Student Teachers, Mentors and Information Technology

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the findings of the pilot phase of a research project investigating the ways in which an initial teacher education programme affects the development of student teachers’ understanding of the role of information technology (IT) in the history classroom. It outlines the context of the research, the internship model of initial teacher education developed at Oxford and then goes on to examine, briefly, the relevant ideas and principles of the internship scheme. This section is followed by a description of the rationale for the research, the research questions and the methodology employed. The final part of the paper discusses the results of the pilot study which examines the ways in which beginning teachers’ understanding of the role of IT in the history classroom is affected by their experiences in internship. It also discusses the more general issues raised in relation to the development of student teachers’ IT competencies, by the development of school‐focused initial teach...