SHIFT7 of the National Education Blueprint (NEP) 2013-2025 aspires to “leverage ICT to scale up quality learning across Malaysia”.
In line with this aspiration, the Education Ministry is stepping up its effort to integrate technology into daily classroom teaching and learning in schools.
Exciting and challenging times are ahead for all immediate stakeholders of our school system. School leaders and administrators, teachers, students, parents and the community have their roles to play to ensure the success of this information communication technology initiative.
A Technology Implementation Matrix has been mapped out, with one axis depicting “Characteristics of the Learning Environment” and another, “Level of Technology Integration into the Curriculum”. Five levels of Technology Integration, Tables of Descriptors (roles and responsibilities) for teachers and students, as well as instructional settings are formulated with each table containing 25 cells. This means that teachers and students know clearly what they need to achieve in specific learning settings to reach the anticipated level of technology integration.
All these are well and good. But of practicality and immediate concern are the prevailing learning environment and the availability of technology hardware and software in most of our schools. There are some misconceptions, shortcomings and unbelief that lead to resistance. These have to be addressed and removed before a firm foundation can be laid for a full-fledged launch of technology integration into our classroom teaching and learning.
FIRST, that setting up technology teaching aids is tedious, troublesome and time-consuming is a mindset that needs changing. The principal of a secondary school I know admitted that he needed to steer almost 80 per cent of his teachers to get on the Technology in Education (TIE) vehicle.
A multimedia approach to teaching generates greater interest and enthusiasm in learners. Besides, properly executed, it makes a difficult lesson easier to understand. The approach also encourages active participation by learners, thereby eliminating classroom boredom and extending learners’ attention span.
It is these benefits that make whatever additional preparatory work worthwhile and satisfying. Moreover, with practice, patience and experience, setting up a multimedia lesson presentation will soon become more of a routine and even enjoyable. All “traditional” teachers must transform their mindsets.
As they say, “The message can be the same; the method has to be changed”.
SECOND, that all these technological innovations are not helping students score in their exams, which are the most important and “valued” school pursuit. Teachers are saying that as it is, they are already very hard-pressed for time to complete the required syllabuses and all forms of trial exams.
Teachers, parents and students should be more far-sighted and even visionary. Our examination system is undergoing transformational changes. Examinations and assessments are going to be more school-based. Questions are going to be more varied and challenging; students will need to be creative, innovative and critical to do well. Examination questions will see changes in their formatting and time allocation to accommodate these new initiatives. Technology-integrated teaching and learning will best prepare students for new challenges.
THIRD, that TIE will incur great cost. True. While the ministry will ensure that every school will eventually be equipped with the basic and necessary IT infrastructure, it is the school that will ensure that every one of its classes has adequate and effective access to these facilities. It is the responsibility of the school to build on its existing ICT inventories. Here lie the roles of school leaders and administrators, and its parent-teacher association (PTA) and the community at large. They should strive to help spruce up the school’s ICT capacity and capability. With the right attitude and approach, the sky is the limit.
This has been proven by some more active schools and PTAs in our midst. Not forgetting that the school can tap the professional skills and knowledge among its parents, the private sector and community members. These experts can sit in special committees the school set up to advise, initiate, manage and supervise some of the school’s ICT-based projects. There is just so much a school head and his/her team of administrators can deliver. For more fruitful results, they need to reach out to their community. This, incidentally, is also the thrust of Shift 9 of the NEP, which desires schools to “partner with parents, community, and private sector at scale”.
This demands a holistic approach, even at its onset. Do it right and a school will reap a bountiful harvest. Students will have a conducive learning environment and hopefully, their school experiences will not only be an enjoyable one but also truly prepare them for their next level of study.
LIONG KAM CHONG, Seremban