacher Teams (ITP4T), a continuous competence development model. The model was co-designed following a design-based research approach with teachers from VUC Storstrøm’s (VUC) Global Classroom (GC), an innovative hybrid synchronous videoconference concept (Weitze & Ørngreen 2014). The ITP4T model responds to the needs and challenges that the teachers and the organization in VUC’s GC are experiencing in the new technological teaching environment. Ultimately, it aims to create a new practise for teachers, enabling them to create their own continuous competence development. This article describes how and why the different components of the model were developed in response to the teachers’ challenges. Such challenges included lack of time, competence and support from the educational organisation to innovate learning design to correspond to the new technological learning environment. Using this model at a weekly two-hour meeting, we focused on creating motivating and engaging learning designs for the students, while gathering qualitative data in the process. This research found that it is possible to establish an agile ongoing practice enabling the teacher team to reflect, innovate and create. The model also provided teachers with thinking and acting technologies enabling change and the opportunity to anchor knowledge and locate new solutions for the frequent IT-pedagogical issues on a theoretical and practical level; this process empowered, engaged and motivated their daily working life.