Dealing with increased complexity. Teachers’ reflections on the use of tablets in school

Abstract

This article focuses on the emerging complexity that schools and teachers are currently addressing – a complexity that comprises one of the key characteristics of society today. The article explores how teachers in primary school experience the opportunities and challenges posed by the use of tablets in terms of implementation, learning activities and classroom management. In group interviews teachers at two Norwegian primary schools thematise these issues. We argue that there is a need to elucidate the subjective interpretations of technology if we are to understand how teachers integrate tablets in teaching. The article highlights how and why we have to develop a wider understanding of the new complexity, which can make situations in the classroom unpredictable and problematic. Although the teachers seldom consider complexity as a subject worthy of attention, it is possible to see it more indirectly in how new methods and activities are presented, but also as part of how they underline the indisputable need for well-defined classroom management. The article concludes by calling for more knowledge about teachers’ reflections on how to facilitate learning processes in the interplay between subject content, learning goals and activities, and organizational frameworks.