Sunday December 19, 2004

The teacher-technology divide

By SIMRIT KAUR

Many teachers still seem clueless about integrating ICT into their lessons. SIMRIT KAUR reports about Microsoft’s initiative to nurture innovative teachers through a groundbreaking conference in Singapore.

WHAT if a teacher from the early 20th century were to travel forward in time to our century? Would she be able to function? Would a 21st century classroom still be recognisable?

Depressingly the answer is probably yes – in the majority of Malaysian schools at least. The tools of the trade, the blackboard and chalk, are still widely in use. The classroom arrangement would be familiar. And “chalk and talk” still seems to be the method of choice.

Partners in Learning is aimed at intergrating ICT skills into the curricula. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates signed an agreement worth RM10mil with the Malaysian government in June this year.- AFP pic

Ten years after the digital revolution, our classrooms remain largely unchanged. The teaching learning process is still didactic. Even with the much vaunted multimedia courseware, it seems to be a case of same method, different medium.

In Malaysia, there doesn’t seem to be widespread integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into everyday lessons despite the Smart School and English for the Teaching of Science and Mathematics (EteMS) projects.

To transform education, innovative teachers are needed. To support such teachers, Microsoft under its Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative invited over 120 teachers to the 1st Innovative Regional Teachers’ Conference in Singapore last week.

The teachers came from China, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia. During the three-day conference, they shared ideas and heard from experts in the field.

It was organised by Microsoft Asia Pacific in partnership with the National Institute of Education and the United Nations Educational, Scientific Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Asia and Pacific Education Bureau.

PiL is an ambitious US$250mil (RM950mil) worldwide programme in which Microsoft is partnering with governments and key stakeholders to offer a spectrum of education resources – tools, programmes, and practices – to empower students and teachers to realise the full potential of ICT.

Varying rates of progress

Reeti: Only 8 computers to serve over 3,000 students.

Developing countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia are still struggling to incorporate ICT on a mass scale while countries like South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore are in a league of their own. What is clear is that great disparities exist within and between nations.

Director of Unesco’s Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau Dr Sheldon Shaeffer says that budgetary constraints have limited ICT use in less developed countries. “The priority has been to increase access to education particularly at the secondary level.”

Several participants at the conference spoke about the difficult conditions in which they work. Indian teacher Reeti Tamta explains that her school in the state of Uttaranchal has 3,500 students and only 47 teachers.

“Each class has over 100 students. It’s a real challenge to teach them but I know that students participate more when I use ICT.”

In the Philippines, Cromwell Valeriano says there is no Internet in his school. “Only three of my students have Internet at home but I tell my students not to be limited by this as they can still go to Internet cafes where the rental is cheap.”

Dr Shaeffer: Computer literacy is not enaough.

Valeriano is piloting virtual instead of written modules for Science. “If a student or teacher is absent from class, they don’t lose out as they can just go to the Internet and access the information,’’ he notes.

Australia is way ahead pedagogically and technology-wise. Christine Bellchambers is her school’s librarian and also doubles as the ICT teacher. She teaches Multimedia for a period every fortnight to Year 7 students.

The Multimedia subject is linked to another subject and Bellchambers assists the subject teacher to integrate ICT into her lessons. Every year, a different subject is selected. In 2002 it was Mathematics, 2003 Languages and this year English.

“In 2006, New South Wales will introduce a compulsory state-wide exam in computing skills to test students competency,’’ she explains.

“In my school there is a computer in every class. In addition there are adequate computer labs with one PC per student. 95% of my students have computers and Internet at home.”

Prof Leo Tan, head of the National Institute of Education says that Singapore has spent S$5bil to wire all schools, for software development and to provide for a ratio of 1:5 computers to students respectively.

The future of learning

Bellchemabers:New South Wales will introduce a computing skills exam.

Conference presenters pointed out that it’s not about the technology – effective ICT use in the classroom requires a change of mindset and for teachers to be innovative.

How do you measure innovation? Dr Shaeffer says that in an international study conducted in 28 countries, four key criteria need to be met – there must be significant change in teacher and student roles; technology has to take on a central role; student outcomes must be measurable; and these outcomes must be sustained and transferable.

What do innovative teachers need to make this change? Dr Shaeffer adds that support from the government is crucial in terms of teachers’ professional development in ICT skills and knowledge.

“Being computer literate is not enough. There is a false assumption that these teachers can go back to school and use ICT. The real challenge is to train teachers on how to integrate ICT into the teaching and learning process,” he opines.

Australian consultant Bruce Dixon, who advocates a “one child, one laptop” policy, says that with technology, learning is not dependent on time and place. However, he says there needs to be clearer data on the positive effects of technology.

“Although there is no doubt that ICT can transform the educational experience of kids, sometimes empirical evidence is lacking. If these statistics are not forthcoming, there might be a backlash about the cost involved.”

Microsoft Asia Pacific managing director (Public Sector) Peter Moore says the technology giant’s long-term vision is to see connected learning. “We want kids to be learning all the time. Technology allows students to connect learning at home with school. Learning can be fun and interesting. Now many students associate technology with computer games only.”

Microsoft is collaborating with Singapore on a research and development project on the “Classroom of the future.” It is also studying how the use of Tablet PCs can transform the learning process.

Managing the curriculum

A point that was made clear during the conference is that in the 21st century, learning must be assessed differently. But how can you be innovative with a content-or knowledge-based curriculum?

Prof Tan shares that Singapore hasreduced its curriculum by as much as 30%.

“This is included in Singapore’s master plan for technology in education where curriculum content has been reduced by 30% to achieve the curricular goals using ICT.”

The focus, presenters agreed, should not be on breadth but the depth of the curriculum. With knowledge doubling every year, the most important characteristic is for students to become lifelong learners, says Prof Tan.

“A teacher’s job is not to present a static body of knowledge but to create a healthy learning environment where learning can occur anywhere.”

He adds that it is important for teachers to model the behaviour of lifelong learning. “Teachers need to learn from students too and both should take turns to capitalise on each other’s strengths.

“For example if teachers can delegate the technical competencies to students, they can concentrate on the pedagogical aspects of learning.”

What about exams? Dixon pointed out that there needs to be a paradigm shift on how certain subjects are evaluated. “We need to ask ourselves whether complex computational tools should be allowed in Mathematics.”

Secretary of the Department of Education in Tasmania, Australia, Dr Martyn Forrest, says that despite spending 5% of its budget on ICT, only 10% of teachers were effectively integrating it in their lessons.

“The curriculum and ICT must be brought together. Now the curriculum has nothing to do with ICT.”

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