How Does CoTF Promotes Student-Centred Learning?

The visit to CoTF was an eye opening experience as it shows how technology can amazingly be inculcated into our life. With a portable Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC) on hand, each student can stay connected to their peers, teachers, community and even to the world. I shall further discuss how UMPC are utilized in the café, laboratory, MRT, at home and in the classroom in view of student centredness. 

Cafe 

The layout and environment of the café encourage collaborative learning as groups of 4 students have to share a common table with a touch screen computer embedded in it. Within the computer, there is a search engine (Groker) that assists students in filtering the large pool of information from the internet according to their educational level. This caters to students with different needs to learn independently at their comfortable pace.  This touch screen computer complements the UMPC by allowing their groupmates’ screen on UMPC to be seen on a common screen.

In this way, social and personal learning are facilitated because they are able to view and share information, as well as learn from the different and overlapping viewpoints of one another(Motschnig-Pitrik & Derntl, 200?). Thereby, students are able to construct meanings and build on their knowledge after the discussion.  Besides sharing and interacting within the group, as a group, they can also have the opportunity to interact with people of different culture all around the world. When they communicate with people of different culture, they are exposed to the different perceptions as well. Therefore, students are able to learn to handle the similar task at a different approach.    

For learning to take place with UMPC, the café must have strong wireless connections and have to invest costly on the touch screen computer.   

Laboratory 

Students are to experiment with skin samples in search for any presence of bacteria. After which, they can store their findings in their UMPC and share their findings on a common flat screen to their peers by scanning their UMPC. Comparisons of data are made easier with the automatic drawing of charts and graphs.  Not only can they discuss their findings among their peers, they can also collaboratively discuss their findings with experts/professionals through video conferencing without any language barrier as the different languages are translated to a common language to facilitate the discussion.

In this way, students are able to further foster their understanding of their findings, generate new knowledge and evaluate the different scenarios (eg. graphs) presented to them.  Therefore, social interaction guides students’ thinking and enhance cognitive development process as it encourage students to ask relevant questions or higher order questions to revise their understanding (Chan, 2007) To further enhance learning, the teacher acting as a facilitator should also be present to provide the framework and guidance whenever necessary. 

MRT Train  

Advertisements on the train that contain useful information for students’ learning can be downloaded in their UMPC by just tapping on the sensor beside the advertisement. Advertisements like the sale of relevant books or encyclopedia at the bookstore would attract students to purchase them. With GPS integrated into the UMPC, students can download the information and locate their friends who are near this bookstore to purchase on their behalf.  

However, this feature would be more appropriate for field trips to the science centre, historical places and places of interest. Students are brought to these places to search for relevant information required for their activity. Hence, UMPC enhance learning as it allows students to download any relevant information just by scanning on their resources made available.  After which, students have to self assess themselves by reflecting on what they have downloaded and at the same time know what other information they require to complete the activity. This self assessment allows students to be aware of and responsible for their own learning and productivity (Ebenezer & Haggerty, 1999).          

Home 

Learning can also take place conveniently at home. Students can access interactive game portals (set up by the teacher or school) to play and learn at the same time. In the process of playing, students learn about projectile motion by estimating the distance it takes to shoot the opponent from their helicopter. Different topics can be learnt through different games depending on the students’ interest. Multiple players can also play at the same time thereby creating a multi user visual environment (MUVE).

While playing games, video conferencing can occur at the same time which allows students to communicate actively and share their strategies (best way to project their shooting) to completing the game. Thereby, allowing collaborative learning and social learning to take place at home. Not only does it benefit the students, parents can also access the school portals easily to monitor their children’s progress and performance. This allows parents to intervene or assist in their children’s weaker topic. They can also join in the games to learn from one another and foster a better relationship with their parents.         

Voice recognition software built in the system offer great assistance for the visually-impaired or physically disabled. They can learn more effectively by purchasing softwares that narrates the content or concept thereby not depriving them of accessing information using this technology.  

Classroom 

The layout and environment of the classroom is conducive for effective learning to take place. Students will be freshly welcomed with different backdrops for the different topic of the day and they are to be seated in groups which encourage collaborative learning to take place. Once seated, their class attendance is taken by the sensors in the chair which can detect their UMPC on their lap.  

In their groups, they can have their screen shots of their projects on the wall so as to collaborate with their peers. Different views can be expressed freely while sharing their screen shots which help students to revise their understandings and ask higher order questions. They can also collaboratively create personalized mind maps on the touch screen table by digitally annotating graphs or pictures to their mind map to construct their conceptualizations.  

Quizzes, tests and assignments uploaded by the teachers are used to assess their level of understanding in the class. With the auto grading engine, their quizzes, tests and assignment will be marked according to a marking scheme provided by the teachers. Besides that, the engine is able to tabulate the percentage of passes for each question and put it in the form of a chart. In this way, the teachers are able to identify the students’ common mistakes and provide feedback instantaneously through a common screen.Hence more time can be allocated to students with difficulty understanding the questions.  

All in all, CoTF promotes student-centred learning to a large extent whereby students are active knowledge seekers, take responsibility for learning and constructs knowledge by interacting with teacher, peer, professionals across the world and the data gathered through different sources, with the purpose in mind of solving a task they have been given(Napoll, 2004).  

However, there are a few issues we have to take into considerations. Firstly, owning a UMPC and the touch screen computers in the environment which complement the UMPC are very costly and needs to have strong wireless connection. Secondly, when students own a UMPC, there are dangers of straying away from the task at hand and may be tempted to play games or do anything other the task at hand.  Thirdly, students become very reliant on UMPC such that when it breaks down or there are any viruses, there will be problem with continuing the lesson. Next, unless the teacher has already invited professionals from across the world, resources from online collaboration may not be reliable as students may not know who they are collaborating with.  

References: 

1. Motschnig-Pitrik.R & Derntl.M. (200?) Student centered eLearning(SCeL): Concept and application in a students’ project on supporting learning. University of Vienna. 

2. Chan B.C. (2007). Activity-based Approach to Authentic Learning in a Vocational Institute, Educational Media International, vol. 44, 185-205. 

3. Ebenezer J.V. & Haggerty S. M. (1999). Becoming A Secondary School Science Teacher. Location: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 

4. Napoll R.D (2004). What is Student-centred Learning? Educational Initiative Centre, University of Westminster.

Visual Design Learning Principles

Slide 1

Strengths

• Used relevant picture and audio to introduce the topic
• Used uncluttered primary color layout to have contrast with the letterings
• The variation of lettering styles are minimal to show different instructions 
• The font size is appropriate to ease reader’s reading       

Areas of improvement

• The color and lettering styles should harmonize with one another for easy reading
•  “Click on the buttons to learn more” should be placed after the lesson menu so that readers know where to click the buttons
•  “ Click the icons to hear sound of the frog” should be placed after the life cycle of frog cycle to create a formal balance

Slide 2

Strengths

• There is alignment of text and graphics to allow reader to follow through the sequence easily
• Spacings between the lines were appropriate for easy reading 
• The fonts used for the headings and lines harmonize with each other

Areas of improvement

• The animation used on the words could be changed as it slows down the reading speed

Slide 3

Strengths

• The life cycle was arranged in a clockwise manner which is familiar to students
• Use of one common color to represent the stages(or links) of life cycle
• Use of relevant pictures to represent the stages

Areas of improvement

• The sentence: “CLICK ON THE STAGE THAT YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT” which is in upper case, slows down the reading speed, hence the fonts should in lower case
• The pictures should indicate the time duration for each stage to enhance learning
• Colored pictures can be used for the life cycle to increase the appeal of the slide 

Slide 4

Strengths

• There are links at the bottom of the slide for easy navigation to the different stages
•  Spacings between the lines were appropriate for easy reading

 Areas of improvement

• The dynamic visual display of the frog did not assist in learning but distracted the students from reading
•  Similarly, the animation used on the words could be changed as it slows down the reading speed

Slide 5  

Strengths

• Graphics used matches the content of the slide
•  Consistent animations used for the lines for easy reading

Areas of improvement

• The graphics can appear at the same time as the paragraphs appear so that students will not get distracted with the other graphics

• The navigation button should be placed at the bottom right hand side for consistency

• The paragraphs can be shorten so that the font size can be increased for clarity or we can have narration like the 1^st slide.

• For consistency, there should also be links at the bottom of the slide for easy navigation to the different stages 

 Slide 6 

Strengths

• Appropriate font size, spacings between the lines, alignment of text for easy reading

Areas of improvement

• Likewise, the animation used on the words could be changed as it slows down the reading speed 
• Similarly, the paragraphs can be shorten so that the font size can be increased for clarity or we can have narration like the 1^st slide.

Managing ICT-Enhanced Environment

a. Do you think the classroom environment chosen is appropriate for the learning activities? Explain why.

In the case of Video 1 (Full computer lab), the classroom environment was appropriate because:

• There was use of ICT to enhance learning experience whereby each individual has a hands on exploration
• Systematic instructions were given to allow learning to take place in a conducive environment.

However, it could be more student-centred by giving the topic on Congruent triangle and get the students to get all the important information from the CD rom instead of the teacher preparing the worksheet for them to answer. Furthermore, allow discussion to take place for students beside each other so that there is collaboration with peers to develop a better understanding for the topic.

As for Video 2 (Half computer lab), the classroom environment was appropriate because:

• There was checking of understanding of the topic in the AV room when the teacher asked questions
• Systematic instructions were given in the computer lab to allow conducive environment for learning to take place
• Use of ICT to enhance learning
•  Discussion took place in pairs
• More attention were given to the students as there were 2 teachers to assist them

However, specific tasks were given to each pair whereby one of them will go through the navigation guide while the other record the information for the worksheet. I feel that it would be better to have each pair take turns for the different roles.  

And for Video 3 (Learning centres),the classroom environment was appropriate because:

•  Students learn from a variety of tools eg. articles, microscope, lab top so that there were hands on exploration and there were collaboration with the group mates to discuss which will be the more appropriate answers to the worksheet
• There was proper time management where teacher set aside time for each station and time to go through the answer when the information are still fresh in the students’ mind

In Video 4(One computer classroom),the classroom environment was appropriate because:

• Students were actively engaged and challenged in the pyramid game
• Students have to work with each other to get the correct answer
• Use of ICT to facilitate the smooth flowing of the game

b. The students seem to be focused and on task. What strategies do you think the teacher has used to achieve this outcome?

From Video 1 to 4, the teacher used the following similar strategies:

• Assigned seats according to index  number (so that students get into position and settle down in a short time. This will be also allow them to tap on other students’ knowledge instead of their usual group of friends)
• Appointed row representatives to do house keeping (eg. Collect CDs, checked if computer is switched off, mouse was turned over at the end of the class. In this way, the class was organised systematically)
• Invited IT representative to assist in minor troubleshooting or set up the computer
•  Used colored cups to get teacher’s attention and dimmed lights to capture students’ attention or raise their hands to ask questions (so as to minimize noise level to allow learning to take place in a conducive environment)
• Teacher went through the answer at the end of the tasks while students still have a fresh memory of what they did

However, there are slight differences between the videos.

For Video 2,the teacher also used the following strategies:

• Assign roles for each pair so they have to collaborate with each other
• A navigation guide was given to each pair so that students will not be confused
• A second teacher was present to assist in answering students’ questions whereby students’ need were met to.

As for Video 3, the teacher used the following strategies:

• Assign different groups to do different questions and rotate about the different stations to have different learning experience
•  Plan activities that take the same amount of time so there is sufficient time for each station

Finally for Video 4, the teacher used the following strategies:

• Engaged all students in playing the pyramid game(students given different role in the game eg. one of them to describe while the other 3 to guess)
•  Allow students to make appropriate noise at the appropriate time (cheering to encourage classmates)
• Gave homework related to the pyramid game so as to revise on what they learnt

c. What potential classroom management issues can possibly occur? What proposed solution(s) do you have?

Each video has its own issues and solutions as presented below.

For Video 1, some issues include:

• A lot of students may be having their red cups on at the same time
•  Some students may not be able to navigate around in the program 
• Some students may not be able to finish tasks on time when teacher dimmed the lights

I propose the following solutions respectively:

• Students can ask help from their classmates beside them and not across the classroom. This allow peer learning to take place.
• Teacher may want to demostrate where the information could be retrieved.
• Teacher may want to set a time to check with the progress of the students.

For Video 2, some issues include that some students may not be able to finish tasks on time. Hence the teacher may want to set a time to check with the progress of the students. 

For Video 3, some issues include:

• Students going to the wrong stations
• Noise level may be high when moving to the different stations
• Students may play with the tap or other things on the bench

I propose the following solutions respectively:

• Teacher may want to give each group a number so that group 1 will move to group 2 and group 2 will move to group 3 and so on.
• Remind students to keep the noise level down
• Reason with the students why there is no need to touch the tap or other things

For Video 4, some issues include:

• Students from other group may shout out the answers
•  only 4 representatives from each group are to play the game and the rest of the group will not be participating in the game especially the quieter students.

I propose the following solutions respectively:

• Point system can be used to make the game more challenging and students from other group who shouted the answer will have their score deducted
• The rest of the group should be given the opportunity to answer the question if their representatives can’t guess the correct answer

How student-centred was the lesson?

After studying story 1, the following are my thoughts..

Teacher roles (score:8)

• Daphne guide the students in their project by providing some possible categories for organizing the information
• Secret agents are to convince and Budget committee are to be convinced by asking them questions hence Daphne created a learning environment which allows participation and challenging one another.
• In the forum, Daphne acknowledged some of the questions and answered a few questions which are low level so as to clear any misconceptions
• She also guided the students into asking and answering higher order questions for eg. “How are you going to ‘implement laws’? Have you considered the political implications of such a move?”  With Daphne’s assistant, the students learnt how to ask and answer higher order questions.
• Daphne provided decision–making template for pupils to rank the issues. However, Daphne should have introduced the decision making template earlier before asking them to make a decision. More time should be allocated for decision making and not left to the last minute when the bell rang.  

            After reflecting on the previous lesson, Daphne corrected the students’ mistakes by demostrating the process of using Inspiration for note-taking and categorizing the points before letting her pupils use it. In addition, she guided the students into showing how the decision making template is used. She also walked around in class to correct any misconceptions from the mind maps.

Student roles(score:8)

• Secret agents work in groups to research on their topic hence different students learns different materials and through PowerPoint they collaborate with their group mates to develop their content for the presentation. Thereby allowing competency among group mates.
• Budget committee who were in doubt asked questions in the forum to secret agents to understand the situation. Secret agents were able to answer and substantiate their proposed solutions. In this way, they are active knowledge seeker and they take responsibility of their learning
• However, some students may only be audience and watch the questions and answers in the forum but not participating. To further enhance learning, Daphne may have to set requirements for the students eg. each student must at least ask 1 or 2 questions regarding the topic in discussion
• Students were unable to make full use of the decision making template as they merely ticked the box instead of ranking the issues due to time constraint.  

Curriculum characteristics(score:7)

• In the forum, low level questions (eg. “what” questions were answered) by Daphne
• Higher order questions modeled by Daphne further stimulate the students into asking and answering higher order questions 

Learning goals(score:8)

• Through the roles of secret agent and budget committee, there were information processing skills learnt, e.g. access, organise, interpret, communicate information to the other students.
• Students asked questions so as to build on their knowledge from their classmates explanations.
• In pairs, students are able to work with their partners to ask and answer questions together 

Types of activities(score:6)

• Budget committee worked in pairs, one partner relay information to the other person who would then type it onto the template. This only allows one student to explore the inspirational tool.
• Secret agents worked in groups to research on their topic and develop their content knowledge through the internet and presented them in the PowerPoints.
• Through the discussion forum, students are able to express their thoughts freely which is especially beneficial for students who were shy to speak up in class. However, some students were trying to tidy up their Inspiration templates while others were already asking questions in the forum. As such, students with slower processing skills will be left behind during the discussion. It would be more appropriate to set aside time for students to finish up the mind map before going into the forum

 Assessment strategies(score:5)

• In this case, I believed the students were assessed through their mind maps and questions asked in the forum which were used to check for their understandings of the topics
• Tests or quizzes should be given as well to check if their fundamentals were strong. They can also act as a guideline to see if the lesson were engaging enough for the students to learn. 

Use of ICT(score:7)

• World Bank Budget Committee classmates were taking notes using a digital mind mapping tool known as Inspiration , and making decision to support the air pollution or desertification group. However, there were students who did not group their information into categories and some did not make links. This could be due to the need to be familiarized with the tool and it will be quite difficult for students to learn how to use and at the same time take down the presenter’s notes. Besides that, the mind map was done in pairs. Only one student gets to learn the inspirational tool. Students can do without the inspirational tool as it did not change the learner’s experience of drawing a mind map on a paper which is time saving.  
• Students who were Secret Agents have to surf the Internet for information about various environmental problems and possible solutions. In this way, they search for their own information instead of the teacher providing the content.
• After searching for their information, they use powerpoints to organize their findings using powerpoints into categories like problems, solutions, causes etc. Through categorizations, they are able to construct their understandings of the topic.
• Through online discussion forum, students can ask questions to the presenters to further build on their concept on the topic
• Online polls were used to finalize their decision

All in all, I felt that the lesson planned was student- centred to certain extent. However, the lesson could be better carried out with better time management and better assessment strategies.  

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