Blog 1 - MY ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE (ESE)

Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observations of ICT Use

(I) Specific Observations

School Name: Nan Hua High School

Class: 103

Profile of the class: (For e.g., the students’ academic abilities, stream and other characteristics) The male to female ratio of this class is 25:11. Students from this class are all taking Higher Chinese Language. It is about half of them are foreigners (i.e. Malaysians and PRCs). They achieved a 95% passing percentage in their first mathematics common test which took place in term 2.

Subject: Mathematics

What ICT tools are used in the lesson? During one particular lesson on Angles and Parallel Lines, the teacher was supposed to show the steps of constructing angles bisectors to the students. Throughout the entire lesson on this topic, ICT tools such as projector, visualizer, and java applet are used to ensure the students picking up the skills correctly as according to experienced teachers, students always have difficulty in drawing the angle bisector and hence different approaches are used to illustrate the steps clearer to the students.

Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson. Projector is used to emphasize the points which the teacher wanted the student to take note. This is a more efficient way compared to writing the notes on the board by hand. After giving them a brief idea of how useful perpendicular and angle bisectors are and the properties of them, the lesson continued on construction of bisectors. Conventional teaching aid tools (i.e. whiteboard compasses, meter ruler, etc) may be useful in this part of lesson however due to the lack of accuracy, the teacher decided to use visualizer to show the constructions by drawing on a piece of paper step-by-step under the visualizer. This provides a clearer and more accurate diagram as the pivot of geometry compass is sharp as compared to the suction cup of whiteboard compass and therefore able to show the students at which point they should place the pivot exactly. After spending a few minutes for the students to practice on their own, java applets found on web were used to illustrate the key concepts of bisectors construction in a more interactive way. The java applets have a undo-redo function which allowed us to show the same step repeatedly in order to make sure that the students were on the right tract at each step. At the end of the lesson, the website in which they can find the java applet was given to them so that they are able to refer to it whenever necessary. Judging from the homework exercises they handed in, we observed that all the students were able to construct the perpendicular and angle bisectors on their own.

(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.)

By using ICT for teaching, the teachers now have more spare time in classroom as compared to conventional way of conducting lessons. Teachers are now possible to cater to students’ different needs by walking around in the classroom to check students’ progress and if they are facing any difficulties since clicking on the computer can be done remotely. The teachers may then emphasize on the topics that need further clarification. Different approaches to the same topic may now be possible due to the creativity and great potential of ICT. Students now don’t have to go through lengthy lectures by copying notes continuously therefore it is easier for them to maintain their interests as well as attentions throughout the lessons. Lessons can be made more interesting than the old days as usage of ICT promotes interactivity between the teacher and the students. Besides, they are able to pick up necessary skills faster and easier through the use of ICT as it provides clearer illustrations. Furthermore, with the increasingly popularized internet access from home, lesson materials such as lesson notes, extra exercises, lecture video clip can be put onto the internet which allow the student to access anytime anywhere. As a whole, usage of ICT promotes efficiency in conducting lesson and learning process. It also encourages the students to be more interested in the subjects and hence they are urged to explore deeper into the topics by their own learning desire.