School-Based Assignment: S. R. Rimba II

In the staffroom

Computers in the staffroom

one of the teacher using technology to do the lesson plan

Date: 13 August 2008
Day: Thursday
Time: 10.30 - 11.30

Let me tell you a bit about my previous school. It is one of the school which is considered "Sekolah Model". It is also being used as a center for Special pupils to be located under Brunei III. Due to this the, MOE has been generously supporting the school financial needs to better equip the schools with all the technology and school-related equipments possible. (from what i've heard from the teachers).

The school has 2 computer labs, a computer room in the teacher's staffroom, a computer in the library, 4 computers in the admin office, 2 projectors, 3 photocopy machines. This school is also equipped with CCTV all over the school area, speakers installed in all the classrooms and a bell which chimes every hour to indicate the period of a lesson is over. Furthermore the main hall is fitted with a huge screen and a projector(The school sounds incredible right?....)

Now with the A H1N1 situation the school own 6 thermal scanners.

teacher which uses technology in teaching Mathematics

Teacher 1 : Level 2, 30 pupils

This teacher teaches year 2, the subjects Mathematics and Bahasa Melayu. Technology used is the projector. She prefers to use the projector in Mathematics lesson. All of her pupils comes from a working class family although not all own a computer at home.

According to this teacher using projector has its strenths and weaknesses

Advantages

• pupils enjoy learning;
• understanding is enhance;
• teacher can use pictures from the internet which are not found in books;
• teacher make use iwb with the use of projector;
• smooth learnig-teaching process where teacher do not has to write notes on the board.

Disadvatages

• the projector is limited in quantity, therefore its usage is on a first come, first serve basis;
• teacher had to prepare the teaching materials every night;
• sometimes technical problems are unpredictable and teachers lesson plan will have to change.
  
  
  

MATHEMATICS

How to use technology in Mathematics teaching and learning?

Everyone has a different reason for wanting to incorporate technology, one of the reason is that it can improve the quality (and quantity) of instruction or teachings.

From my understanding technology involves the use of computers, projectors, photo copy machines, television, CD/DVD players, Interactive White Boards (IWB), cameras and video cameras.

Initially what all teachers can do is to write down the lesson plan for the week using the computer. This is a good start to using the technology before actually using it in the classroom. Teachers can surf the net and look for pictures or teaching strtegies that can be use and apply during the lesson.

Next, teachers can make use the projector in the classroom. This may provide a new learning experience for the pupils and make mathematics more fun and enjoyable. Teacher can project the notes or pictures on to the white board. Teachers can also use videos or interesting websites in their teaching and project them on to the white board.

Furthermore, interactive white boards are also an interesting tool in learning. Teachers can always bring the pupils to the computer room to use IWB. This is a way of involving pupils hands-on experiences in mathematics.

Meanwhile less time is spent on tasks such as copying handouts, giving handouts to pupils who missed classes, and grading pupils’ exercises and quizzes.

There are a lot of ways teachers can incorporate technology in their instructions, among of them are:

Provide pupils the oppurtunity to have access to the internet, underprevileg pupils can only have this chance in schools;

Enhance teacher'sinstructions;

Teach concepts that are difficult to convey with words or on a chalkboard;

Vary how content is presented and applied;

Facilitate discussion, problem-solving, simulations, and other learning activities;

Help students work as a group;

Support real-world learning experiences;

Extend interactions and activities beyond the classroom;

Save time on grading and course administration.

For enrichment activities teachers can go to these wbsites:

www.mathsisfun.com
www.coolmathforkids.com
www.primarygames.co.uk

An Investigation on the Effective Method of Multiplying 2 Digits With 2 Digits

1. Grouping Method

It works because it follows a systematic ways of arranging the numbers according to the place value system.

Why the grouping method is interesting:
The method is straightforward, easy to understand and an efficient way to solve the problem.

2. Vertically and crosswise method

Why the vertically crosswise method works:
At each stage, you are computing those partial products whose place value matches the place value of the digit you are computing.

Why the vertically method is interesting:
There are relatively few intermediate results to keep track of (and all of those involve at most two-digit numbers). With a little practice, one can do all of the arithmetic in one’s head, and when presented with a multiplication problem of any complexity proceed directly to writing down the digits of the answers.


3. Grid multiplication

Why the grid multiplication works:

The numbers are arranged in a unique way before multiplying and adding the product together. The secret to why it works rest on the numbers arrangements and the grid box.

Why the grid multiplication is interesting:

This method provides a grid to use which systematically arranged the numbers to come to the conclusion and a fun way to solve the problem.


references:
References
Chamberlain, N. (2005). Long multiplication and percentage without a calculator. Mathematics In School Journal, 34 (2), 22-23.

Curriculum Development Department. (2006). Mathematics Syllabus For Lower Primary Schools. Bandar Seri Begawan: Curriculum Development Department.

Curriculum Development Department. (2007). Smart Mathematics Primary 4. Singapore City: EPB Pan Pacific.

Geary, D. C. (2004). Mathematics and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities,
37(1), 4-15.

Glover, J. T. (2002). Vedic Mathematics for Schools Book 3. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

SCIENCE

Science teachers can make appropriate use of ICT to help achieve their teaching and learning objectives. ICT can support more effective learning and to achieve results. Some might say the use of ICT imposes additional burdens on pupils, but we must look at the positive side of it such as increased understanding of the scientific processes.

For a teacher before we incorporate technology with Science, what we neeed to take into considerations in teaching Science are:

Scientific Knowledge
Scientific Process Skills
Scientific Attitudes and Values

Its is the teachers responsibility to inculcate these 3 aspects within the students in teaching Science. Without these 3 important aspects a Science lesson could not be done.

As I had posted under the heading 'Mathematics', technology involves the use of computers, projectors, photo copy machines, television, CD/DVD players, Interactive White Boards (IWB), cameras and video cameras.

Scientific Knowledge

Before starting a class teachers must be mentally and physically prepare on what to teach the students. All teaching aids must be prepare earlier to ensure a smooth and interesting lesson. Science is a fun subject, a blank teacher would tarnish that joy and the objective of the lesson would not be achieve. Knowledge in ICT would also help a lot in making the lesson fun. Teachers can use the internet such as watch an experiment on "Youtube". For example sink and float experiment.



Scientific Process Skills

Teaching Science usually involve Inquiry Learning. Here is where teachers need to guide students to use their minds-om and hands-on experiences to develop the process skills required. Some of the process skills especially in doing practical work or experiments are predicting, observing, recording and comparing results. For example
"Raisin elevator". Pupils need to apply all these process skills to do this experiment.

items needed are: Sodium Bicarbonate, raisins, beaker

Firstly: pupils must predict what will happen?
Secondly: the pupils will carry out the experiment by pouring the sodium bicarbonate into the beaker and then inserting the raisin in the beaker.
Thirdly: the pupils need to tabulate, take note or record any findings the think necessary.
Fourthly: compare their findings with friends and present their results

Scientific Attidtudes and Values

This scientific aspect involves pupils interactions with each other such as sharing, communicating with their friends, being honest, respecting their friend's opinions and ideas.

Nonetheless teachers attitudes are also important in making the classroom an interesting one.

MATHEMATICS

How to teach Mathematics especially Multiplications.

One of the topics that pupils usually had a low percentage passes is in multiplication because most topics in the upper primary syllabus involve multiplying especially Division, Measurement, Money, Time, Rate, Area, Volume, Fraction, Percentage, Mental computation and Problem solving. Multiplication is a common problem in most schools.

By having a variety of methods and strategies to help the pupils to understand mathematical concepts better the pupils are given the chance to think that Mathematics is not fixed and can have numbers of ways of solving a problem. Having these methods hopefully will bring out the interest and fun in learning Mathematics and the misunderstanding of concept will no longer exist. As pupils acquire new strategies in learning Mathematics they tend to abandon older slower and less accurate ones.

Some methods which are suggested by CDD are multiple representations, diagrams, real objects and especially the usage of ICT.