Blog Entry 1

ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE:

PREPARATORY TASK FOR ICT FOR MEANINGFUL LEARNING

Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observations of ICT Use

(I) Specific Observations

School Name: Victoria School

Class: Secondary 4C

Profile of the class:

(For e.g., the students’ academic abilities,  stream and other characteristics)

This class is a Secondary 4 class in the Express stream. It is considered one of the top classes in the level in terms of the students’ academic abilities. According to their teacher, the class (as well as the level) is quite competent in their composition writing skills but is still struggling with their comprehension skills, especially the skill needed to identify and relate context to their choice of vocabulary words in the vocabulary component of their Comprehension examination.

The class is also described (and observed) to be quite a hyperactive class. The students’ attention spans appear to be shorter as compared to some of the other Secondary 4 classes and the students seem to enjoy classroom interaction (and talking) a lot.

Subject: English Language

What ICT tools are used in the lesson?

The teacher made use of Microsoft Word but in a slightly different method. Instead of simply showing a word document, she made use of the Thesaurus function in MS Word in order to demonstrate how words may contain similar meanings but cannot always be used interchangeably.

Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson.

The teacher created several sentences and used the thesaurus function show the list of possible synonyms that could replace a particular word in the sentence. The teacher then systematically went through each proposed synonym and discussed with the class why the word was or was not an appropriate replacement.

As a teaching tool, ICT was not used in a very complex manner. However, the teacher sought to use ICT as a very visual method of demonstrating how context is important when completing the vocabulary section of the students’ comprehension examination.

As a learning tool, students are visually shown how tools such as computer thesaurus programmes may not always be reliable and may actually provide them with inaccurate information because it is incapable of “thinking” and taking into account the context of the sentence. Furthermore, after repeating the exercise about ten times, the importance of context is both visually and aurally reinforced to the students in order to ensure that they realize and understand the importance of taking into account context when choosing the appropriate synonym.

(II)                   General Observation:

How do teachers in the school feel about the use of ICT for teaching and learning? (For this question, you may want to speak to the HOD/ICT and other teachers you know in the school.)

As a whole, the teachers appear to use ICT as extensively as possible. It is a common sight to see teachers carrying laptops and using powerpoint slides and videos in their classes. About 90% of teachers whom classes I observed used powerpoint slides to teach. In some, teachers actually used music videos as a way to capture their students’ imaginations and to stimulate critical thinking beyond the syllabus. Furthermore, the school appears to be well-equipped as visualisers were installed in every classroom just last year.

According to some teachers, using ICT is an ideal way of making their teaching subjects relevant and interesting for the students. However, many also expressed their difficulties in researching for appropriate and relevant videos due to their limited time and busy schedules. As such, despite their desires to use ICT as often as possible, some teachers admit that they often do not use ICT simply because they lack the time to find appropriate resources.

However, based on my personal observation, the school demonstrates an intense interest in continually developing the use of ICT in the school. I was fortunate enough to attend a combined school course on the use of ICT in schools that was organized by Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and held in Saint Hilda’s Primary School. Here, I was exposed to various possible forms of ICT that Victoria School was interested in implementing. For example, one of the sessions was on how iPads could be used to teach English Language, a method of ICT that Victoria School was interested in implementing next year. However, the school that demonstrated how they used the iPad to teach English Language simply used the iPad as an alternative to mahjong paper, a technique which Victoria School felt did not really enhance the teaching of English Language. While the course did not provide Victoria School with a new, definitive method of teaching English Language, the course did reveal that Victoria School was on the lookout for innovative technological means to make English Language relevant and interesting for students. Thus, it reflects how the school demonstrates a progressive attitude towards the use of ICT in the school as it is constantly looking for newer and more relevant forms of technology which the students can identify with in order to aid the teaching of subjects.